The Platform Shift, Through a Tester’s Eyes

When Katalon decided to adopt its own platform internally, it reshaped the daily reality for every Quality Engineer on the ground. The tools we used, the way we collaborated, and how we measured success all changed. Some parts got easier. Others challenged our habits. But through it all, we came out with a clearer view of what a unified platform really means for testers.

Here’s how the shift looked from the ground level.

Life Before the Platform: Fragmented and Frustrating

As Katalon Studio and TestOps were being built and we needed to rely on mature testing tools to ensure both products met minimum quality thresholds, our testing ecosystem was stitched together with a patchwork of best-of-breed tools:

• Manual test cases were tracked in Xray or Jira.
• Automation relied on Selenium and Playwright, requiring strong coding skills.
• API and performance tests were run in Postman, JMeter, K6, and Lighthouse.
• Accessibility testing was either manual or partially automated with browser plugins.

While each tool served a purpose, they didn’t work well together. It was difficult to get a consolidated view of quality, and there was no single source of truth. Testers spent time jumping between systems, duplicating effort, and manually consolidating reports.

The Studio Shift: Enabling Testers Across the Skill Spectrum

As our products matured it was time to put them to the test. The migration from Playwright and Selenium to Katalon Studio was a major win for inclusivity. Its low-code capabilities opened the door for more testers—especially those without programming backgrounds—to contribute directly to test automation.

Instead of relying on a small subset of technical QEs, we saw a broader group participate in writing and maintaining scripts. Teams assigned tool champions to help others get started, and adoption grew organically.

This democratization of automation allowed us to accelerate coverage and improve agility across product teams, resulting in a product that was much easier for our customers to use, adopt and scale across teams.

The TestOps Transition: Centralizing Chaos

Adopting TestOps gave us a central hub for test management. It connected the dots between test planning, execution, results, and reporting.

But the journey wasn’t frictionless.

• The first version lacked support for manual test case tracking. Testers had to improvise, embedding manual test artifacts in automation repositories just to see everything in one place.
• Reporting views were limited. We initially structured test assets by team. When the org structure shifted to product-based teams, we had to reconfigure everything, twice.

Still, the feedback loop worked. We logged over 100 internal tickets and  as they were resolved and released, that helped improve the product in real time for our customers.

What Got Better: Visibility, Reusability, and Mobility

The benefits of using a unified platform became obvious once the kinks were ironed out:

🔹 One Workspace

All testing activities from Jira stories to test execution to reporting now happen in one interface. No more bouncing between tabs or stitching reports manually.

🔹 Better Collaboration

With consistent tooling, it’s easier to share test artifacts across teams. Regression coverage became broader because reuse became feasible.

🔹 Easier Team Rotation

QEs can now move between squads without having to learn entirely new tools. The consistency in processes and tooling makes rotations smoother and faster.

Advice From Testers Who’ve Been Through It

If you’re thinking of adopting a unified test platform—or moving off your legacy stack—here’s what we’d tell you:

• Standardize early. Invest time in building reusable test libraries and naming conventions. It pays off fast.
• Nominate internal champions early. Identify 1–2 enthusiastic testers or leads per team to become Katalon power users. Give them deeper onboarding and early access. These champions can then coach their peers, answer day-to-day questions, and share quick wins—making adoption feel less intimidating and accelerating rollout across the organization.
• Expect friction. Not every feature will work the way you want on Day 1—but your feedback can shape what comes next.

Final Thoughts: Progress, Not Perfection

The shift to Katalon’s own testing platform didn’t make everything magically better overnight. But it made things clearer. As testers, we became active participants in shaping the tools we use. And over time, the gaps narrowed and the gains added up.

We’re not done evolving. But now, we’re evolving on a platform that we believe in—and helped build from the inside out. And our customers get to reap the benefits as they experience a much more robust, complete and scalable testing platform for their organizations.