In-Conversation with a Software Test Engineer at Fibonalabs

" Never say no to learning and exploring new things"

- Siva Prakasam (Software Test Engineer)

Fibonalabs is a great playground for learning and innovation where our employees put forth their ideas and talent to convert our clients' ideas into live digital products and services. We are now a family of 60+ technology experts and design advocates who work towards the success of our company. We are open to challenges and always encourage out-of-the-box ideas and constructive criticism. We specialize in areas like experience design, product development, and cloud solutions.

We had a pleasant conversation with our enthusiastic Software test engineer Siva Prakasam about his experience in working at Fibonalabs. Being an avid reader, a great traveler, and an aspiring trader, Siva is an extremely organized person who loves to learn new stuff and constantly widen his skill sets. He is a part of our testing team for the past year. He is a skillful automation and manual tester who also takes immense pleasure in organizing informal events and interacting with people. Here are a few excerpts from the conversation:

Sum up your day at work in a word or two.

I would sum up my day at work as organized and productive.

What made you choose testing as your career?

There is a small funny story from my college campus placement days that would answer this question. In the beginning, I used to attend interviews for development roles. But I could never make it to the final rounds. Then one fine day, a company approached our college for hiring software testers. I wasn’t aware of testing basics back then. The company asked us to write test cases for their e-commerce website as a part of the initial assessment. My peers wrote around 20 test cases whereas I had written around 127 test cases. I was the only person amongst 400 people to write that many test cases. This incident helped me discover that my intuitive thinking and risk analysis skills were good. Though I didn’t get selected in that company, this incident helped me discover that I am potentially a good tester. Thus, I started to look for testing jobs.

What are the roles and responsibilities which have been assigned to you lately at Fibonalabs?

I manage the project management tool JIRA, where I create tasks and assign them to stories for the developers. Once they complete the tasks, I’ll do the testing accordingly. I have been an intermediate reporting manager of the requirements and functionality analysis teams for the products of Arkihive and SmileGenius. I also interact with the SmileGenius clients for road mapping and doubt clearing.

How has Fibonalabs helped you grow as a tester?

Fibonalabs gives me the creative freedom to explore and innovate. Every idea is recognized and supported over here. This has helped me work and gain experience beyond the projects to which I have been assigned. Fibonalabs has helped me grow not only as a tester but as a person altogether.

What is your recent accomplishment in Fibonalabs?

I was awarded as the “Culture Champion” twice at Fibonalabs. It is an award to appreciate one’s event management and social interaction skills which contribute constructively to the work culture.

What impresses you the most about Fibonalabs?

The creative freedom, healthy competition, and fair independence which are a part of the work culture impress me the most. The weekly interactive sessions are my favorite as help in connecting with people across various domains, which has a positive impact while working. By getting to know their contributions, it helps me work more efficiently.

What are the skills which you learned after joining Fibonalabs?

I learned about Codeless automation tools at Fibonalabs. Further, I am going to learn mobile automation, KPM, and more about Selenium.

How much impact does your career have on your personality?

My career has helped me become a better person. I always plan and track my time and finances. It keeps me organized and productive always. While using an app in general, I can easily spot the differences between a user who is a tester versus a normal user. For example, when I was booking flight tickets for work purposes, I noticed a minor glitch in the date interface, which others did not do so.

What are the other domains which you would like to explore?

I do not restrict myself to a specific domain or technology. I am always open to learning new things. When I interact with anyone from different domains, their expertise impresses me. I wish to gain knowledge and experience in that part, or at least learn the basics. The domains would vary from content writing, product development, DevOps, design, marketing, sales, etc.

How do you handle clashes between the teams?

In such cases, I approach the issues in an empathetic manner. I never order anyone around or micromanage people. Friendly interaction is my mantra to conflict resolution as it helps people understand the problem and derive solutions amicably and effectively.

Describe your rapport with your colleagues and mentors?

I am very friendly and calm while interacting with my colleagues and mentors. This has helped me develop a pretty unique rapport with them and establish good connections. They are extremely helpful and I learn a lot from them.

What do you do to pick yourself up, when you feel less motivated at work?

If something is not going as per my plan, I take time to relax and reflect upon things with a cup of coffee. I have a chat with the people around me as it helps me to sort things out better. I usually take a break around 30-40 minutes in the evening, to strike a balance between work and mental health regularly. Reading non-fictional books helps me relax and eventually boost my energy levels to get back to work.

How involved are you with the other teams in Fibonalabs apart from testing?

I interact with almost all the people from various domains. I love to appreciate their work. I am always awed by the impact which they create on the project. During the weekly design sessions, I am intrigued by the way designers think and act. I actively participate in those activities to walk in their shoes temporarily.

Once there was an event happening at Arkihive, where I worked with the development, marketing, and sales team. During the event, I was almost one amongst the marketing and sales team. I was speaking with the inducers and pitching about the products. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Which form of testing do you prefer the most? Manual testing or Automation testing?

I would say that both are equally important as manual testing is the basis for automation testing. I prefer automation testing as it is quicker and time-saving. Nowadays, I practice automation testing using Selenium and run the automated test scripts on Jenkins for Arkihive projects.

Our team imbibes people from cultural affinity all over India. The bond we share enhances all the multiple sectors we venture into a global level. We would love to include talented and passionate people in our teams. If you are interested in growing and co-learning with us, check out our current openings!