James Kerry Davis

Atlanta Area 407-***-**** ac8nqx@r.postjobfree.com

Summary

Senior QA Manager that is Scrum Master Certified with a strong background managing distributed teams while overseeing quality systems within business units. Evangelist of agile/scrum principles and methodology. Expertise in client server, web, XML, application-based, .Net, java script, type script and mainframe testing in the areas of system integration, user acceptance testing (UAT), and production validations. An expert at supporting product development initiatives and establishing quality throughout the organization. Continually drive short- and long-term strategies to achieve project requirements based upon business objectives. Provide analytical leadership with the ability to learn quickly while managing large scale projects with numerous resources while meeting aggressive deadlines. Skilled negotiator building trusting relationships with executives, internal/external clients, business partners and team members at all levels.

Experience

Pyramid Consulting Services, Atlanta, GA Aug 2017 – Present

Senior QA Manager and Certified Scrum Master

Responsible for interviewing, hiring, training and managing a distributed team of 30 resources that are responsible for the quality of a core Delta Airlines application that is used by agents throughout the world. Create a system wide quality management policy to be adhered to by IT and the Program. Champion for Quality throughout the organization.

From scratch created a highly successful Automated and Manual quality test team that continually exceed stretch goals for a variety of executive level quality metrics.

Direct and guide the automation test team with the build out of UI and API frameworks using Protractor Angular 5, Selenium Cucumber and Rest Assured.

Manage Automation Engineers and Quality Assurance Analysts

Track and report quality metrics for projects in a very clear and concise manner which are used by the executive senior leadership team to make informed decisions on Business Unit direction.

Develop procedures and processes within the department that were adopted by other Delta business units. As a manager set goals and continuous improvement initiatives for team members.

Key player in helping to reduce quality debt and reduce cost for the IT department and company overall.

Manage and interface with consulting agencies and vendor

Responsible for 15 onshore/offshore In Sprint teams from an Agile test execution perspective

Built a release level E2E Agile integration team

Responsible for DevOps testing workstream

Managed Test Data team that developed dynamic test data for a high-profile project

Accountable for identifying and solidifying test environments for all phases of testing

Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem solving environment

Removed team impediments on a daily basis to allow the team to deliver the sprint goals and deliverables

Educate and reinforce scrum methodology and framework to team members and stakeholders

Collaborated with members of the Product, Business and Engineering Teams to develop and maintain Product Backlogs

Track burn down, issues and progress in Version One.

Removed team impediments on a daily basis to allow the team to deliver the sprint goals and deliverables

UnitedHealth Care, San Antonio, TX Feb 2015 – August 2017

Senior Quality Assurance Manager

Supervise team of 12, with full management responsibility. Develop, document, and publish change and release management standards, plans, and procedures, ensuring documents are updated when needed. Create and report testing metrics, including percentage tested, failed, and passed, for projects to facilitate decision making. Assist project manager in preparing time estimates and justification for assigned tasks. Remain up-to-date on industry trends. Manage environment release levels across all environments for Health Plan Operations. Monitor testing iterations within each environment to ensure nothing changes. Define and communicate program objectives and milestones. Write, revise, and verify quality standards and test procedures for program design and product evaluations. Lead migration projects. Develop and manage project plans / scopes representing all activities required for project success.

Responsible for staffing QA team with high performing candidates

Establish strategy and best practices to leverage ALM tool set for requirements and testing

Guide all change management activities, including new business planning, management information production, change schedules, and requests for changes (RFCs)

Act as single point of contact for change and release management activities for all environments and sources

Manage code failures and remove from a release as needed

Report risks and issues to management, facilitating better decision making

Identify and leverage opportunities to improve quality management processes, systems, and standards

Review new and modified applications to determine if they perform per user requests

Determine timeframes, procedures for completing projects, staffing requirements, and allotment of resources for various project phases while leading others in organization to drive meaningful process improvements/decisions

Build relationships across product, portfolio, IT, and finance teams to influence positive outcomes in resolving bottlenecks / constraints. Partner with management to address issues and validate programming requirements

Collaborate with business and IT leads to identify critical path and risks

Manage external vendor relationships, ensuring licensing is current and maintenance agreements are in place

Investigate non-standard requests, present to senior leadership, and ensure accurate project documentation

