
How a big manufacturer's e-comm team eliminated hotfixes and accelerated release rollouts

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challenge
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Transparency between teams was minimal, leading to misaligned priorities.
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Product releases were plagued with inconsistencies, often requiring multiple patches after launch.
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Stakeholders and customers were growing increasingly frustrated with delayed, subpar releases that didn’t meet their expectations.
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outcome
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Product quality and stability increased, and critical bugs were reduced by 95%, eliminating the need for patch releases.
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Weekly team meetings decreased by 62% on average, giving the team more focus time.
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Our ROI calculator shows up to €110K annual savings on bug fixes.
approach
We were tasked with solving immediate issues while embedding a culture of continuous improvement through a tailored two-way Agile transformation using Dual-Track Agile and Test-Driven Development (TDD), designed specifically for the manufacturing sector and aligned with data duke’s data-driven initiatives. This unique approach was carefully synchronized with the organization’s operational needs, ensuring that both business and technical aspects were addressed simultaneously, leading to measurable improvements in efficiency and product quality.
We revamped the corporation’s approach to business requirements by creating a structured funnel for gathering and organizing ideas, features, and requests. This funnel ensured that every idea or request went through a thorough review process, and only those that provided real value were prioritized for development. A well-managed backlog further ensured that all requests were not only documented but also systematically evaluated, while cross-functional teams collaborated to define the right priorities based on business impact and feasibility. Enforcing a Definition of Ready (DoR) was crucial for maintaining momentum, ensuring all tasks were fully scoped and understood before development began.
We also introduced early testing using TDD, a strategy that significantly reduced bugs later in development. Test cases were written to initially fail, allowing the team to build out features that met these criteria. This was supported by automated testing tools like Selenium and Xray, which helped manage the testing process and ensure quality at every stage.
To stabilize product releases and streamline the development pipeline, we implemented Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) architecture and best practices. This automation reduced manual intervention, allowing teams to focus on strategic improvements rather than firefighting issues. The automated testing caught bugs early in the cycle, minimizing the risk of critical issues during release and enhancing the overall reliability of the products. Regular sprint planning sessions were held to align development work with changing business priorities, and sprint reviews enabled swift actions on feedback from both internal stakeholders and customers, driving incremental improvements.
Each sprint delivered not only incremental improvements but also meaningful value to the end customers. To further enhance this process, we established a feedback system that collected post-release data, enabling the team to make informed, data-driven decisions for future development cycles. This allowed the manufacturer to continuously refine and enhance its product offerings in line with data duke’s analytical frameworks.
This comprehensive approach to Agile transformation ultimately streamlined internal processes, stabilized product releases, and significantly improved both stakeholder and customer satisfaction. By embedding a culture of continuous improvement and leveraging both automation and data insights, the enterprise was able to achieve sustainable growth and increased product reliability, all while maintaining a competitive edge in the market.