Synchronizing QA Across Dual Salesforce Solutions

Building an Effective QA Process for Two Parallel Salesforce Projects

Introduction

Running one complex Salesforce product is already a demanding task.
But what happens when you manage two interconnected applications, developed in parallel, with shared logic and overlapping releases?
That’s the situation Jet BI faced with a long-term client — a company specializing in building purpose-driven Salesforce apps.

Over several years of cooperation, Jet BI’s team developed multiple products for the client, including two flagship solutions that can function both independently and as a unified system:

1. Help Center with intelligent search and knowledge base, designed for customer support.
2. ITSM solution with out-of-the-box ITIL processes for managing internal and external service operations.
    

The challenge: ensure both products evolve in sync, maintain stable integration, and guarantee that every new release of each package works flawlessly — separately and together.

Goals and Objectives

To build an effective development and QA process, the Jet BI team set six clear goals:

1. Establish effective communication with the client’s product owner — for prioritization, requirement clarification, and alignment on release goals.
2. Ensure transparency and control in development and testing for all stakeholders.
3. Define a unified workflow aligned with the configured CI/CD process.
4. Create clear UAT procedures and timelines for release validation.
5. Implement an efficient test management system.
6. Synchronize feature delivery and ensure on-time releases.

Challenges: Two Products, One Delivery Rhythm

Each product had its own structure, dependencies, and release cycles — yet they were interconnected.
Changes in one package often influenced the other, creating additional complexity for development, testing, and deployment.

The QA team needed to build a traceable, automated, and scalable workflow that would eliminate confusion and allow for simultaneous feature testing, integration, and delivery.

Solution: Structuring QA and CI/CD for Maximum Synchronization

Agile and Communication First

The foundation of success was laid with Agile methodology.
Close, ongoing communication with the client helped detect potential risks early and adapt quickly to requirement changes.

The addition of clear acceptance criteria to every task ensured alignment between business goals and testing expectations, reducing ambiguity during UAT.

CI/CD Workflow Setup with Bitbucket

To synchronize development and testing, the team established a precise, documented CI/CD process using Bitbucket as the primary version control and deployment tool.

The workflow for every feature included:

1. Requirement clarification and acceptance criteria approval.
2. Development on an isolated scratch org.
3. Creation of unit tests for new functionality.
4. Pair code review for quality assurance.
5. Testing on a temporary feature environment generated from Bitbucket branches.
6. Pull request merging and deployment to the QA environment (unlocked package assembly).
7. Retesting in QA org.
8. UAT validation with the client’s product owner.
    

This approach ensured that each feature moved through the same quality pipeline — from idea to verified release.

Release Management Process

Releases followed a structured testing and delivery pattern, typically lasting 1–3 months, depending on complexity.

The release testing included:

1. Completion of feature testing in QA org (unlocked package).
2. Announcement of code freeze.
3. Assembly of the beta package — followed by smoke testing, new feature validation, and regression testing.
4. Hotfix verification in the beta version.
5. Assembly and testing of the final release version.
    

After these stages, the build was ready for delivery to end clients.

Test Management with Zephyr for Jira

Given the dual-product setup, managing test cases manually was impractical.
The QA team adopted Zephyr for Jira, an integrated test management system that streamlined documentation, coverage tracking, and reporting.

With Zephyr, Jet BI was able to:

• Create a structured test documentation library grouped by epics and features.
• Develop and maintain over 1,000 test cases covering both products.
• Plan regression testing based on code changes.
• Visualize test coverage and identify weak areas early.
• Generate dynamic test reports for ongoing releases.
   

This integration turned Jira into a single source of truth for requirements, tests, and results.

Results: Two Products, One Harmonized Process

By implementing this structured QA approach, Jet BI transformed complex multi-product coordination into a smooth and predictable process.

Quantifiable outcomes:

• Dozens of successful releases, including two major ones within the current year.
• Tens of thousands of active end users across both products.
• Fully transparent QA and development pipeline, saving client time during UAT.
• Improved release stability — new features in both products now integrate seamlessly.
• A motivated, synchronized team that continuously improves both solutions.

Key Insights: What Made It Work

1. Unified processes eliminate silos.
   Two products, one methodology — consistency is key to predictability.
    
2. Communication is a QA multiplier.
   Regular discussions with the client reduced rework and improved clarity.
    
3. CI/CD discipline ensures control.
   Each feature followed the same deployment pipeline, leaving no room for chaos.
    
4. Test management brings visibility.
   Zephyr provided the data needed for strategic QA planning and defect analysis.
    

Conclusion

The case proved that quality assurance on parallel projects doesn’t have to mean double the effort — only double the clarity.

By integrating Agile collaboration, structured CI/CD, and professional test management tools, Jet BI built a synchronized release process where two products evolve together, strengthening each other’s value.

This is how we define effective QA: not just testing features, but building a rhythm of quality and innovation.