Month: November 2019

The Significance of Automation in Agile Testing

Posted on by stridely

Software Development is one of those areas that have witnessed tremendous alterations in the last few years. Since industrialization 4.0, more and more technologies pave their way in the process of application development. For developers or to be specific, the application development companies to remain at the forefront, it is important to not only embed such technological transformations but also speed up the process of development. There are thousands of agencies and if you delay the development process, clients are more likely to make a shift.

Having said that, it is not just the development process that needs to be triggered but also the others associated with it. Precisely, we are talking about the testing process. Until recently, testing was done manually and in a way that followed the waterfall development model. However, wiry rising trends and increasing competition, the waterfall model was replaced by the agile method of software development and this includes testing too.

As we know, the waterfall model follows the principle of doing a task only after completion of the previous one. Meaning that only after the entire project is developed, will the team begin with the testing phase. Considering that today applications involve a bundle of features that needs to be tested and fast. If you stick to the traditional norms of the waterfall development model, you strong bound to delay the work. On the other hand, the agile method of testing is far quicker and comparatively better.

The fact that agile development resonates around the idea of continuous development, continuous integration and continuous deployment, the process of testing speeds up. Further, the tools that come along with the agile methodology help the testers automate the process of testing. Embedding automation in agile testing would take the SDLC cycle to a different level, one where the features are tested and the application gets continuously deployed.

This isn’t enough to give you the idea of the importance of automation in agile testing and hence, we extend our discussion to why agile automation?

Automation in Agile Testing

Knowing that the agile methodology is driven by quality development of software while reducing plausible risks, manually testing each of the features not only consumes time but also compromises on the quality of the product. The term agile, itself, points to the need for continuous development and updates, and if you keep a manual workforce to test every change, you are just wasting money and resources. In such a scenario, it is seen that automation fits the puzzle best.

Automating the process of agile testing saves considerable time, effort and also reduces the risk of errors. Agile testing when automated performs the process in the cycle same as that of the development. And if you have had a hard time with regression testing, automation would help you get over that too.

Convincing right? Well, if you aren’t yet sure the next section would outline the advantages of automation in agile testing.

Why Automate – The Importance Of Automation In Agile Testing?

  • Detect and fix bugs

    Prior to agile testing, testers relied on waterfall development where testing was done at the end of development. Meaning that detection of errors or bugs happened at the end. Now, fixing these glitches meant resisting the entire code structure and then mending each of the pitfalls. And the cycle repeated for every other defect.

    On the contrary, agile testing is about continuous integration and continuous development. So, testing is done simultaneously with the development. This implies that when the development team is developing a feature, the automation tool will run the test script once the code is stable. And it is just a matter before the process completes. If there appears a bug, the developer is notified at the earliest. Since the process is automated it is both quick and free from errors.

  • Regression Testing On The Go

    Performing regression testing with the agile testing manually appeared to be difficult as testers failed to map the speed required to run the test. Upon embedding automation in the testing process, the entire testing is done through predetermined scripts and does not consume much time. Considering regression testing to be an important part of the testing process, agile automation would be the last resort for developers.

  • Enhanced Testing

    Testing does not have any boundaries or in simple words, an end. You can keep on creating test cases, the more you test the better is the viability of the developed product. Where the human mind is limited, automated scripts are efficient in unlimited testing.

    Also, agile testing takes into consideration every feature, no matter how small or insignificant to the testers. It is possible that manual testers fail to take into account the unanticipated changes and miss out on some important features but automated scripts are adept in all-round testing of the product.

  • Fix Broken Codes

    Frequent changes in the code give rise to the issue of broken builds which can cause the entire code to break. While manual testing would struggle to fix this issue, agile automation in the process of the continuous build would take care of all the broken builds, detect errors and also fix them.

    The automated tools used to test the developed product, take care of all the defects and save a lot of time. Such tools not only create build but at the same time, compile and run them to ensure break-free code.

  • Enhanced Performance Testing

    The performance of the developed product is one of the crucial aspects when testing the same. There doesn’t exist any standard way to detect the software performance and it is only the testers who have the ability to go beyond bounds to test the project performance. Manual testing, is, therefore, restricted and confined to the testers.

    On the other hand, automated scripts lead to the creation of a realistic environment where the software is exposed to extreme conditions and this reveals the idea performance of the product.

The Final Word

Though making a shift from traditional testing to automated agile testing might seem difficult, the benefits laid by the same is worth doing it. Agile automation encourages better testing and at a speed, greater than the manual testing. Not to forget, automated testing improves the process, saves time and quickens error detection. If you haven’t yet adopted automation, it’s time to take the leap.

