Automation testing in the energy industry
From proof of concept (POC) to implementation
Expertise
This company is one of the most important energy companies in Germany, being a market leader for more than 20 years. The company’s energy solutions are delivered across 30 countries and serve more than 50 million households. One of the main objectives of the company is to become more digital, and thus increase the overall efficiency and transparency of the company at a macro level. This objective is part of an overall sustainability strategy that the company is currently implementing.
Analyze
Joining this partnership had a very interesting onboarding process. OceanoBe was chosen as an expert on the automation testing part with a clear objective to build a squad support team that will roll out a test automation framework for all the development teams. In the beginning, we set out for a proof of concept (POC) with the clear goal of coaching and improvement of deployment and release processes, reducing manual post-deployment steps, and upskill on development practices.
Ideate
OceanoBe joined the client’s team as a coach and technical mentor for the automation testing teams. We began with 2 colleagues that joined the team for 1-2 sprints and began setting up the framework for the automated testing with Cucumber where there was none implemented. On other solutions where there was already a framework in progress, our team members offered improvement solutions and best practices.
Test
Since the beginning, our experience in working with a mixed team has proven to be a crucial component to the success of this project. Although from the beginning this was a coaching-only program it soon turned out into a longer agreement. Our input and technically savvy team helped the client’s team on reaching a deeper understanding and improved the automation testing processes.
Idea to solve
Being one of the leading companies in its field, the client has already a set in place platform that catered to its 3 million users. This meant a great deal of data and of course a variety of tools and processes that our team members had to adapt to. Our team worked with a variety of technologies including:
- BDD framework based on Selenium, Cucumber, and JVM
- Java 11
- GItLab
- IntelliJ
Our team was also in charge of implementing the multithreading, and replacing JUnit with TestNG, and testing web applications on SalesForce and PowerCloud.
Problem statement
Working in a cross-functional team and mixed team with different departments has indeed proved a challenge. Together we had to address a series of key measures for the project that included: automated process tests, automated build and integration, production-grade test data availability, and API tests of core systems. Since we started out, our team doubled in size and together we are now directly responsible to deliver regression automation scripts for all the teams in our assigned squad.
Outcome
Having a professional work attitude, combined with the right technical skills and vision proved to be the ideal environment for this project. Our POC approach incorporated full transparency and communication with the client, building in time the necessary trust that had led to a successful partnership. QA and especially automated testing is all about attention to detail and identifying the exact framework that will deliver the best results. Working closely with the client’s team in delivering high-quality results, while meeting the deadlines has rewarded us with the trust and confidence of our client. Together we move forward into the future with a clear objective of growth.
