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Management - Best Quality Management Strategy
(Gold Winner)

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#TBA02802

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Paid

PO Created Date

2024-05-11 01:09:36

Paid Date

2024-05-11 01:10:57

Competition

2024

Season

Entry ID

TBE103103

Entry Submission Date

2024-05-10 23:40:02

Member's Name

Kumar Abhishek

Member's Email

kr0abhishek@gmail.com

Entry Level

Information Technology

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MF24020 - Best Quality Management Strategy

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Project Description

Project Description for Judges

Question 1 : Provide a brief description / background of your nominated organizational, departmental, team, or individual circumstance. (Your response to this question will be used for public display if your entry is awarded.)

Kumar Abhishek, a seasoned technology leader with over 11 years of software testing expertise, is dedicated to fostering top-tier engineering teams marked by skill, motivation, and efficiency. He has led successful initiatives in developing innovative, robust, and scalable software test systems aligned with business goals. Abhishek brings expertise in live and on-demand video streaming, internet-based content delivery networks (CDNs), and cloud products which enables him to contribute significantly to the success of projects and initiatives. Kumar, a recognized industry leader, served as a judge for the 2024 Globee Technology and Disruptor Awards. He has also been a guest speaker at numerous software testing conferences. Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated his ability to establish, oversee, and guide exceptionally efficient engineering teams. Abhishek has credentials from BITS Pilani, IIIT Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta. Abhishek is currently leading a global Test team (including Principal Engineers & People Managers) at Akamai Technlogies Inc. Abhishek oversees the individuals by providing technical guidance and managing the technical execution of his team. Abhishek ensures that each individual is meeting business goals and operating according to performance standards. He sets project timelines to ensure that features are delivered on time and conducts regular code reviews to ensure quality standards. In addition, Abhishek also leverages his subject matter expertise in Akamai’s proprietary products to provide technical guidance to his direct reports and influence the architectural elements of new rollouts, products, and features

Question 2 : Outline your nominated organizational, departmental, team, or individual achievements, dated 1-3 years prior, based on your selected categories.

Achievements:--
Revamping and implementing an optimized Software Test Life Cycle (STLC) process with streamlined Continuous Integration (CI) - The processes are the core of the software industry. Good processes can make life easier for everyone otherwise can be responsible for the product’s failure. I was pulled to work on a new cloud product last year and I realized there were no efficient Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) and software release processes in place. It's worth noting that there were multiple Quality Assurance (QA) and Software Development Engineers in Test (SDET) teams, each adhering to different processes. This deficiency was leading to confusion, lower productivity, lack of effective communication, and lack of visibility of what other teams were doing.  Abhishek took the initiative to define a single, standardized, and efficient process that could be universally applied across all teams, aiming to alleviate these challenges. This was not very straightforward and needed strategies to get in place. The new CI process helped teams find issues early while providing the needed visibility of test coverage to upper management.

Accountable for ensuring the quality of multiple Akamai products generating annual revenues surpassing $30M + annually.

Defining the Release Management process for a new Cloud product - Developing software is one part but how to effectively release is the most critical piece. Abhishek defined the Release Management process for Akamai’s new offering. The challenge here was the lot of moving pieces that was needed to be managed.

Creating a robust and cohesive team with high efficiency and effectiveness.

Lead by Example during iCloud Private Relay Testing - Akamai, the force behind Apple’s iCloud Private Relay, faced a unique challenge, stepping into uncharted territory with a proxy product. Apple's stringent cryptographic algorithm requirements posed initial testing obstacles due to the absence of a blind token generation tool. Abhishek spearheaded the research and development of a solution, enabling QA teams to commence testing. This pivotal contribution culminated in Akamai securing a $50M deal with Apple Inc.

Question 3 : Provide examples of the strategies / plans you have introduced, in order to attain your nominated organizational, departmental, team, or individual achievements. Explain why the highlighted achievements are significant / unique.

1. Implementing the Software Test Life Cycle (STLC) process alongside efficient Continuous Integration (CI) presented challenges in navigating change management. Utilizing Lewin's Change Management Model, I initiated a three-step process: Unfreeze, Change, and Refreeze.

During the Unfreeze stage, I meticulously identified pain points within the STLC model across diverse teams, addressing issues like test case visibility, unclear script locations, and underutilization of utilities. Through stakeholder engagement and data-driven presentations, I secured buy-in for change, conducting numerous meetings to ensure alignment.

Transitioning to the Change stage involved fostering a culture of quality ownership through Test Driven Development (TDD) principles and implementing a unified Common CI system. This system, supporting multiple products and frameworks, significantly reduced bugs in release testing by 90%, as evidenced by accolades and positive feedback from leadership.

Maintaining team cohesion and growth was paramount. Consistent one-on-one meetings and feedback channels ensured concerns were addressed promptly, resulting in zero turnover and successful promotions and recruitment.

With processes solidified, the Refreeze stage marked the stabilization of the STLC. Standardizing these efficient practices across teams not only enhanced overall quality but also bolstered customer trust, leading to revenues exceeding $30 million.

2. Strategy during iCloud Private relay Testing
a) Shift-left with intention  - i)Ensured the SDET Test team was involved early in the SDLC cycle during requirement and design phase discussions so that they were aware of what was coming next and could brainstorm on the next steps.
ii) Stub is all you need  - Abhishek changed the SDET team’s mindset and did setup the efficient process for test strategies that helped team make faster progress on the automation.  The team started to simulate workflows using Mocks if the actual code was not ready and started making progress on the automation. For example - If there is an API product and the code is not ready they simulate the API server using Python (Flask) and write the automation in parallel to the product development. It reduced a lot of time and followed the very essence of Agile.

Optional Context for Judges (Not for publication. This section is solely for judges' evaluation.)

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Link List

Link	Password Protected	Display (Winner Info)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kr0abhishek/	No	Display
https://credential.globeeawards.com/79b9603e-fd70-4adc-b707-2444b220cd78	No	Display
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL_HIxL20ho	No	Hide

Credit List

Actions	Name	Title Organization
	Kumar Abhishek	Manager(SDET) @Akamai Technologies Inc

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File Link	File Size	File Link (System Resize)	File Size (System Resize)	Display(Winner Page)
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/33571715410109.pdf	259.93KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/33571715410109.pdf	259.93KB	Hide
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/40021715410109.pdf	259.14KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/40021715410109.pdf	259.14KB	Hide
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/20801715410109.pdf	23.71KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/20801715410109.pdf	23.71KB	Hide
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/13671715410144.pdf	259.62KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/13671715410144.pdf	259.62KB	Hide
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/43101715410145.pdf	259.75KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/43101715410145.pdf	259.75KB	Hide
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/42811715410145.pdf	259.92KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/42811715410145.pdf	259.92KB	Hide
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/38531715410145.pdf	259.31KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/38531715410145.pdf	259.31KB	Hide
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/45701715410276.pdf	288.63KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/45701715410276.pdf	288.63KB	Hide
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/41861715410296.pdf	282.55KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/41861715410296.pdf	282.55KB	Hide
upload/entry/files/TBE103103/13771715410329.pdf	636.09KB	upload/entry/files/TBE103103/13771715410329.pdf	636.09KB	Hide

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