In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, ensuring the quality of software products is critical for maintaining user satisfaction and staying competitive. This case study explores how SHIFT ASIA’s expertise in QA outsourcing helped a leading e-learning provider overcome significant challenges in their development process. With a focus on testing and validation, SHIFT ASIA played a pivotal role in improving the functionality and reliability of the client’s application, ultimately enabling them to deliver a better experience to their end users.

About the client

The client is a prominent provider of innovative e-learning solutions, specializing in English language training to meet the diverse needs of students and professionals. Established with a mission to create engaging and effective learning experiences, the company offers a wide range of services designed to enhance language acquisition through digital platforms.

Their flagship product delivers interactive courses combining cutting-edge technology and evidence-based teaching methods. Available on web and mobile platforms, the application caters to various learning preferences, ensuring accessibility and flexibility for users. With a commitment to improving global communication skills, the client has established a strong reputation in the education and technology sectors.

By leveraging modern tools and methodologies, the client continually strives to redefine how language education is delivered, empowering learners to achieve their goals efficiently. However, as the demands for user-friendly and reliable digital solutions grew, maintaining the quality of their applications became a critical challenge that needed expert intervention. This is where SHIFT ASIA stepped in to support their vision and overcome the hurdles in their development process.

Challenges faced by the Client

The client had contracted an offshore development vendor, but this collaboration revealed critical gaps in quality assurance. The vendor’s testing resources were limited, with only one individual assigned to QA. This lack of capacity led to delayed timelines and an overwhelming backlog of bugs that impacted the project by approximately two months. Insufficient processes for identifying and addressing business-critical bugs further exacerbated the situation. Poor coordination between the development and QA teams meant many issues remained unresolved, placing the application’s quality at risk.

• Testing gaps: The development vendor struggled with test quality, leading to delays of approximately two months in the overall project plan.
• Limited QA resources: With only one testing staff member, the vendor could not handle the volume of bugs or ensure comprehensive quality assurance.
• Reactive bug management: End users or stakeholders often reported bugs, but there were insufficient resources to address and preemptively identify issues.
• Collaboration barriers: Minimal coordination between the development and QA teams prevented the seamless integration of testing into the development lifecycle.

Project Scope and Requirements

SHIFT ASIA was brought on board to address these challenges and ensure that the application met the highest standards of functionality and reliability.

• Testing 07 main features across 5-course types, comprising 629 lessons and 2619 test cases.
• Conducting tests on Android and iOS mobile platforms, tablets, and PC web environments.
• Leveraging pre-designed test cases and Figma references to create detailed evaluation criteria.
• Reporting and tracking bugs in JIRA while monitoring fix statuses for re-validation.
• Aiming for a fully functional, bug-free staging environment by the project deadline.

The project, conducted within 3 months, focused on testing and validating seven main features across five different course types, totaling 629 lessons and involving 2619 test cases. The client aimed to achieve a fully functional and bug-free staging environment by the end of the timeline. However, several issues hindered the development process and necessitated expert intervention.

SHIFT ASIA’s Solutions and Approach

SHIFT ASIA adopted a systematic and proactive approach to address these issues. The team began by carefully analyzing the client’s pre-designed test cases and using Figma references to develop detailed testing protocols. This allowed for precise evaluation of functionalities across Android, iOS, tablet, and web platforms. SHIFT ASIA’s testing methodology was grounded in a commitment to comprehensive coverage, ensuring that all aspects of the application were rigorously assessed.

The QA team worked closely with the client to identify the root causes of the development vendor’s performance issues. By doing so, they provided actionable insights that highlighted systemic gaps in the vendor’s processes. In parallel, SHIFT ASIA implemented a thorough bug identification and reporting system. All bugs were meticulously documented in JIRA, categorized by severity, and monitored for resolution. Over the course of the project, the team identified 320 bugs, some of which required multiple iterations to be fully resolved.

Collaboration was central to SHIFT ASIA’s approach. Communication with the client was maintained through Slack, while daily meetings on Microsoft Teams ensured consistent updates and progress tracking. Occasionally, three-way discussions involving the development vendor were facilitated to synchronize efforts on critical issues. This transparent and structured workflow enabled smoother coordination and better alignment across teams.

Results & outcomes

The results of SHIFT ASIA’s intervention were transformative.

Improved Application Quality

SHIFT ASIA identified 320 bugs during the project lifecycle. Of these, 46 required multiple iterations (2–4 fixes) to resolve. SHIFT ASIA significantly reduced unresolved or recurring bugs by ensuring robust quality checks.

Strengthened QA Processes

SHIFT ASIA introduced structured workflows and detailed test coverage methodologies, addressing gaps in the vendor’s QA approach. This fostered a stronger quality assurance culture within the client organization.

Enhanced Transparency and Reporting

Through consistent communication and comprehensive reporting, SHIFT ASIA provided the client with clear insights into the application’s quality and the development vendor’s performance.

In short

Through meticulous QA processes, SHIFT ASIA helped the client regain control of their project and reinforced the importance of integrating quality assurance into every stage of development. The case highlights how strategic QA outsourcing can mitigate risks, enhance product reliability, and improve project outcomes. SHIFT ASIA’s approach addressed the immediate challenges and laid the groundwork for a stronger focus on quality in the client’s future initiatives.