Enabling QA & Automation for a U.S. PSU Software Platform

Introduction

The client develops a mission-critical platform used by U.S. PSUs to manage document lifecycles, including generation, workflow approvals, and secure digital storage. Working under strict timelines and high compliance expectations, Enable Edge:

• Performed comprehensive manual QA of complex document workflows
• Delivered automated tests using BDD-first approach with SpecFlow + Reqnroll
• Enabled faster releases with CI-ready test cases and stable test environments
• Supported internal teams with QA strategy, reporting, and onboarding

Business Challenge

The platform features spanned

• Document generation with dynamic templates
• Role-based workflow approvals (multi-departmental)
• Secure archival and PDF export
• Compliance with U.S. public sector IT and data standards

Challenges faced:

• Manual Regression Overload: Frequent document updates required revalidating over 200 scenarios manually.
• Limited Automation Coverage: No existing automation framework in place to work.
• Browser Compatibility Issues: Platform needed to run flawlessly across government-mandated browsers.
• Time Constraints: Aggressive delivery schedules required rapid setup and execution.

Technology Stack

Client's Application Stack

• Backend: .NET Core Services
• Frontend: ReactJS
• Database: SQL Server, MongoDB
• Hosting: Azure Cloud

Testing Stack

• Automation: Playwright, SpecFlow (BDD), Reqnroll
• Language: C# / .NET 7
• Manual Test Management: Excel + Azure DevOps
• Test Reporting: Extent Reports, Azure DevOps Dashboards
• CI Integration: Azure Pipelines

Solution Overview

1. Manual Testing & Test Planing

• Validated initial 200+ flows manually across modules
• Created traceability matrices to align business requirements with test coverage
• Documented gaps, edge cases, and usability observations for each release

2. Automation Framework and setup

• Built a modular test framework using Playwright + .NET + SpecFlow + Reqnroll
• Used BDD-style Gherkin scenarios for improved collaboration and readability
• Integrated into Azure DevOps for nightly regression runs

3. End-to-End Coverage

Automated Test Cases for:

• Document template creation
• User workflows and approvals
• Version control and export
• Accessibility and UI validations

4. Cross-Browser Testing

• Ensured full compatibility across Edge, Chrome, and Firefox
• Ran test matrix across multiple screen resolutions for responsive testing

Results and Key Metrics

Metric Before Engagement After Engagement Test Automation Coverage 0% Test Automation Coverage Manual Testing Time ~3 days per cycle Reduced to 1 day for edge/manual-only Regression Time Manual only ~15 minutes automated Defects Caught Pre-Release ~70% >95% after automation rollout Cross-Browser Issues Frequent Reduced by 80% post-Playwright setup

Impact Highlights

• Reduced regression time by over 85%
• Ensured full test coverage of critical PSU document workflows
• Empowered development team with reliable, fast feedback loops
• Delivered clean, maintainable automation code with living documentation
• Created re-usable test assets and architecture for future scale

Lessons Learned & Best Practices

• BDD enhances cross-team clarity — business users can review and approve test coverage directly
• Test isolation & data factories improve test reliability and reduce flakiness
• Early CI/CD integration helps identify failures before code merges
• Manual validation remains critical during early stages of product development

Conclusion

This engagement demonstrates Enable Edge ability to accelerate software validation for public-sector software with a hybrid approach of manual and automated testing. With modern tools like Playwright, SpecFlow, and .NET, and a strong focus on quality, we enabled the client to meet aggressive delivery goals without compromising on functionality, compliance, or performance.

📨 Want to automate smarter and meet public-sector compliance goals?

Get in touch with Enable Edge to build a scalable, BDD-driven QA practice.