Manish Patel

I joined Placing Platform Limited (PPL) at the early stages of their rollout of their new electronic placement platform that supported risk capture, placing and signing & closing. As the London insurance market's primary digital platform for negotiating and binding (re)insurance risks electronically, I supported full end-to-end testing of the platform as well as their integrations to other 3rd party applications including LIMOSS, Nuxeo, Quantum Docs and SDC. As the company leveraged their platform to support other data-driven applications, I was also exposed to testing 3rd party applications that integrated with the PPL NextGen platform including the Contract Builder platform created by Artificial Labs.

Responsibilities:

• Lead on numerous ‘Major’ releases of the platform that included new functionality or new API capabilities to support broker and underwriter experiences
• Test Estimations, Test Planning, Test Reporting and Test Closure activities
• Defect triage and support live issues (analysis and retesting)
• Executed the Test Operating Model (TOM) defined by the QA practice to support the testing approach whilst working with 3rd party testing vendors that made sure QA gate checkpoints were followed and identify any failures that could potentially impact test delivery.

My role at Canada Life UK has been to serve as the Lead QA representative on their Cloud Transformation programme. This involved utilizing Microsoft Azure cloud capability to consolidate, rehome and re-provision all its existing on-premise and ‘other’ cloud platform infrastructure and applications. This also included validating the creation and operation of an effective end-to-end Target Operating Model (TOM) that underpinned the long-term management of the organization’s Strategic Cloud environment, with ITIL best practices applied across all service pillars

Responsibilities:

• Technical QA on solution architecture for Azure Services.
• Validation of Azure resources deployed via Infrastructure as Code (IAC) including review of Pester Test results.
• Created, updated, and validated ITIL Service Management processes including Incident, Change and Problem Management via ServiceNow.
• Validation of ITIL Service Management changes to support the onboarding of an offshore 3rd party supplier.
• Raising and reviewing RAID items with onshore 3rd party supplier as part of risk management guidance.
• Test support to key stakeholders for UAT and BAT testing.
• Execute line management duties for 3 QA resources facilitating their mid- and end-of-year reports.
• Implemented new ‘Ways of Working’ as defined by the CLUK QA Policy as the organization transitioned to more of an Agile delivery model via the use of JIRA and other supporting tools. Strategies included shifting-left, continuous delivery and automate first to name a few.

Operating as a QA Lead Engineer supporting the QA Chapter Lead in developing and implementing QA initiatives across the whole of the Software Delivery Life Cycle. Working across both Agile and Waterfall projects, I have managed up to 7-8 resources both working on manual and automation testing activities. As well as being involved in identifying test approaches and strategizing, I was also given exposure to line management duties and coaching.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and Revise Ways of Working (WOW) Packs for Test Delivery
• Update test practice with new initiatives and WOW
• Support the definition of the Test Strategy and Test Approaches for various pods / squads
• Coordination of testing with 3rd Party Vendors
• Work with Agile Delivery Leads, Scrum Masters and Product Owners on continuous improvement
• Facilitate Agile "Squads" ways of working
• Facilitate Team 121’s
• Contribute to Personal Development Plans

I joined Cigniti Technologies, as a Test Lead currently on client site at British Airways HQ. I was primarily responsible for the upgrade of the Core Automation Regression Pack for BA.com. This involved managing a team of resources to review and identify gaps within the existing regression pack and provide inputs to the Core Automation team to action.

Responsibilities:

• Daily and Weekly Reporting of Review Progress
• Liaising with Core Domain experts to expand test coverage
• Providing input to the R&R Programme on test processes and practices to be included as part of the creation of the Test Practice within BA.

As a Test Lead I was placed on client site at Costa / Whitbread supporting the Store Tills Refresh Programme. This involves testing a new Tills Application which replaced the existing Oracle Caterwide/InnTouch tills system.

Responsibilities:

• Reviewing Business Requirements and Design Specifications
• Constructing test plans, test cases and test conditions in JIRA using Zepher
• Liaising with 3rd party suppliers on the development and testing of the new applications.

