diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index e01679e06b4..a3b694cf20a 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ language: node_js
 sudo: false
 dist: trusty
 node_js:
-  - "6"
+  - "10"
 
 addons:
   chrome: stable
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ branches:
 stages:
   - test
   - additional tests
-  - older version tests
+  - ember version tests
+  - external partner tests
   - name: deploy
     if: type = push AND (branch IN (master, beta, release) OR tag IS present)
 
@@ -34,18 +35,18 @@ jobs:
   include:
     # runs tests with current locked deps and linting
     - stage: test
-      env: NAME=test                  # used only to make Travis UI show description
+      name: "Basic Tests"
       script:
         - ./bin/lint-features
         - yarn lint:js
         - yarn test
 
     - stage: additional tests
-      env: NAME=optional-features     # used only to make Travis UI show description
+      name: "Optional Features"
       install: yarn install
       script: yarn test:optional-features
 
-    - env: NAME=floating dependencies # used only to make Travis UI show description
+    - name: "Floating Dependencies"
       install: yarn install --no-lockfile --non-interactive
       script: yarn test
 
@@ -54,24 +55,48 @@ jobs:
       env: TARGET_IE11=true
       script: yarn test
 
-    - env: NAME=production            # used only to make Travis UI show description
+    - name: "Production"
       install: yarn install
       script: yarn test:production
 
-    - env: NAME=node-tests            # used only to make Travis UI show description
+    - name: "Node Tests"
       install: yarn install
       script: yarn test:node
 
     # runs tests against each supported Ember version
-    - stage: older version tests
+    - stage: ember version tests
+      name: "Ember LTS 2.16"
       env: EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO=ember-lts-2.16
-    - env: EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO=ember-lts-2.18
-    - env: EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO=ember-release
-    - env: EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO=ember-beta
-    - env: EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO=ember-canary
+    - name: "Ember LTS 2.18"
+      env: EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO=ember-lts-2.18
+    - name: "Ember Release"
+      env: EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO=ember-release
+    - name: "Ember Beta"
+      env: EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO=ember-beta
+    - name: "Ember Canary"
+      env: EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO=ember-canary
+
+    # runs tests against various open-source projects for early-warning regression analysis
+    - stage: external partner tests
+      name: "Ember Data Model Fragments"
+      script: yarn test-external:model-fragments
+    - name: "Ember Observer"
+      script: yarn test-external:ember-observer
+    - name: "Travis Web"
+      script: yarn test-external:travis-web
+    - name: "emberaddons.com"
+      script: yarn test-external:emberaddons.com
+    - name: "Ember Data Change Tracker"
+      script: yarn test-external:ember-data-change-tracker
+    - name: "ember-m3"
+      script: yarn test-external:ember-m3
+    - name: "Ember Data Storefront"
+      script: yarn test-external:storefront
+    - name: "Ember Data Factory Guy"
+      script: yarn test-external:factory-guy
 
     - stage: deploy
-      env: NAME=publish                # used only to make Travis UI show description
+      name: "Publish"
       install: yarn install
       script:
         - node_modules/.bin/ember try:reset
@@ -85,6 +110,7 @@ before_install:
 