 

SharePoint Online as Your Document Management Software – Is it the Optimal Solution?

Posted on by stridely

Business processes run day and night, and it is important to have a system that can effectively monitor the functioning while adhering to the needs of productivity, and efficiency. It is seen that the inception of an automated system streamlines most of the business operations and in a manner that is profit-oriented.

How about integrating such kind of automation in document management? It is of no surprise that managing documents is a mundane and time-consuming process. Further, manual processing or management is prone to errors and has the risk of data loss. On the contrary, using an ADM or more specifically, Automated Document Management software to cater to all the organizing and managing processes of your business documents not only enhances the overall productivity but at the same time reduces the possibility of data loss or errors.

Furthermore, the fine tuning business process with an automated system deters the need for a manual employee to sit for hours and perform the task. This in a way enables employees to focus on much more important tasks and get over the job of managing thousands of documents. Often, employees working on document management find it hard to properly execute their other tasks and likewise, the organization suffers from reduced operational productivity.

No doubt, automation would disrupt the industry but for the good. A lot of debates follow the inception of ADM with critics questioning what can an automated document software does or is capable of doing?

Features of Automated Document Management Software

  • Mobility: As it is mobile-compatible, managers or professionals can easily attain access to all the documents. Explore and analyze the ongoing task and have a better view of the overall functioning of the system, as and when it appears convenient.
  • Easy To Use Interface: One aspect that has added to the popularity or the rapid integration of automated software is the simplicity of the ease they offer. The entire software is tailored to make document access pretty simple and available in a few clicks.
  • Flexible / Compatible: Automated software isn’t rigid, meaning that they can seamlessly integrate and gel with other tools or technologies of different companies. This enables accessing inter-organization data or tools which might be beneficial for the organization, in the long run.
  • Scalable: Using digitized software isn’t meant for staying the same. With smarter tools and much smarter technologies, automated software is adept in learning from the environment and grows along with the organization.
  • Security Complaint: As a matter of fact, such software apps are mainly cloud integrated. There exist several possibilities where the document, highly critical for the organization needs to be secured. Where manual management might be risky, using automated software for document management embed total security with restricted access to users apart from the organization.
    Given the above, organization leaders are convinced enough to automate their document management process within the organization and the most popularly used software being SharePoint Online.

What Is SharePoint Online?

Adhering to all the features highlighted above, SharePoint online is a DMS software built on the office 365 platform to add flexibility in document management processes. The software is both easy to use and customizable with mobile compatibility. It is seen that this software can work endlessly with healthcare portals, banking infrastructure, manufacturing industry and is capable of meeting the industrial standards.

If you are planning on restructuring your existing system and going digital, SharePoint online is the best choice.

Why SharePoint Online?

  • SharePoint online is adept in centralized storing with extended support to documents of form slab, .ppsx, .odt and 3D models.
  • SharePoint online software comes along with the tagging features where documents based on their content can be indexed. This enables easy retrieval of documents.
  • SharePoint online has its excellent option of integrating with the optical character recognition software. This not only leads to digitization but promote automated checks on errors as present in the documents.
  • The automated software management software allows search operation to be executed effectively and in the shortest possible time. The search engine uses content, the title of the document and metadata to perform the task.
  • SharePoint Online enables real-time collaboration with multiple people working on the document simultaneously. The software embeds an automated workflow where basic operations are automatically passed on to the different end to be verified or signed.
  • SharePoint online involves multi-factor authentication embedding total security and further restricting unauthorized access.
  • It supports the audit trail to adhere to the compliance rules. The software also enables the automatic deletion of documents that are no longer needed.
  • Seamless integration with office 365 and additional tools. Further, the software is also compatible with third-party integration of tools like ERP, CRM, BI, HR, accounting, ticketing, and asset management system. This in a way eliminates the need of users to switch between portals for different tasks.

How SharePoint DMS Work?

To integrate automated software for document management as the SharePoint Online, you need to have a total understanding of the functioning of the same. The prime processes or steps involved in the overall working of SharePoint online includes:

  • Discovery and business analysis.
  • Design of the Architecture.
  • Designing and development of automated workflows.
  • Configuration of services, processes, and applications, services.
  • Solution deployment (including document migration).
  • Testing
  • Customization of UI and UX.
  • User acceptance testing.
  • After-release support

Verdict

While you may still be debating on whether or not you should opt for the SharePoint online as an automated document management software, it is no doubt that the software is versatile and flexible, streamlining business operations in a manner that fosters the overall efficiency of the organization. The fact that SharePoint online is scalable, it enables seamless integration with third-party tools and further ensures that the needs of all business are figuratively met.