Direct day-to-day activities for EAM/Facets termination project resources

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Orlando, FL Feb 2010 – Feb 2015

Quality Assurance Leader

Managed 20 – 30 resources via an onshore / offshore model. Served as Scrum Master for multiple functional tracks. Provided daily program-level QA read outs and status reports to executive leadership for a highly visible project. Recruited, selected, oriented, and trained QA staff; communicated team member job expectations by planning, monitoring, appraising, and reviewing contributions. Completed QA operational requirements by scheduling and assigning employee work assignments. Composed test plans, test strategies, defect management, and test execution plans. Reviewed and provided input to Statements of Work with consulting partners. Analyzed and summarized information and trends to prepare quality documentation and reports. Created project estimates for QA testing efforts.

Obtained Scrum Master Certificate

Responsible for staffing a manual and automated test team for a large web/.Net based reservation system

Responsible for hiring/termination of project resources

Instituted standards for production-ready products by devising evaluation tests, methods, and procedures.

Oversaw up to five large-scale projects simultaneously

Devised inspection / physical testing methods and procedures; minimized rework by as much as 20%

Managed medium to large high-profile Java, .Net, and web-based applications, coordinating project test efforts with offshore resources in India and Australia

Developed attainable short- and long-team goals for QA team and ensured timely achievement

Fostered and developed long-term business relationships with internal and external senior-level sponsors

Provided leadership to the organization by implementing quality standards at the project level and enterprise-wide, such as Test Readiness Reviews, which informed the organization of team’s preparedness to move into various phases of testing; used statistical information within test reports to show test case execution results while adhering to test case design standards and defect standards, utilizing entry / exit criteria metrics.

Recommended QA corrective actions and re-validations of program processes to ensure team member achieved critical deadlines and remained accountable for daily report statuses.

Orange Lake Resorts, Orlando, FL Sep 2009 – Feb 2010

Principal Quality Assurance Leader – Consultant

Directed overall QA testing effort for Daybreak Receivables project. Managed all defects related to assigned projects. Reviewed business requirements for accuracy in content. Wrote and executed DBK Receivables project test cases, implemented project Defect Management plan, and facilitated conference calls with third-party consultants. Executed SQL queries via TOAD to identify back-end data.

Partnered with business sponsors, analysts, developers, and project managers to prepare for 10 project releases.

Actively supported and assisted in UAT testing initiatives

Created and facilitated project deployment plans for up to four projects at one time

Coordinated mock conversions with Oracle Financial Solutions

Developed and implemented new QA processes

Remington College, Lake Mary, FL Apr 2009 – Aug 2009

Principal Quality Leader / Project Manager – Consultant

Managed day-to-day operational aspects of Student Communications and Lead Import projects. Oversaw rollout of re-engineered academic processes by understanding the school processes in detail. Created project training materials and conducted training sessions for 15 employees. Constructed project-related test and defect management plans.

Incorporated feedback from training sessions / customer interactions into project plans and translated information into process improvement opportunities

Built and revised project work plans to meet changing business needs / requirements and deliver on all targets.

Led all system integration and UAT efforts for online project

Presided over project-specific Defect Management meetings with executive-level business partners and technical leadership, which included direct reports as well as Director, VP and, CIO

Presented executive-level project reports to senior management

Developed new, mature and formal QA processes

Disney Interactive Media Group, Orlando, FL Jun 2008 – Mar 2009

Senior Quality Assurance Specialist – Consultant

Analyzed annotations, wire frames, requirements, and content. Created manual and automated test scripts based on project documentation; executed test scripts via Quality Center and Deja Click. Collaborated with various analysts, engineers, and producers in preparation for releases. Ensured proper data flow to composite application. Participated in build initiatives. Managed application servers and baristas. Facilitated daily cross-functional defect management conference calls and participated in scrum and daily meetings. Led QA testing efforts in Agile environment.

Aided in testing various enhancements to existing products and supported / assisted in UAT testing initiatives

Analyzed logs for accurate XML requests and responses

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Orlando, FL Apr 2006 – Jun 2008

Principal Quality Assurance Leader – Consultant

Managed medium to mid-sized high-profile Java and web-based applications. Coordinated project test efforts with offshore resources in India and Australia. Provided detailed status reports to upper management and project team. Composed QA test plans, test strategies, defect management, and test execution plans. Wrote application, web-based, and mainframe test cases, including manual, automated, and batch cases. Wrote and ran SQL scripts via TOAD and Aqua Data; executed manual and automated test cases via Test Director and QTP. Led batch file testing efforts with both domestic and international third-party vendors. Performed web methods / services testing via XML.