 install:
   - yarn install
+  - yarn add global bower
 
 script:
   - node_modules/.bin/ember try:one $EMBER_TRY_SCENARIO --skip-cleanup
diff --git a/lib/scripts/test-external.js b/lib/scripts/test-external.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..67c2625cdf0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/scripts/test-external.js
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+'use strict';
+/* eslint-disable no-console, node/no-extraneous-require, node/no-unpublished-require */
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+const { shellSync } = require('execa');
+// apparently violates no-extraneous require? /shrug
+const debug = require('debug')('test-external');
+const rimraf = require('rimraf');
+
+const projectRoot = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../');
+const externalProjectName = process.argv[2];
+const gitUrl = process.argv[3];
+const tempDir = path.join(projectRoot, '../__external-test-cache');
+const projectTempDir = path.join(tempDir, externalProjectName);
+
+if (!gitUrl) {
+  throw new Error(
+    'No git url provided to `node ./lib/scripts/test-external`. An https git url should be the first argument.'
+  );
+} else if (gitUrl.indexOf('https') !== 0) {
+  throw new Error(
+    `The git url provided to \`node ./lib/scripts/test-external\` should use https. Received '${gitUrl}'`
+  );
+}
+
+console.log(
+  `Preparing to test external project ${externalProjectName} located at ${gitUrl} against this ember-data commit.`
+);
+
+function execWithLog(command, force) {
+  if (debug.enabled || force) {
+    return shellSync(command, { stdio: [0, 1, 2] });
+  }
+
+  return shellSync(command);
+}
+
+if (!fs.existsSync(tempDir)) {
+  fs.mkdirSync(tempDir);
+}
+
+if (fs.existsSync(projectTempDir)) {
+  rimraf.sync(projectTempDir);
+}
+
+// install the project
+try {
+  execWithLog(
+    `cd ../__external-test-cache && git clone --depth=1 ${gitUrl} ./${externalProjectName}`
+  );
+} catch (e) {
+  debug(e);
+  throw new Error(
+    `Install of ${gitUrl} for external project ${externalProjectName} testing failed.`
+  );
+}
+
+const useYarn = fs.existsSync(path.join(projectTempDir, 'yarn.lock'));
+const useBower = fs.existsSync(path.join(projectTempDir, 'bower.json'));
+
+// install project dependencies and link our local version of ember-data
+try {
+  execWithLog(
+    `${
+      useYarn ? 'yarn link' : 'npm link'
+    } && cd ../__external-test-cache/${externalProjectName} && ${useYarn ? 'yarn' : 'npm install'}${
+      useBower ? ' && bower install' : ''
+    }`
+  );
+} catch (e) {
+  debug(e);
+  throw new Error(
+    `Unable to complete install of dependencies for external project ${externalProjectName}`
+  );
+}
+
+// run project tests
+console.log(`Running tests for ${externalProjectName}`);
+
+let smokeTestPassed = true;
+let commitTestPassed = true;
+
+try {
+  debug('Running Smoke Test');
+  execWithLog(`cd ../__external-test-cache/${externalProjectName} && ember test`);
+} catch (e) {
+  smokeTestPassed = false;
+}
+
+try {
+  execWithLog(`${useYarn ? 'yarn link ember-data' : 'npm link ember-data'}`);
+} catch (e) {
+  debug(e);
+  throw new Error(
+    `Unable to \`${useYarn ? 'yarn' : 'npm'} link ember-data\` for ${externalProjectName}`
+  );
+}
+
+try {
+  debug('Re-running tests against EmberData commit');
+  execWithLog(`cd ../__external-test-cache/${externalProjectName} && ember test`, true);
+} catch (e) {
+  commitTestPassed = false;
+}
+
+if (!smokeTestPassed && !commitTestPassed) {
+  throw new Error(
+    `Commit may result in a regression, but the smoke test for ${externalProjectName} also failed.`
+  );
+} else if (smokeTestPassed && !commitTestPassed) {
+  throw new Error(`Commit results in a regression in ${externalProjectName}`);
+} else if (!smokeTestPassed) {
+  console.log(`Commit may resolve issues present in the smoke test for ${externalProjectName}`);
+} else {
+  console.log(`Commit does not regress ${externalProjectName}`);
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2c77a780595..6d998d9ba94 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -16,7 +16,15 @@
     "test:all": "ember try:each",
     "test:node": "node node-tests/nodetest-runner.js",
     "test:production": "ember test -e production && ember test -e production --record-data-rfc-build",
-    "test:optional-features": "ember test -e test-optional-features && ember test -e test-optional-features --record-data-rfc-build"
+    "test:optional-features": "ember test -e test-optional-features && ember test -e test-optional-features --record-data-rfc-build",
+    "test-external:ember-m3": "node ./lib/scripts/test-external ember-m3 https://github.com/hjdivad/ember-m3.git",
+    "test-external:ember-data-change-tracker": "node ./lib/scripts/test-external ember-data-change-tracker https://github.com/danielspaniel/ember-data-change-tracker.git",
+    "test-external:emberaddons.com": "node ./lib/scripts/test-external ember-cli-addon-search https://github.com/gcollazo/ember-cli-addon-search.git",
+    "test-external:model-fragments": "node ./lib/scripts/test-external ember-data-model-fragments https://github.com/lytics/ember-data-model-fragments.git",
+    "test-external:ember-observer": "node ./lib/scripts/test-external ember-observer https://github.com/emberobserver/client.git",
+    "test-external:travis-web": "node ./lib/scripts/test-external travis-web https://github.com/travis-ci/travis-web.git",
+    "test-external:storefront": "node ./lib/scripts/test-external storefront https://github.com/embermap/ember-data-storefront.git",
+    "test-external:factory-guy": "node ./lib/scripts/test-external factory-guy https://github.com/danielspaniel/ember-data-factory-guy.git"
   },
   "author": "",
   "license": "MIT",
@@ -92,6 +100,7 @@
     "eslint-config-prettier": "^2.9.0",
     "eslint-plugin-node": "^7.0.1",
     "eslint-plugin-prettier": "2.6.2",
+    "execa": "^0.10.0",
     "fs-extra": "^7.0.0",
     "github": "^1.1.1",
     "glob": "^7.1.2",
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index f4bc2465fb9..ed542ce154f 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -3157,7 +3157,7 @@ exec-sh@^0.2.0:
 
 execa@^0.10.0:
   version "0.10.0"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/execa/-/execa-0.10.0.tgz#ff456a8f53f90f8eccc71a96d11bdfc7f082cb50"
+  resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/execa/-/execa-0.10.0.tgz#ff456a8f53f90f8eccc71a96d11bdfc7f082cb50"
   dependencies:
     cross-spawn "^6.0.0"
     get-stream "^3.0.0"