Meet A Software Test Lead : Fathimaa Sanam

Meet our Test Lead Ms. Fathimaa Sanam, a dedicated Test Lead with a passion for testing and a commitment to community involvement. Here is her perspective on her role and experiences.

Let’s know more about you.

Greetings from Trichy, from someone who is focused on discovering and achieving the highest potential version of themselves.

I kicked off my professional journey with a bang, landing a testing job at Capgemini Mumbai straight outta college (M.A.M College Trichy to be exact). After working for 4.5 years at  Capgemini, took a career break and later joined Testvox.

How would you sum up your work experience at Testvox?

Testvox got a great bunch of people and embodies the company culture. There’s plenty of room for growth and throwing out new ideas. You have an open-minded environment that fosters creativity. Initially, it was cool as I was assigned to test financial apps, later I got to dive into the domain of gaming which was a bit of a challenge. But with Testvox’s training I was able to level up my skills and tackle the project. My scrum team manager and others are supportive and friendly, making work effortless. Plus, getting the chance to mentor the juniors brought us all even closer. Overall, working at Testvox is a fulfilling and satisfying experience that allows me to grow both personally and professionally.

As a test lead, how do you overcome challenges?

Testing ain’t that easy as it sounds, we’re often dealing with tight deadlines, shifting requirements, and some seriously complex systems. But, I’ve learned to overcome it by using techniques like creating solid test plans, automating the routine stuff, utilizing the required tools for test case management using TestRail and Zephyr, defect management using Jira, Trello, & Bugzilla, API testing using postman & swagger and collaboration with the team using Slack & Zoho. Additionally, staying in touch with the developer team has been important in overcoming obstacles at work. Building good relationships with the team and getting support from the developers have been major game-changers for me.

What are you passionate about outside of testing?

When I am not pursuing my testing skills, I spend my time exploring new places and cultures, always looking for new experiences. In my free time, I even like to get creative with arts & crafts and spend time with my family on bowling games.

How did you end up as a Test Lead at Testvox?

Like everybody, one of my concerns, after getting a job, was I wanted to move up from a junior position to a lead role, as leads seemed respected, had more responsibility, and better compensation. However, after having a career gap and joining Testvox I realized that there is no shortcut to achieving this and that it required more than just testing skills.

I gradually improved my testing skills and learned about why developers tend to make certain mistakes as now I got experience in various forms of testing such as functional, end-to-end, smoke, regression, and exploratory testing along with experience in the gaming domain, including test scenario and case design, Test plan preparation, and summary report generation. Additionally, I also realized that I needed to be able to positively influence people around me. I took advantage of the flexibility at Testvox to try new things, by being open and willing to share my knowledge with my teammates, I was able to improve my standing in the organization. Eventually, within a span of 01 years, my title became a lead software tester.

When it comes to balancing work and parenting, how do you do it?    

Balancing work and parenting my young son while working in a UK time zone was definitely a difficult task. My mom helped out with taking care of him during meetings, but it was still tough to handle school pick-ups and drop-offs. But my love for my job kept me pushing through and I was able to get everything done to the company’s requirements.

How would you advocate for a friend to join Testvox?

For me being a Test Lead at Testvox is an exciting and rewarding experience. Not only do I have the opportunity to lead testing efforts and be at the forefront of quality assurance, but the job also provides a constant learning opportunity. But what truly sets Testvox apart is the team. They are open-minded and supportive, ensuring that everyone feels supported and valued.

Should someone decide to pursue a career in software testing, I would emphasize the flexibility that comes with being a Testvoxian.