Case StudyStream Team: Testing - Implementing Testing in Production for Legacy Systems
Hudson's Bay Company, a 348-year-old organization known for its iconic brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks OFF 5TH, and Hudson’s Bay, faced significant challenges in maintaining and updating their legacy systems. As one of the oldest companies in North America, their systems had accumulated technical debt over the years, making it difficult to ensure stability and performance. Traditional testing methods were insufficient for the complex and interconnected nature of their software. The need for a more reliable and efficient testing approach led them to consider testing in production.
The Solution
Hudson's Bay Company implemented several strategies for testing in production:
- Initial Assessment and Planning: The team conducted a thorough assessment of their existing systems and identified key areas where traditional testing methods fell short. They developed a comprehensive plan to integrate testing in production, focusing on minimizing risks and ensuring continuity.
- Feature Flags and Canary Releases: They utilized feature flags and canary releases to deploy new features gradually. This approach allowed them to test new functionalities with a small subset of users before a full-scale rollout, reducing the risk of widespread issues.
- Monitoring and Alerting Systems: Robust monitoring and alerting systems were put in place to track the performance and behavior of applications in real-time. This enabled the team to detect anomalies quickly and respond to issues before they impacted a significant portion of users.
- Automated Rollback Mechanisms: To ensure quick recovery from potential issues, the team implemented automated rollback mechanisms. These mechanisms allowed them to revert to a stable state rapidly if any problems were detected during testing in production.
- Collaborative Culture: Hudson's Bay Company fostered a culture of collaboration between developers, operations, and QA teams. This cultural shift ensured that all stakeholders were aligned and worked together seamlessly to manage and mitigate risks associated with testing in production.
Outcomes achieved
The implementation of testing in production at Hudson's Bay Company led to several positive outcomes:
- Improved System Stability: By testing new features and changes in a live environment, the team was able to identify and resolve issues that were not apparent in traditional testing environments. This resulted in more stable and reliable systems.
- Faster Time-to-Market: The use of feature flags and canary releases allowed for faster deployment of new features. The team could release updates more frequently and with greater confidence, reducing the time-to-market for new functionalities.
- Enhanced User Experience: Continuous monitoring and real-time feedback enabled the team to address performance issues and bugs promptly. This proactive approach led to a smoother and more satisfying user experience.
- Reduced Risk of Major Failures: Automated rollback mechanisms and gradual rollouts significantly reduced the risk of major system failures. The team could quickly recover from issues, ensuring minimal disruption to users.
- Increased Team Collaboration: The shift towards a collaborative culture improved communication and coordination between different teams. This holistic approach to testing in production fostered a sense of shared responsibility and ownership, leading to more effective problem-solving.
