Our client, a Virtualised Packet Core vendor focused on Private Mobile Networks, needed to improve their software testing processes to enhance product quality and improve customer experience.
Objectives
- from “Home-grown” testing to Independent verification
- from Manual testing to High quality, repeatable testing
- from a Three-month test cycle to a One-week full test cycle
The existing process relied on home-grown, manual testing that took a long time to complete and was prone to human error. The testing was focused on optimistic scenarios and developed by the same teams that wrote the code – resulting in unintentional blindspots, software quality deficiencies and delays in the development cycle.
Solution
Flint developed a Managed Testing Service, utilising industry-standard emulation and test tools. The service was delivered over 3 phases:
Phase 1 – Discovery and Setup
- Build the team and analyse requirements
- Design and build labs, deploy tools
- Develop tests and prove efficacy
The first step comprised assembling a team which reviewed the existing manual test coverage with a view to automation. Fully representative labs were built and ready for the service, and detailed test cases were developed to prove fidelity and repeatability.
“The first phase, especially the detailed review of the existing state and a setup of testing labs, was crucial as a solid foundation for the successful continuation of the project in the following steps.”
Phase 2 – Managed Testing Service
Develop, Execute, Monitor and Improve
The second phase significantly expanded the test coverage with additional test suites being added to include Functional, Performance, Compliance and Regression testing, with positive and negative test scenarios.
Phase 3 – Expansion and Automation
Automate, Integrate, Monitor, and Improve
In the third stage, the tests were fully automated to greatly increase the speed of execution and remove the chance of manual error. Additionally, parallel lab environments were built for ad-hoc (automated) test execution on interim code releases and integration to the customer’s CD/CI DevOps pipeline.
“The new Managed Testing Service has an enormously positive impact on the client’s business as it has reduced the testing time significantly – from weeks to hours.”
Customer Benefits
- A Full test cycle is reduced from three months to one week
- Regression testing is fully automated and reduced from one week to less than six hours
This service significantly impacts the customer’s business, as test quality is highly increased and execution time is greatly reduced – resulting in improved software quality, enhanced customer experience and reduced software development costs.
The automated testing has also helped the client scale to meet their increasing customer demand and development pace.
Are you facing a similar challenge, or would you like to learn more about our services? We’ll be happy to hear from you!
