It took three years, but Linx Printing’s development team has adopted new DX processes to create code 24/7 with minimal errors
A Fortune 500 firm specializing in printing product identification codes, batch numbers, barcodes, ‘use by date’ labels has digitally transformed its software development function to achieve zero-defect 24×7 uptime and accelerated code development with minimal false positives in defects trapping.
To achieve that, Linx Printing had to address existing challenges. The software development team’s focus was on producing code quickly, so they resisted the introduction of anything that could slow the development process. Also, when identifying critical software quality defects, many false positives were slowing the team down.
According to the firm’s software engineering manager, Omara Williams, Linx’s zero-defect goal was initiated in 2019 and achieved by 2021. The transformation included a policy called “feature branching” where new code would not be introduced into the development stage under it was checked for defects. As code is changed or new code is introduced, the software they implemented, Coverity, continually helps to identify and fix defect issues well before they reach the quality assurance (QA) checking stage. “One pleasant surprise is that it has helped our developers code better, as they see the mistakes they’ve made.”
From being concerned that the changes to the code development process would slow development or flood the defect screening process with false positives, the team now think highly of the transformation. To date, the software has analyzed 1.7 million lines of Linx code. Over the course of the first 24 months, the improved zero-defect code development process has helped Linx maintain a near-flawless risk posture in terms of production costs.
Williams added: “Another unexpected benefit is that developers aren’t assuming anymore that QA will find the issues for us. Instead, they’re using Coverity to find issues that they can fix before the code reaches QA. Of every 10 issues development has verified as closed, nine have passed QA.”
