The Integration Failure That Celadonsoft Developers Were Fixing at 5 A.M.

What the Technical Failure was About

The app was delivered on time and the deadline was met. The first launch coincided with a racing start. The developers uploaded the app into the build. What could go wrong? Well, surprisingly the app crashed on the very first attempt to run it. As the development team and the client were in different time zones, so the development team had to fix it on Saturday at 5 AM. It couldn’t wait as the racing were in place in the UAE and measure were urgently required. Celadonsoft could not allow letting the customer down. This is the core principle of Celadonsoft - live up to customer’s trust. However, before fixing the technical bugs, it is necessary to find them. The developers got down to work and here’s what was found - The integration with the timing data-providing app caused the crash.

What Was Wrong With the Integration?

The team started with the code review which showed no errors found. Then we tested the product and went into the nitty-gritty of all the functions and integrations. Finally, we arrived at the misfunctioning of CSV-file integration.

The client had software providing the timing date of the racing. Once a horse reached a gate, the data was collected in a separate CSV file. Later, we unparsed the file to receive the data. This wasn’t the best solution in the case and offered other options to make risk-free integration. However, The customer expressed no desire to fine-tune their timing software.

So, as it was made by default, the CSV file was overwritten every time the horse went through the gate. While being tested, it worked as it was supposed to. However,  when the race took place, the app in production crashed. Yet, for some reason, their timing software began to add data to the CVS file, not overwrite it, increasing its volume by 160 times (the number of participants in the race) when a horse passed a gate.

As we said, we had to wake the development team to fix it. Eventually, the bug was fixed and the app was brought back up to full functionality. However, we’re here to tell you about the reasons and what we did to correct them.

Why Failure Happened and What QA App Testing has to do With it

We don't have many failures in our experience, but we would be lying if we said there were none at all. When things happen, our team always analyzes the situation and identifies the reasons for the incident to prevent it from recurring in the future.

The bug occurred due to two reasons. The first one is related to testing. The team had no chance not test the app running with horses before the launch. The first testing in a proper testing environment was carried out when the racing started. The second reason is integration itself. The client’s software wasn’t working in the way it was supposed to. This led to malfunction and the app failure. The tracking software needed adjustment for the integration and further proper operation jointly with the developed app.

What’s the lesson learned? In cases when existing software can lead to a crash, it’s better to insist on its refining with an explanation of what the outcome can be faced. The second lesson learned is simple - conduct more profound tests by creating a testing environment. The roadmap of QA services was also improved. Now, it’s comprised of several stages that are:

• Business requirements analysis relying on the Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge;
• Test plan indicating all the tests to be carried out;
• Preparing the test environment required for the complete QA;
• Compiling test design based on the pre-developed company’s QA checklist;
• Manual and automated testing;
• Reporting the QA results.

Overpowering software estimation contributes to high-quality and smoothly running apps, satisfied clients, and the development team's sound sleep.

On the Final Note

The best way to describe how we work is through our failures, of which we don't have many, but they are part of our journey and growth. Analyzing the causes of our failures helps us become stronger and reinforce the quality of our services. We show our work from different angles so that you can get out of fears while outsourcing software development and better understand the level of our development team’s professionalism and expertise. 

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