At DXC Technology I was brought on board for a short-term contract to support the test planning of the new regulatory image-based cheque solution for Nationwide Building Society. I was responsible for assisting with the new ICS Cheque images through the Kappa Fraud system which identifies whether a cheque is fraudulent and needs to be withdrawn from payment.

I returned to Nationwide Building Society for the second time due to my experience and knowledge of the Internet and Mobile Banking platforms. I worked on several releases within the Digital Portfolio including the replacement and migration of customer Internet Bank login credentials from a Unisys Mainframe platform to a Microsoft SQL Server.

Responsibilities:

• Many of my responsibilities this time were identical to my last role at Nationwide. However, under the Test Manger role, I was given the opportunity to fulfill the following additional activities: -
• Point of contact between the Test Lead and the project team.
• Managing relationships between the project team members such as Solution Engineers, Environmental Management, Configuration Management etc and the test team.
• Upkeep of the RAID log for the test project and for escalation where appropriate to the project team.
• Extensive Stakeholder Management working with various parts of the business and product owners during test planning and sign-off activities.

I was recalled back at Unisys/IPSL for the third time due to my experience and knowledge of the Kappa Fraud system to assist in testing the roll out of the application to several IPSL’s clients including Co-op, Nationwide and Santander. I was part of the testing team involved in the implementation of its rollout to one of IPSL’s largest clients, Lloyds Banking Group.

Responsibilities:

• Reviewing Business Requirements
• Constructing test plans, test cases and test conditions based on design or business requirements.
• Mapping of business requirements against outlined test cases designed.
• Liaising with 3rd party suppliers on the development and testing of the new applications.
• Working with business users in conducting documentation and test reviews.
• Test Execution
• Defect logging and management.

As a key supplier of IT consultancy and services my role at Gamcom Solutions Ltd has predominately involved working with their client, Nationwide Building Society. My role has varied over the years starting as a senior Test Analyst working on their new Internet Banking application to operating as a Test Team Lead within their Multi-Channel Development Centre (MCDC) which supports many of Nationwide’s key customer facing systems and applications including Internet and Mobile Banking platforms.

Responsibilities:

• Co-coordinating Master / Detailed Test Plans for all phases of test for a release and preparation of tests scripts in accordance with the DTP and approved test packs.
• Definition of detailed data and environment requirements.
• Monitoring and management of the preparation and execution of all accountable test phases
• Reporting key testing milestones and deliverables for the test phase to the test manager.
• Engaging the business, support and operations teams to facilitate and support the planning, preparation and delivery of all phases of test associated with a release.
• Producing weekly test reports for a release to the Test / Release Managers.
• Raising test risks and issues to Test Management via RAID logs.
• Leading Production Support test activity when assigned, ensuring all test deliverables and tasks are delivered in line with support SLA’s.

At Unisys/IPSL, I was involved in several projects testing cheque clearing processing systems for Barclays, HBoS and HSBC. My role on return was far more technical than my last project here and I was given more detailed exposure into the end-end process of cheque clearing.

Responsibilities:

• Reviewing Business Requirements
• Constructing test plans, test cases and test conditions based on either High-Level Design documentation or Business Requirements.
• Mapping of Business Requirements against outlined test cases designed.
• Liaising with 3rd party suppliers on the development and testing of the new applications.
• Working with business users in conducting documentation and test reviews.
• Defect logging and management.

As a key supplier of IT consultancy and services my role at Sopra Group involved working with various clients to identify and analyse key testing areas of their business. This would include writing test plans, identifying testing scenarios, scripting test strategies and reporting testing progress.

My role at HFC involved testing credit card authorisations through Credit Management System otherwise known as CMS for MasterCard and Visa.

Working as part of an integral testing team, my work at ADP entails testing various modules of the British Airways Executive Club, a Java web application that sat in front of an Oracle database.