How Safie Reduced Test Management Effort and Improved Visibility with TestRail
Safie Inc. operates under the vision of "Create a better future with intelligent vision," developing and operating the cloud-based video recording platform Safie along with related services. The platform is used by companies across a wide range of industries, including retail, food service, healthcare, finance, and construction. Within just three years of its founding in 2014, Safie achieved the number one market share¹ in the cloud video recording service industry.
To support its move from spreadsheet-based test management to TestRail, Safie worked with Techmatrix, TestRail’s local partner in Japan. Techmatrix provided support from the evaluation and implementation stages through operational adoption, including guidance on importing existing test assets, configuring TestRail around Safie’s team structure and workflows, and helping connect automated UI test results to TestRail through the API.
¹ Source: Techno System Research, “Cloud Recording Service Market Research of Network Cameras” (2025). Market share is calculated based on the number of registered cameras per cloud recording service.
Die Herausforderung
As Safie managed multiple monthly releases across more than ten projects, spreadsheet-based test management became difficult to sustain.
The team had been using Google Sheets to track test progress and results ahead of scheduled releases. While spreadsheets offered some flexibility, they also created a growing administrative burden. Progress had to be manually aggregated across multiple testers, detailed results were difficult to review, and visibility across projects remained limited.
Mr. Koyama, Group Leader in the Quality Management Office, explains, “I often manage multiple products at once, so I needed a more efficient way to track testing progress. Previously, we used Google Sheets to manage test progress and results, and we ran tests in preparation for scheduled releases.”
Mr. Koyama
Group Leader in the Quality Management Office, Safie
Beyond the time required to manage testing, the team also struggled with basic usability and visibility. Long test cases did not display well in spreadsheet cells, layouts could break depending on screen size, and notes on test results were difficult to organize clearly.
As Mr. Yamaya, Group Leader in the Quality Management Office, puts it, “In addition to the complexity of tracking progress in spreadsheets, visibility was also an issue. For example, long test cases don't fit in a single cell, and depending on monitor size, the layout can break, making it hard to see all the information even when scrolling. When leaving notes on test results, the limitation on the spreadsheet cell made it difficult to organize information clearly.”
The team also saw limitations in reusing existing test assets. As Safie’s release volume increased, it became clear that the company needed a tool purpose-built for test management that could reduce effort, improve visibility, and make test cases easier to reuse.
Die Lösung
Safie adopted TestRail to create a more efficient and visually organized way to manage testing across products and release cycles.
Techmatrix supported Safie throughout the implementation process, including the import of existing test cases and test results into TestRail so the team could continue using previously accumulated testing assets. Techmatrix also helped Safie design user roles, project structures, and test suite configurations that reflected the company’s development organization and business processes.
The team evaluated other test management tools first, but TestRail stood out for one reason in particular: it felt intuitive from the start. That ease of use mattered because the tool needed to work for everyone involved in testing, not just managers.
An intuitive UI that lowered the barrier to adoption
For Safie, usability was a major deciding factor. The team wanted a tool that could deliver more value than spreadsheets without increasing the workload required to maintain it.
Mr. Koyama says, “At first, we tried other test management tools, but their UIs were difficult to use, and we couldn’t operate them effectively. Later, we found out TestRail offered a trial period and gave it a try. We found the interface intuitive and felt that it was very natural to use.”
That ease of use helped TestRail stand out from other options, especially for testers who needed to move quickly without relying on manuals or extensive onboarding.
Mr. Koyama
Group Leader in the Quality Management Office, Safie
Just as important, TestRail met Safie’s requirement that the new process should not create more work for the team than spreadsheets already did.
“TestRail met the essential requirement that the workload for everyone on the team wouldn't be higher compared to spreadsheets. It stood out from other test management tools. On top of that, TestRail offers more flexibility than spreadsheets and aligns better with our test management needs, which is why we decided to implement it.”
A better fit for frequent releases across multiple projects
Safie’s development environment made efficient test management especially important. The company typically runs 6 to 7 core products continuously, along with approximately 10 cross-functional projects throughout the year. With multiple releases per month across apps, devices, and firmware, the team needed a system that could support both structure and speed.
In that environment, the ability to capture and reuse past test results became especially valuable.
“Essentially, we run development cycles of one to three months, limiting the number of enhancements per release. Some projects span a year, in which case we run QA for about a month. Focusing the test scope is important, and using TestRail allows us to capture past results as reusable assets, which is a very important point.”
A rollout that matched different project needs
As TestRail adoption expanded, teams quickly saw value in having a more centralized and scalable approach to test management. This was especially helpful for teams managing multiple products, where visibility, coordination, and reuse had a greater impact on day-to-day work.
Management also responded positively, particularly because TestRail offered a clear path to reducing effort over time as they continued to grow. Testers adapted well to the tool in their daily work and found it easy to use from the start.
“Testers responded positively, saying that TestRail was just as easy to use as the spreadsheets they were already familiar with and that they could operate it without any discomfort.”
Even after implementation, Techmatrix continued to support Safie through regular web meetings, helping the team resolve operational questions and refine tool usage as TestRail became part of its day-to-day workflow.
Die Ergebnisse
After implementing TestRail, Safie improved visibility into testing progress, reduced manual effort, and made test cases easier to manage and reuse across projects.
Less time spent on manual aggregation
One of the clearest improvements came from eliminating the need to manually compile progress across testers and spreadsheets.
