Werner Enterprises saves 3 hours per week by using Postman

Postman had long been the platform of choice for API testing and development for Werner engineers. Developers were maintaining unlicensed local versions of Postman Collections. But this was inefficient as developers had to import and export collections for every modification. Often, collections were not successfully imported and the most up-to-date version was not shared.

If an error occurred within an API call, developers had to share their screens with senior developers to solve the issue, which was time-consuming.

“I know the importance of a good foundation, having worked as a developer and in QA. That's why I love Postman because it is the best playground for different departments to work together.”

Tim Velasquez, Software QA Manager, Werner Enterprises

With developers using individual accounts, their API collections were lost when they transitioned to other roles externally. Onboarding was impacted as previously completed work had to be repeated, creating technical debt.

Without licenses, the QA team had to build API structures from scratch which involved adding the endpoint method, JSON body, and checking the results were correct. The QA team would also need to conduct investigations. This meant they were duplicating work that developers had completed.

Upgrading to a paid Postman plan was a natural choice as Werner's teams were familiar with Postman's tools. Buying licenses enabled Werner to start introducing processes to align collections to projects. When a developer left, work would not be lost.

Deploying Postman workspaces means changes made in collections are synced immediately. With variables, there are fewer errors as the same base path is used and the code is not typed. This provides a consistent format for domains and environments.

“The team morale is high and we've gotten some great feedback about Postman. The trust in development code and API testing has exceeded my expectations.”

Tim Velasquez, Software QA Manager, Werner Enterprises

Postman allows easy API discovery, provides API structure details and enables standardization. Additionally, there is API documentation for all completed work for future reference. Processes have been streamlined, for example, API requests can be made against the local, staging or QA environments by simply switching environments, there's no need to type.

Every week, senior developers save hours of time as they no longer have to troubleshoot issues. Workspaces increased the accuracy of code and improved the reliability of API calls. Approximately 15 to 20 minutes are saved every time developers collaborate as collections no longer need to be imported and exported.

“Our partnership with Postman has been invaluable in helping get the most out of the capabilities of this platform. I appreciate that they are willing to take the time to hear our needs and offer solutions as well as celebrate our success.”

Jeff McWilliams, Software Architect, Werner Enterprises

Postman enables easy analysis of end-to-end workflows to identify and evaluate areas of testing that can be automated. For example, Werner has incorporated automation into the CI/CD processes.

With the engineering and QA teams sharing workspaces to support applications, technical debt has been reduced. This way of working has resulted in teams working three times faster while onboarding is also quicker and simpler.

Using Postman increased efficiency for the QA team enabling faster deliverables. The visibility of newly developed APIs allows the QA team to expand testing. Also, QA can ensure all internal API requirements are met and root causes are easy to pinpoint, especially when working with third-party vendors.

Collaboration with third-party vendors has also been made easier for the engineering team. Specific collections can be created with accompanying documentation that shares only the relevant information.

Werner continues to explore Postman's capabilities to increase efficiencies and make productivity gains.