One of the great things about being a ByDesign client is benefitting from the quarterly releases, each containing over 200 updates, new features, and functionality improvements. We are committed to making these releases as seamless as possible, allowing you to enjoy this benefit without interruption to your business.
As a part of that ongoing commitment, we are making the following updates to the release process in 2022:
1. Increased number of unique test cases
Leading up to release, ByDesign Employees collectively test approximately 425 test cases. These cover all of the basic functions of the site (placing orders, signing up new recruits, etc) as well as checking design elements, user experience flows, and more. While these tests do cover a range of functionality, we are adding even more test cases to the existing list. Specifically, key issues reported from the last release are being written into test cases to be tested prior to all future releases.
2. Increased duplication of test cases across multiple clients
Due to unique configurations, API plug-ins and custom work, each feature can behave differently across each client’s environment. For that reason, test cases are performed across multiple clients to look for conflicts with specific configuration combinations. By increasing the number of clients across which each test case is performed, we can further reduce the chances of isolated conflicts with each release.
3. Increased overall time for testing prior to release
Historically, the cutoff for incorporating new work and updates into the release code has been a couple weeks prior to release. We are backing out this cutoff date to be a full 4 weeks prior to release. This will allow us to expand our testing time by weeks, and to allow even more time for retesting the fixes of any issues identified prior to release.
4. Early release to Sandboxes for Client Testing prior to release
In order to help us achieve the increased number of test cases, across a wider range of client environments, we’re inviting you to become testers too! Every Sandbox environment is eligible to receive the release code weeks prior to the scheduled release date. You can test the basic functions of your business, as well as any unique business rules or user experiences you might have. By providing feedback to us from the testing, we can ensure any issues are resolved prior to releasing to your production environment.
While the first 3 do not impact you at all, the 4th does offer an opportunity for you to become an active participant in our testing of release items. Plus, you’ll get to see the upcoming release items first-hand, and test them against your specific (and potentially unique) business rules and configurations.
- If you already have a Sandbox site, we’ll be in touch with you leading up to the next release, to share additional details and to find out if you want to participate.
- If you do not have a Sandbox site, you have time to get one before the next release! In addition to early access testing of release, you’ll also have access to the environment for testing new projects, playing with configurations, training your internal staff and/or field, and more. Sandbox sites carry a $1,000 initial setup cost, plus $1,000 hosting fee each month.
Reach out today with any questions, or to become an active participant in Sandbox testing of quarterly releases.