A Bug’s Life: from initial reports to fixed & deployed
How we report, fix and squash any bugs we find in the app.
Over the past year the Chip app has gone from strength to strength unveiling many new releases, from v1.0 all the way to the current v2.3 app.
Each new release increases the power and capabilities of the app meaning we are able to process saves at lightning fast speeds, set funds aside with ease and make things happen.
With better builds of the app, however, comes a more complex internal system that can bring forward new bugs that we need to amend. We’ve recognised this, and changed our approach to bug reporting so no bug goes unnoticed.
Identification
Firstly, we need to identify the ins and outs of any bug brought to our attention. That is where you come in! Whilst we currently rely on reading our own data, monitoring certain backstage metrics and rigorous QA testing — we often become aware of a bug once it has been raised on either Chip app’s live chat feature or our help email address (hello@getchip.uk).
This process begins with a Chip user flagging an issue they are experiencing with their app, and we as Customer Success team will explore the issue to the best of our ability and knowledge.
If this is a known bug then we will be able to guide the customer to a solution there and then; be that amending their account or giving a timeline that lays out when they can expect this to be back to normal in the app.
If this is an issue we are unaware of, we are not afraid to ask for help. In a situation like this, we require the Operations team to help explore the finer details of your Chip account.
The bug squishing squad
We currently operate within a Slack channel that includes all of the Customer Success Team, Operations, and Samy (our Scrum master, more on him later!) and use this as an internal forum for any new issues that come our way.
Anyone in the channel can submit a query (normally this is customer specific and very detailed) and the different departments can offer any advice or solutions that they see fit.
If between Operations and Customer Success we cannot get to the bottom of an issue, Samy will then take the issue and assign it a ticket on our developer’s online JIRA board (where all known bugs/fixes are kept).
This is a board of virtual tickets that Samy can then discuss with his two development teams and put into a developers’ sprint. The aim of the sprint is to have the issues selected for that sprint fixed to be deployed by the end of the two week period.
Scrum and agile: so hot right now
Made famous by not only by companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, but also HBO TV series Silicon Valley: Scrum is a way of working that allows priority and focus on a certain task.
In essence, it is an agile framework that focuses on delivering business value incrementally as a team — not as individuals.
The team can then accept responsibility for their achievements and attempted achievements. Samy enjoys this system and has implemented it because it encourages constant reflection and growth and allows teams to be more responsive to change.
The developers then amend these issues ready for release onto the app. If successful, this fix can be deployed into our system and go live on the app.
The end of bugs
So that’s the journey in a nutshell: from live chat to app fix.
With this new system we have already noticed a sharp decrease in the time taken to amend bugs in the app.
We can’t guarantee there’ll be no more bugs in the future (as the maxim goes: where’s there’s bugs), but we’re very confident that any bugs that rear their ugly heads in future will now be dealt with faster than the flap of a bee’s wings.
