Archana Pillai
Scrum Master And Quality Assurance Engineer
Kochi
Summary
Experienced Scrum Master with proven track record of successfully leading teams in developing high-quality software solutions on time and within budget. Skilled in multiple Agile methodologies, stakeholder management and sprint planning. Highly organized in managing complex projects with multiple deadlines. Team-oriented individual promoting exemplary presentation, project management and risk oversight skills. Considered expert in prioritizing tasks and optimizing workflows.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Project Scrum Master
Guide House India Pvt Ltd
Thiruvananthapuram
07.2021 - 06.2023
- Led cross-functional Scrum team in developing SaaS product from inception to release, using Scrum and Kanban methodologies
- Worked as business analyst to gather project requirements from consultants and created Product backlog as per requirements
- Worked with consultants in maintaining project codes for different clients in finance domain and dividing yearly Project budget accordingly
- Increased team's velocity 3 times more compared to 2021 which grabbed Gem of Year award in 2022
- Built Jira projects for newly formed scrum and Kanban teams from scratch defining boards, workflows, tasks, states, transitions, and more as per project requirement
- Presented projects during external ISO audits in year 2022 and received positive feedback without any suggestions/corrections
- Facilitated Scrum framework – sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives.
- Coached teams in Agile practices and provided necessary training to create positive mindset to Agile methodologies.
- Managed product backlog and supported Scrum framework for Biweekly sprint releases.
- Applied agile methodology to shorten cycle time and achieve target margins.
- Worked closely and listened to team members' feedback to identify issues and resolve conflicts.
- Acted as go-to resource for engineering team, providing clarity on tasks, gathering missing assets or requirements and handling project changes.
Senior QA Engineer
Guide House India Pvt Ltd
Thiruvananthapuram
07.2021 - 06.2023
- Single QA source for front-end testing of finance product named CAM
- Facilitated process improvements to successfully decrease errors.
- Maintained compliance with industry standards and regulatory compliance during managed projects.
- Developed action plan for company certification using ISO 9000 standard knowledge.
- Developed traceability documentation to aid in investigating faults and defects.
- Monitored resolution of bugs, tested fixes and helped developers tackle ongoing problems by providing QA perspective.
- Advised developers on problems with databases, performance and other issues.
- Developed and maintained defect databases for known issues.
- Authored and maintained well-organized, efficient and successful manual test cases for entire team.
- Operated under Agile and Scrum frameworks to complete releases and well-organized sprints.
- Coordinated with quality control staff to complete inspections.
- Contributed to root cause analysis to determine core reason for failures and errors.
Product Scrum Master
Xerox Technologies PVT LLP
Kochi
05.2019 - 07.2021
- Led 2 Product team's transition to Agile development
- Promote Scrum Values in team thus increasing team maturity in defining DOD's resulting in quality outcomes
- Collaborated with Product Owners to define and prioritize product backlogs, and worked with team to estimate and plan sprints
- Facilitated Scrum framework – sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives.
- Planned Agile best practices and encouraged team cohesion, overcoming impediments, and hurdles to productivity.
- Managed product backlog and supported Scrum framework for Bi-Weekly sprint releases.
- Worked across teams outside of engineering to find solutions and answers to issues encountered by engineering personnel.
QA lead
Xerox Technologies PVT LTD
Kochi
05.2019 - 07.2021
- Led team of 15 QA engineers towards exceptional quality assurance of Product XWC and XWS and Integration of products with mobile apps
- Evaluated function, performance and design compliance of every product against design standards and customer needs.
- Tested functional and compatibility of new programs or updates in comparison to existing applications.
- Developed and maintained defect databases for known issues.
- Incorporated delivery requirements into planning of testing schedules.
- Operated under Agile and Scrum frameworks to complete releases and well-organized sprints.
- Gathered data on integration issues and vulnerabilities, reported findings and recommended improvements.
- Monitored resolution of bugs, tested fixes and helped developers tackle ongoing problems by providing QA perspective.
- Authored and maintained well-organized, efficient and successful manual test cases for entire team.
Senior Manual Test Engineer
SE Mentor Business Solutions Pvt Ltd
Thiruvananthapuram
04.2016 - 05.2019
- Was SME in GST project named Xelerate GST
- Created comprehensive test plans, test scripts, and use cases to support testing objectives.
- Secured and allocated resources to manage planning and operations in testing cycle.
- Established clear measurable goals and objectives for projects, prioritizing tasks for team members.
- Developed comprehensive test plans and workforce breakdown structures for complete systems.
- Communicated technical information both verbally and in writing in simple terminology.
- Root Cause analysis of issues and detailed reporting of defects
Test Engineer
Sunfra Technologies
Bangalore
02.2014 - 01.2016
- Part of Functional tests team for OLX Project
- Tracked test reports and failures determined by root cause data trends.
- Reviewed, evaluated, and identified requirements for testability.
Education
Bachelor of Engineering Technology - Electronics And Communication Engineering
SEA College of Engineering And Technology
Bangalore 09.2009 - 09.2013
Skills
Communication and ListeningFlexibility and PersistenceImpediment RemovingAgile CoachingStakeholder Management
Waterfall methodology
Quality assurance
Critical Thinking
Planning and Coordination
Risk identification
Multitasking Abilities
Certification
Certified Scrum Master from Scrum Alliance. Certification id: 001100687
Accomplishments
- Received acclaim from External ISO Auditor in 2022 for delivering an exceptional project presentation and establishing a well-defined process
- Strategically diagnosed and remedied Framework Issue amidst a critical migration, ensuring timely IT deadline achievement
- Successfully orchestrated seamless migration from JIRA Server to JIRA Cloud, independently overcoming challenges and resolving impediments. Pioneered Company's technological milestone achievement
- Received GEM of the Year award in 2022 from Guide House India Pvt Ltd
- Received Performer of the Year award in 2019 from Xerox India Pvt Ltd
Timeline
Project Scrum Master
Guide House India Pvt Ltd
07.2021 - 06.2023
Senior QA Engineer
Guide House India Pvt Ltd
07.2021 - 06.2023
Product Scrum Master
Xerox Technologies PVT LLP
05.2019 - 07.2021
QA lead
Xerox Technologies PVT LTD
05.2019 - 07.2021
Senior Manual Test Engineer
SE Mentor Business Solutions Pvt Ltd
04.2016 - 05.2019
Test Engineer
Sunfra Technologies
02.2014 - 01.2016
Bachelor of Engineering Technology - Electronics And Communication Engineering
SEA College of Engineering And Technology
09.2009 - 09.2013