Before TestRail, tracking progress meant opening each tester’s spreadsheet twice a day and aggregating the results by hand. With TestRail, that information became visible in one place through the dashboard which also made it easier to review deliverables and monitor progress across multiple products at the same time.
Mr. Koyama
Group Leader in the Quality Management Office, Safie
Time savings throughout the testing period
The reduction in manual tracking translated into meaningful day-to-day time savings.
“It varies by product, but for a single project during a scheduled release, I'd estimate we save approximately 10 to 20 minutes times the number of business days in the testing period.”
For a team managing multiple products and frequent releases, those small daily savings add up quickly over the course of a release cycle.
Better visibility and easier test execution
TestRail also improved the team’s ability to see and understand test status without digging through individual files. Instead of opening separate spreadsheets and searching through long, hard-to-read test cases, the team can now quickly view the information they need in a clearer, more organized format. That improved visibility made day-to-day test management easier and more comfortable.
Mr. Yamaya says, “TestRail also allows us to view test statuses such as Untested, Passed, Blocked, Retest, and Failed from a high-level perspective. We no longer need to open individual spreadsheets and search for the relevant sections.”
Fewer spreadsheet-related errors and frustrations
By moving away from spreadsheets, Safie also eliminated a range of small but persistent issues that slowed the team down. Broken formulas, aggregation errors, and concurrent editing problems all created extra work that had nothing to do with actual testing.
Mr. Koyama describes the difference, “When using spreadsheets, we'd sometimes have one item that wouldn't aggregate correctly and had to investigate why. Concurrent editing required extra care, and sometimes formulas would break during updates. Having those problems gone is a real relief—and I think it's also contributed to effort reduction.”
Turning test cases into reusable assets
One of the most valuable long-term improvements was the ability to manage test cases as reusable assets rather than rebuilding or duplicating them for each cycle.
Mr. Koyama
Group Leader in the Quality Management Office, Safie
Koyama continues, “With spreadsheets, reusing test cases required duplicating sheets, adding or deleting cells, or adjusting formulas—but now all of that routine work is eliminated.”
That change gave the team a more scalable way to manage regression testing and select the right tests based on device type, hardware requirements, and project priorities.
“It depends on the product, but for regression testing we create a master test case set containing all test cases. Then, for each device, we select the necessary test cases based on priority. Being able to pick the relevant items according to the hardware specifications is a huge benefit.”
A worthwhile migration effort
Safie migrated approximately 3,700 test cases, which took about 60 person-days of effort, spread over approximately 160 business days. This investment of time was significant; however, the team viewed it positively as it not only facilitated the migration but also created an opportunity to review and optimize existing test procedures.
While the length of the migration process was outside the norm for many organizations, it was primarily due to the thoroughness with which Safie approached the transition. It is worth noting that TestRail provides various migration tools that can expedite this process significantly.
According to Mr. Yamaya, “There were no negative opinions about the effort required for the migration. When we carried out the work, team members were cooperative and approached the task positively. I think there was also a sense of satisfaction that it wasn't just a migration, but also an opportunity to review test procedures, which made the effort feel worthwhile.”
As the team gained experience, later migrations became much faster and more efficient.
The Results at a Glance
Since adopting TestRail, Safie has:
- Reduced test management effort across multi-person release cycles
- Improved visibility into test progress across multiple projects
- Saved an estimated 10 to 20 minutes per tester business day during testing periods for a single scheduled release
- Eliminated spreadsheet-specific issues such as broken formulas and aggregation errors
- Made test cases and past results easier to reuse as long-term assets
- Created a more scalable process for frequent releases across products and devices
With less time spent on repetitive administrative work, the team gained more capacity to focus on other projects and higher-value testing activities.
Mr. Yamaya states, “Exactly. With the reduced workload, we now have the capacity to work on other projects that previously didn’t get enough attention.”
Integrations and Reporting
Safie also uses TestRail alongside the tool Backlog for bug tracking and reporting. By entering the Backlog key in the Defects field, the team can view ticket details directly from within the TestRail test case, which makes it easier to connect test execution with issue tracking. The team also uses TestRail’s standard reporting templates at the end of testing and sees room to expand how reporting is used as project needs evolve.
Zukünftige Ziele
Looking ahead, Safie wants to standardize test management across all projects and further centralize test information within TestRail. Today, the use of master test cases still varies by project, and some enhancement tests continue to be managed in spreadsheets.
Mr. Yamaya
Group Leader in the Quality Management Office, Safie
Mr. Yamaya explains, "Currently, the usage of master test cases varies by project, and some enhancement tests are still managed in spreadsheets, so test results are not fully consolidated in TestRail. Our goal is to centrally manage test execution results in TestRail.”
Safie also plans to make greater use of features it has not yet fully adopted, including newer reporting capabilities, as it continues to improve day-to-day testing operations and build a more consistent approach across teams.
About Techmatrix
Techmatrix is a full-service IT company operating across a wide range of industries in Japan — from network security and medical imaging management to automotive embedded software, customer service infrastructure, and educational platforms.
As the regional partner who brought this project to life, Techmatrix played a key role in making this collaboration possible. Their team combines deep technical expertise with a long-term commitment to building a better future through technology, as reflected in their medium-term management plan launched in May 2021.
Working in Japan and need a trusted local partner? Get in touch with Techmatrix.
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