Our in-house Development team is constantly working towards keeping our software platforms up to date and reliable.
To celebrate the latest Mabdeck 4.0 release we sat down with our Testing experts Carly & Jennifer to learn about them and the important role they play in developing our Sycous software platforms.
We’ve got loads of great new features in our latest release, including all new integrated Direct Debits, new channels for readings import, new vulnerable customer functionality and scheduled summaries. To learn more, visit our Mabdeck Future Roadmap.
"Testing is increasingly at the centre of our development efforts but it goes beyond just checking something works, it's about prevention of issues, improving performance and ensuring fantastic and sustainable design." Joseph Collier, Development and Product Director
Carly Street (Lead Test Analyst)
Having a degree in Games Design, Carly first got into Testing through the gaming industry. After developing her skills and knowledge, she moved into testing websites and now our online software platform, Mabdeck.
“I like Testing because it's satisfying knowing I'm helping create a high-quality product that ensures end-users are happy.”
Jennifer Osubor (Test Analyst)
Being a shopaholic herself and after having been introduced to Testing by her husband, Jennifer was intrigued by the process of ensuring customers like herself continued to have a great shopping experience. Taking her new interest to another level, Jennifer completed several online courses and landed on her first job as a Test Engineer in the telecommunications industry.
“After seeing what a Tester does on a daily basis, I fell in love with it! From finding bugs to retesting after the bugs have been fixed, it is a different experience every day.”
What is a Test Analyst?
Carly: Test Analysts analyse the piece of work at every stage to discover whether it is fit for purpose, meets requirements, works well, and report their findings to stakeholders so they can make informed decisions, often with recommendations.
Jennifer: A test analyst is someone who works as part of the Development Team to ensure the software design and functionality is in line with requirements. We are the bridge between the business side and the technical side, aiming to provide a high-quality product to our product owners.
What’s your testing process?
Carly: It's all intertwined with the development process, as we're vital at every step, just like all the other team members. We start by assessing upcoming work, asking necessary questions to ensure we understand everything and that we have the information we need. We then write up test cases for all requirements, covering the usual culprits that cause problems in development and perform tests when the features are ready for us. If we find bugs or requirements that aren't met, we report them in detailed bug reports and re-test them when the developers have fixed them.
Developers test their work, so why are Test Analysts required as a separate role?
Carly: We are all humans and might miss something, especially in our own work as we know how we made it work. Developers must focus on their skillset, which is writing the code to make the requirements become reality. Testing requires a completely different skillset made up of methodologies, problem solving, and common sense. We are there not only to have the developers’ backs, but to try and prevent issues before any development even begins. We analyse the incoming work and try to think of problems that could happen so they can be addressed before coding starts. When development is underway, we make sure requirements are met and that potential problems that weren't covered by requirements are caught before features are sent out to the end-user.
Jennifer: Developers are usually expected to only carry out unit testing to test the piece of code they have developed, as testing can be time consuming and they do not consistently have the time to spare. That is where we come in. The Sycous Test analyst team are not only limited to unit testing. Our responsibility is to cover every aspect of the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) which includes functional and non-functional testing.
How does your team integrate with the rest of the development team?
Carly: We're classed as being in the development team and there isn't a distinction between us other than we have different skillsets. We all work collaboratively and have open and honest communication. I think that's what makes us work so well together. I'm comfortable bringing anything up with the team and they're showing the same feelings towards me!
Jennifer: I have a very good relationship with the rest of the team. From the product owners to the developers, we hold meetings where we dissect the whole process of ‘what needs to be done’. I am able to give my opinions and recommendations from a user perspective which is taken into consideration to provide a top-quality software.
What are you currently working on?
Carly: I just completed testing a release for Mabdeck that has been a long time in the works, and includes numerous new features. I'm also constantly working on adding to our internal testing documentation and improving it with each release we do.
You can check out our Release Notes for more information on Mabdeck 4.0 and if you’re interested in finding out more about our previous releases and our future roadmap, you look at our Release History and Mabdeck Future Roadmap.
There’s also more information on our previous billing profiles & new statement generator feature release on our ‘Mabdeck Billing Profiles’ webinar, and overview video.
Jennifer: I’m currently working on a feature release for our partner Brunata, which has been one of the most tasking as we have been working on it for quite some time. Thankfully, we are making our way to the finish line! After the release is completed, we will be focusing on the new upcoming features, so I will be restarting the testing process again!
For you, what are the top 3 things that make a successful development team?
Carly: Communication is the key to life, not just development. I've found in every aspect of life, problems can be fixed with good, clear, and honest communication.
I also believe listening is as important. Whether it's silently listening to your teammates as they talk to you when figuring out a coding problem, and you're there to hear the "a-ha" moment, or you're listening to your teammates discuss a feature and you can chime in with a vital piece of information.
Laughter is my third. The only thing worse than a humourless environment is one that is without communication. I need to laugh, and this team brings me joy.
Jennifer: Open and honest communication is a must have among every member of the team.
Being able to work as a team where everyone understands their roles, but where everyone is always able and willing to help out, as we all understand that the end goal to have good quality software is everyone’s responsibility.
And lastly, just giving everyone the space to do their jobs and trust that they would do a great job.
What are the biggest obstacles you’ve faced in this role?
Carly: When I first started, I was the first official tester Sycous really had. Anyone can test, but it does take practise and effort to be a Tester with a capital T. Having to implement the testing process from scratch including how to write tickets, more detailed documentation, and ensuring that testing time was protected and respected was challenging for me. The team adapted to my presence extremely well and quality soared as we all started to take a more active role in ensuring we were doing the best work we could.
Jennifer: When I first joined Sycous, because of my past experiences, I had difficulties communicating with the rest of the team and sharing my views. With how inclusive and encouraging the rest of the team is, this quickly went away. I found that I can be completely open and honest with them and ask any questions no matter how silly I might sound. Despite overcoming personal challenges, I joined the Brunata project at a very busy time and managed to catch up with the workload without a problem, with the help of the team.
To keep up to date with what the Sycous Development Team are working on next, check out our Mabdeck Future Roadmap!
