Fast releases, but insufficient testing: Emerson’s Industrial AI team was looking for a way to successfully combine quality and agility.
About the Customer
Emerson is a global leader in technology and automation, providing innovative solutions for the process and manufacturing industries. At its Laatzen site, Emerson develops and markets advanced pneumatic systems and components under the Aventics brand, making packaging processes more efficient, safer, and more sustainable.
The Industrial AI Team oversees, among other things, the Leakage Locator project, which combines intelligent data analytics and AI solutions to detect leaks at an early stage and optimize industrial operations.
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The Challenge
Before implementing Xray, there were no end-to-end, structured test and quality management processes. While unit tests were conducted at the functional level, systematic integration and system tests were lacking. Individual components were tested, but integration was often done sporadically and manually.
The consequences:
- Errors made it into releases and were sometimes only discovered after several sprints.
- High effort required for bug fixes and root-cause analyses.
- Inefficient use of resources.
- Too much time investment from the team.
- Tests conducted separately from the development process, with no transparent overview of progress or coverage.
The Decision for Xray
At the beginning of 2025, Jira was introduced at Emerson through AIM, an Xray Partner. It was clear from the start: a professional test management tool would be needed for a future-proof setup, with potential for test automation.
The internal choice fell on Xray, as it integrates seamlessly with Jira and allows for structured management of the entire testing process.
AIM supported the implementation on multiple levels:
- Targeted training: AIM organized a two-day training for Product Owners, developers, and future test managers. The goal was to teach the fundamentals of Xray, explain its integration into the development process, and provide participants with practical best practices.
- Methodical guidance during setup: the team was supported theoretically and accompanied the hands-on implementation: creating test cases, test plans, and test processes in Xray, as well as adapting existing workflows to the new requirements.
- Ongoing consulting and expertise: Even after the initial rollout, AIM provided recommendations, ensuring that the test process was designed from the start to support future test automation. This laid the foundation for efficient, future-proof test management.
The Solution
With Xray, the Industrial AI team was able to fully transform its testing process:
- Structured test process: Test cases and test plans are systematically created so that every story in the sprint is covered and verified.
- Efficient resource use: Tasks can be assigned strategically, and progress is transparently tracked.
- Seamless collaboration: Developers, Product Owners, and external test managers work directly in Jira. Queries are handled via Xray, and responsibilities are clearly defined.
- Transparency & traceability: Every test status and bug is documented and accessible at any time.
The Results
The introduction of Xray brought measurable improvements:
- 100% test coverage for every story in each sprint.
- On-time releases without delays caused by late-discovered bugs.
- Reduced effort for bug fixing and root-cause analysis.
- Increased agility, safety, and efficiency across the team.
"With Xray, we finally have the transparency and structure we need. Every sprint is now secure, we save time, and we can focus more on further development." — Max-Ludwig Stadler, Product Owner at Emerson
