Automated Web Application Testing for a US-Based SaaS Provider

Summary

A US-based SaaS provider needed its in-house briefing editor web application tested under a demanding daily-deployment timeline while it simultaneously migrated to a new CRM. INNERLUXES ran automated testing — about 90 Protractor scripts driven by Cucumber behavior-driven steps, plus automated regression and CRM integration testing, all reported through GitLab CI — delivering a fully functional editor on time and seamlessly integrated with the new CRM.

About the Client

The Client is a US-based SaaS company providing executives and managers with cloud-based software that gathers information about industries and companies from reputable media. The Client then sends this data to its clients in the form of daily or weekly briefings.

The Challenge

Seeking to streamline the editing of the briefings prepared for its clients, the Client turned to INNERLUXES to test a briefing editor web application developed for in-company use. The project posed several testing challenges:

• A stack of small features was deployed daily, so the testers had to work within a tight timeline — writing the relevant test cases, running them, and submitting reports several times a day.
• At the same time, the Client started a CRM migration, so the testing team had to ensure the briefing editor worked as required with the new CRM.

The Solution

To ensure efficient work within a tight time frame, INNERLUXES decided to use automated testing.

Web application testing. To test code against business requirements and ensure better traceability, the team first developed test scripts in Cucumber, a behavior-driven testing tool that allows writing testing steps in simple English. These steps also gave the team a clear picture of the test scripts to be developed and helped detect failed scripts swiftly. As the web application was developed in AngularJS, the team used the Protractor testing tool, an efficient solution for AngularJS-based web applications. In all, the test suite comprised about 90 scripts. The team also ran automated regression testing to make sure code changes didn't alter or break the functionality in place.

Integration testing. The team ran a set of scripts to make sure the new CRM and the briefing editor integrated well.

To ensure detailed reporting, the team used GitLab CI. The automated testing engineers combined test reports with Cucumber test steps to deliver exhaustive information on testing results, including the scripts that failed — so the Client could have comprehensive information about the application quality at any given moment.

The Results

• INNERLUXES successfully tested the briefing editor web application for the Client.
• The Client got a fully functional briefing editor web application deployed on time and seamlessly integrated with the new CRM.

Technologies and Tools

AngularJS, JavaScript, Protractor, Cucumber, GitLab CI.