AKVA QA Case Study

Customer satisfaction and relationships rank as top XBOSoft internal priorities. We’ve been providing software quality testing services around the globe since 2006 and we want to ensure we continue to provide our customers with what they need, when they need it.

While we like knowing what makes our customers happy, we also like knowing what could be improved. I guess you could say, it’s another testing platform – it’s how we get better!

We recently reached out to Eivind Bendryen, Product Manager Farming at AKVA group ASA, in Norway. AKVA is a leading technology and service partner to the aquaculture industry worldwide. For over 30 years, AKVA has offered software tools that cover all a company could need for process control, production control, reporting and planning of fish farming and seafood productions.

Q: Can you give us background on your working relationship with XBOSoft and your testing/quality assurance needs at that time?

Eivind: In 2009, I was approached by XBOSoft and given a presentation on the company and its software testing services. After a short planning period, XBOSoft began manually testing our software. Fortunately, communication with XBOSoft, and their processes, are simple. Our software is extensive and has a lot of functionality, so, together we have gradually been building our test suite. Our work together has enabled us to reach a new level of confidence when releasing updates and new versions. Over the years we have increased the level of service offerings from XBOSoft, which now includes automated testing.

Q: How would you describe the partnership between the two companies?

Eivind: From the beginning, our partnership with XBOSoft has been uncomplicated and value-giving. Communication – one of our initial worries – has been straightforward. We have been able to communicate directly about solutions, with no wasted time on sales pitches or suffering from large gaps between test management and test resources. This is a contributing factor in why we have gained a lot of trust in XBOSoft and their services over the years.

Q: What added value have you realized from XBOSoft's services?

Eivind: A major value of working with XBOSoft has been that we now release software with higher quality and we have reduced costs for testing. We have also been able to make the developer role within AKVA more attractive, by implementing an effective and low-effort interface with XBOSoft to the test process. The test repositories that are continuously growing have become an asset allowing us to shorten our time to delivery.

Q: If you were to recommend XBOSoft to another company, what attributes would you emphasize??

Eivind: I would emphasize the low level of effort needed in order to gain value. XBOSoft has been able to perform high-quality testing with very little effort from our side. I think most companies are afraid that introducing an external testing company will result in extra work within their own organization, in particular when starting up. But, with little risk and low cost, we learned quickly that it was possible to start small and grow. When we started, we did not have much documentation except (partially outdated) help-files and guides. XBOSoft quickly filled in the gaps with little load on my team. The bugs they find are real – not just cosmetic nuances.

Q: Would you say that XBOSoft's services have contributed to your company's growth and profitability?

Eivind: XBOSoft’s services have definitively contributed to our growth. By offloading the developers in the testing process, we have freed resources, and by increasing product quality, we have reduced costs on support and product maintenance.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

“A major value of working with XBOSoft has been that we now release software with higher quality and we have reduced costs for testing.”

Eivind Brendryen, Product Manager Farming, AKVA group ASA

Software Type	Platform or Tools Used	What We Did	Type of Testing	Results*
Desktop Software	Windows 7+ SQL Servers	Design and maintain cases Ensure the new functionalities Ad hoc testing Report and tracking defects Send test report once testing task is done Send weekly report on Friday	Manual Testing	Test covered over 80% function checkpoints Found at least 75% defects, and Blocker/Critical issue is reduced to lower than 1%
Desktop Software	Test Complete	Make automation plan Cover manual test cases to automation test cases Develop and debug scripts Submit scripts to the Client’s SVN Execute scripts on the latest build per day Send automation daily report	Automation	Finished the coding of Smoke test; execution time has reduced from at least 12 hours (Manual) to 1.5 hours (Auto) Increased smoke test execution frequency from once every 2 weeks (Manual) to every day (Auto) So far, have finished around 60% of base regression testing; the time has reduced from at least 20 hours (Manual) to just 2 hours (Auto)

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