Whether you are a small start-up or a fifty fortune organization, using SharePoint online as the automated document management software would only better the speed at which document management is done while promoting transparency across all operations.

Best practices of SuccessFactors support strategies

Posted on by stridely

Modifying and upgrading your current suite of HCM services definitely was one of the best business decisions you took in the last quarter. The new system apparently circumpasses the drawbacks of the earlier version, empowers the workforce enabling high-end sustainability given the rapidly changing business scenarios.

However, neither time not technology remains the same and once implemented the solution is bound to suffer bugs or issues. Similar is the case with SAP SuccessFactors. No matter how seamless is your suite functioning or how exceptional is cloud integration, you would always need to tune the services and embed maintenance features so as to ensure frustration-free business operations.

In continuation of the above, issues encountered within the infrastructure of SAP SuccessFactors has to be addressed and further raised to the support team. To make the most of these issues and have them resolved at the earliest, one thing that you need to emphasize is on communicating as much information as known to you to the support staff. A better knowledge of features and the pitfalls help them grasp better and solve faster.

This, as a matter of fact, is just one stance and there could be multiple ways, where you need to connect with the support staff to enhance the existing SAP product. And to foster a better solution, it is important that the support team employ a strategic approach for rendering post-launch service to the customers.

Need for Staff Support

In order to make sure that your cloud customers drive maximum efficacy from the HCM suite, it is important that you address and adhere to the queries in real-time, providing timely solutions. Also, it is important to keep them updated on the knowledge of product release in a manner that they stay abreast of features that add up after every release. While all this is done by staff support, integrating one within your business helps you fine-tune your business operations and maximize its efficiency.

The designates support team comprises of the

  • Admin users that are interface resolutions to the current issues,
  • Operation experts that provide both function-based and process-based resolutions, and
  • A self-service mechanism which would be capable of resolving nearly 80 percent of all issues on the basis of FAQs.

All of these combine to provide excellent support from SAP SuccessFactors.

Practices Undertaken For SAP SuccessFactors Support

To ensure the proper functioning and seamless issue resolution, several practices should be undertaken to promote SAP SuccessFactors Support.

  • To Keep Your HR system updated

    In order to have the issues resolved at the earliest, it is important that you keep your team updated on the minutest detail about the suite. Sharing the response time, or the security level of the system prior to raising a ticket gives them a better view of the system.

    In order to be heard as and when the ticket is raised or at the earliest, include as much information as possible. Some support team might also expect a run down at the steps that ended up in encountering a bug. And this might include information about:

    • The user logged-in
    • The employee(s) that were affected by the issue
    • The Screens or the transactions accessed
    • The field changed along with the values they affected
    • The expected outcome or behaviour
    • The actual outcome or behaviour
    • Date and time, when the issue occurred
    • The necessary details of the contact, including the number
    • Any configuration that was performed and it relates to this area (if applicable)
    • The investigation outcome into the issue (if applicable)
    • Any history of the issue that might have occurred in the past (if applicable)

    Also, determining the extent of severity beforehand helps in segmenting the issue in the right sense and so is shared with the appropriate team. This helps early resolution as the problems are dealt with the one who has both experience and expertise in the domain.

    Consider, for example, the severity level P1 emphasizes slow downtime performance where the level P2 is accessible in terms of SAP SuccessFactors features. Employing the SLA approach would be better to analyze the support performance. Further, the performance review isn’t the only criteria for support and maintenance. The idea or knowledge you have on the newly added features needs to be intense and help in finding the appropriate partnership ecosystem.

  • Mandated Global IT Governance

    It is however important that your business is in accordance with the IT regulations. Every geographical area has its own spec of rules, laws that govern the data usage, followed by privacy and/or protection. It has only been two years that we saw the inception of security laws such as Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as a privacy law or the ones related to the cyberattacks such as Petya and WannaCry.

    Also, it is important that the stakeholders or your businesses IT partners remain adept such law and work to reduce the burden of compliance. Considering the SAP alone has more than 85000 employees across the globe, it is imperative that the support team indulge in providing continuous support to the customers, one that stays at par with their needs.

  • Single Vendor Relationships

    Employing a single vendor-customer relationship is extremely important to deter the occurrence of any kind of risk or communication issue with the support team. All the management and the release activities are handled by a single partner, irrespective of how many consultants work under that vendor.

    No matter where you are or what kind of business you are part of, you would always suffer software bugs and performance issues and it is unlikely that you plan to sort this on your own. We guess not!

    Having a support team is highly crucial to cater to your end to end support requirements. One thing that you should be careful about is the extent of data or information you share with the support team. We have highlighted this point earlier and again stressing on its importance. The more you share, the better they can decode the issue and likewise, undertake steps to recover the same.