Supervised QA meetings with project managers and business, development, design, and senior management teams. Addressed and resolved timeline, resource, in / out of scope, and functionality issues.

Directed and monitored all vendor-related testing activities for six vendors. Supported and provided input for development of MSA with various vendors

Guided, assisted, and monitored UAT efforts

Provided QA expertise during design, construction, and implementation readiness review meetings

Starwood Vacation Ownership, Orlando, FL Apr 2005 – Mar 2006

Principal Quality Assurance Leader – Consultant

Established web-based QA test processes. Managed overall testing effort for Internet Operations team. Composed detailed QA test plans / strategies, defect management, and execution plans. Completed manual and automated test cases. Wrote and ran SQL scripts via TOAD. Assessed application functionality for consistency with defined business flows and processes, including preparing test scripts and scenarios. Edited web content for accuracy and consistency.

Furnished detailed status reports to senior-level management and supervised QA meetings with business, development, design, and management teams

Conducted defect management meetings with development and testing to ensure proper troubleshooting of software bugs. Enforced root cause analysis (RCA) of all defects by developers until a proper resolution was agreed upon. Instituted developer / tester pairings to create a transparent environment for resolving issues.

Remained accountable for all web-based test cases, which were written by leveraging design wire frames, use cases, functional / business requirements, and technical requirements

Ensured testing efforts met Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) standards and methodologies

Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL Jul 2004 – Apr 2005

Quality Assurance Manager / Test Manager – Consultant

Managed overall testing effort for NEMO Availability Server project. Guided and directed up to nine manual / automated testers. Trained, coached, and directed QA team members. Worked with Program Managers to develop schedules and resource allocation models for QA projects. Coordinated knowledge transfer sessions with various teams and facilitated QA meetings with business, development, design, and management teams. Composed detailed defect management and test execution plans.

Supervised daily defect management meetings with development and testing teams to ensure proper troubleshooting of software bugs

Prepared XML, application, and GUI-based test cases for project availability; leveraging activity diagrams / use cases.

Responsible for building out QA team and implementing QA Best Practices

Developed quality documentation and trending reports for executive leadership and delivered detailed status reports to senior management

Established and maintained working relationships with critical business partners at the executive level

Household International, Orlando, FL Dec 2003 – Jun 2004

Project Manager / Senior Business Consulting Analyst

Coordinated projects by defining business systems test requirements, procedures, and practices. Created scenarios, scripts, and test cases to be executed during UAT via Test Director. Managed five functional test analysts, ensuring QA objectives were met on time. Spearheaded test efforts with India offshore resources. Provided technical support to project team. Created detailed Microsoft Project test plans. Liaised between systems / users, coordinating the execution of interface testing. Assessed application functionality for consistency with defined business flows and processes, including preparation of test scripts and scenarios. Performed test in the UAT region for Java-based GUI applications.

Facilitated project stakeholder meetings to understand and identify testing requirements

Participated in JAD sessions between business users, testers, and developers to gather user requirements

Maintained proficiency in the analysis of business operations and application functionality

Used Test Director to identify application defects and resolve issues impacting functional test phase of a project

Presented updates on projects to management and the project team; administered test plan and test results walkthroughs with project team for final sign-off on planned testing prior to production

Provided leadership for combined test / UAT and followed up to ensure tested processes were comprehensive and satisfactory results were obtained

Additional experience as Systems Analyst at Convergys and Financial Services Specialist at John H. Harland.

Education

Master of Business Administration/Cybersecurity degree candidate – Utica College, Utica, NY

Master’s Certificate in Project Management – George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Bachelor of Science in Business Economics – Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL

Technical Skills

Facets, SQL, Oracle-Sun Solaris, UNIX, AS400, MVS, HTML, XML, Visio, MS Powerpoint/Project/Visio, HP ALM, QTP, UFT, TOAD, AquaData, Snagit, SharePoint, Deja Click, WinSCP, SoapUI, XMLSpy, CMSynergy, Selenium Cucumber, Protractor Angular 5, Java script, Typescript, Rest Assured, Qtest, Version One and Jenkins

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