Ruby on Rails upgrade delivered on time and under budget

The Mission

(we chose to accept it)

Payroll and health insurance are very complex issues for small businesses. Gusto writes software to offer simple solutions. Test Double came in to boost Gusto's technology stack and help find solutions for small businesses through software.

Gusto needed to upgrade from a legacy version of Rails, but their in-house team was consistently busy. They knew they needed to do it, but couldn't pull their experts away from delivering critical features and shipping new products.

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The Fix

Ruby on Rails expertise and codebase renovation is a sweet spot for Test Double. We've built a reputation on 15 years of working in large-scale Rails applications.

Since Gusto's product is trusted with running its customers' payroll, it was crucial to have a smooth roll-out and move their system forward without interrupting day-to-day development or operations. They needed additional experts who could take a holistic view to support their team, carefully considering the downstream effects of each change.

We set out to uplift Gusto as a whole, augmenting the team to help them solve their technical challenges and clearing tech debt that had accrued over time.

We took a deep dive into the code, gained a strong understanding of their business, communicated effectively, and provided solutions that worked within their constraints.

We helped modernize their technology stacks and untangled legacy code we encountered along the way.

Collaboration was key for investigating specific areas of the codebase. To communicate and integrate across multiple Gusto teams in a distributed organization, the teams synced up via Zoom and Slack. Resourcefulness and drive was critical for making progress in the absence of crystal-clear answers.

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CONSULTANTS

Tech & Techniques

Ruby
Ruby on Rails

The Results

Augmenting Gusto's team with Test Double agents allowed for incremental Rails upgrades that saved time and money.

The team fixed 1,700 test failures from the initial upgrade, protected the behavior of the existing code, and rolled it out on time and under budget.

While performing upgrade-related tasks, we identified a few changes that had the potential to impact unexpected areas of Gusto's systems. We collaborated to solve those issues while minimizing disruptions to other teams.

We were originally brought in for a temporary productivity boost, but ultimately became crucial players on Gusto's team.

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Rolled out upgrade on time & under budget

1,700

Fixed 1,700 test failures from initial upgrade

Incremental upgrades saved both time & money

Untangle legacy code & modernize tech stack in tandem

Testimonial

Holistic Problem Solving

Test Double brings a lot of good experience and knowledge—not just with the project objectives, but also with any other issues they see. They have been able to weave in code improvements when time is available, striving to leave it in a better state than they found it.

Daniel He

Gusto

Testimonial

Deep Experience

Working with the Test Double team was very comfortable. They had deep experience with Rails and jumping into new codebases. They have good communication skills, they’re collaborative and are able to move forward quickly.

Ngan Pham

Gusto