This case study showcases how SHIFT ASIA successfully supported quality assurance (QA) to a fast-growing technology startup promoting rapid releases through agile development.

About the Client

A technology startup developing and operating curated mobile apps and internet services, offering high-quality news and content globally. The company, with multinational teams and agile development practices, struggled to find English-speaking test engineers and maintain smooth communication between testers and developers.

Challenges:

• The bottleneck in Development: Weekly updates in agile development led to increased testing burden, hindering development flow.
• English-speaking Test Engineer Shortage: Multinational development with English communication made finding qualified test engineers difficult.
• Need for Agile-compatible Testing: Existing processes weren’t optimized for the rapid release cycle of agile developments.

Requirements:

• English-speaking Test Engineer: To design and execute high-quality tests for new features released frequently.
• Japanese-friendly Test Design: Enable Japanese test engineers to understand and create tests from English specifications.
• Improve Communication: Smoothen communication between testers and developers, primarily through English.

SHIFT ASIA’s approaches and results

A dedicated team of 6, including a Vietnamese test engineer fluent in English and Japanese, was assigned to support the Client. Key responsibilities included:

• Unit and integration test design and execution: This included designing and executing tests for new features released weekly through agile development.
• Regression testing: Scope and execution plans were created to ensure existing functionalities remained intact with new releases.
• Defect reporting and communication: Detected defects were documented and communicated effectively with developers for timely resolution.
• Collaborative system establishment: Establishing a system for efficient communication and collaboration between the multinational development teams.

Tools and Languages:

• CAT (SHIFT’s proprietary test management tool)
• Notion (workflow management tool)
• Jira (issue management tool)

Results:

By providing a skilled and multilingual QA team and establishing a collaborative workflow, SHIFT ASIA helped the client:

• Reduce testing bottleneck: The team’s dedication and expertise streamlined the QA process, allowing faster development cycles.
• Enhance communication: Effective communication was established between testers and developers, improving collaboration and efficiency.
• Maintain high-quality software: Rigorous testing practices ensured the quality and stability of the news curation app.
• Support agile development: The team’s flexibility and responsiveness enabled the client to continue their rapid release schedule.

By providing a dedicated team, implementing effective communication practices, and leveraging suitable tools, SHIFT ASIA successfully streamlined the customer’s QA process, enabling them to maintain their rapid release cycle while ensuring high-quality software. This case study demonstrates the value of experienced QA partners in supporting agile development and optimizing quality assurance for fast-paced tech companies.