Interview with Jun Wang and Christian Grünheit, Quality Assurance Specialists R&D.

What challenges do you currently see facing software development in the publishing industry?

Jun Wang: In order to support our customers in a timely manner, software functions are being developed at an ever faster pace. Software development is very complex and the development process is highly dynamic. So the trick is to still deliver software of continuously high quality at this speed. 

How do you ensure that ppi Media’s software meets the highest quality standards?

Jun Wang: We ensure quality assurance through very well-organized test planning, a structured approach, efficient test design and execution, and a combination of different technologies and automated tests. Of course, the high standards of our QA also contribute to the quality of software development.

What services can our customers expect with regard to the quality of ppi Media’s software development?

Christian Grünheit: Our software undergoes comprehensive quality checks before delivery, i.e. quality checks for reliability and usability of the software. 

What characterizes quality assurance at ppi Media in particular?

Christian Grünheit: The process is always multi-stage. In addition to manual testing of the new features, there is continuous automated testing as well as an integration test for quality assurance. 

You guys do both automated and manual testing of the software. How do you combine these two approaches to achieve the best possible test coverage?

Jun Wang: We test many existing standard functions through automated tests. During the sprint, the tests run every night. Especially when bugs arise from new developments within the software, you discover it immediately in quality assurance. Manual tests are used more for creative test scenarios, e.g. for new features or special workflows. We also try to test extreme and exotic test scenarios to make sure that the software still runs stable even under extreme conditions. We also use manual testing for non-functional testing (e.g. usability testing). 

Why is the regression test at the end of the software development sprint so crucial for quality assurance?

Jun Wang: Because at the end of the sprint, the software is delivered to the customers. Before that happens, we have to make sure that all previous functions continue to work well. After all, our customers’ workflows should be able to continue running reliably.

What makes working in quality testing at ppi Media so appealing to you?

Jun Wang: Quality assurance work is very important, only high quality and reliable software helps customers to work efficiently and comfortably. There are also many challenges in software development, so the work is very demanding. Every time a customer is very satisfied with our software, we are also proud of our work.