Nicola Johnson

I am a versatile, independent, and practical Test Manager with experience in multiple Business sectors. My strengths are major projects, program test management, test strategies, test process improvement, team management and stakeholder engagement.  I invest heavily in training, and I have attained a good knowledge of testing best practice, in both Waterfall and Agile projects.  I strongly encourage regular communication, structured ways of working and use of the latest BS ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 testing standards.

Senior/Programme Test Lead: TIQTOQ & STEP5 | STEP5 CLIENT: Clinigen | 12/2022 – Present

Clinigen provides access to pharmaceutical companies' products, whether to meet unmet medical needs or for use in clinical trials.  This includes providing access to unlicensed medicines.

1. Test Process Improvement and new Test Strategy/framework.  Tasks included:  

• Creation and implementation of a Test Strategy and Test Governance framework.  Creation and documentation of best practice test processes, templates, and guides. Adhering to the latest testing standards.
• Promoted Agile (Scrum) testing best practices & provided test process improvement for Agile projects.  Preparing testers for test automation.  Produced guide to manual test using JIRA/Xray.
• Co-developed the new automated testing Target Operating Model supporting the DevOps framework.  An offshore 3rd party were contracted to introduce test automation.
• Promoting V Model testing best practices and processes. Introduced Quality Gates for test exit.
• Produced test document templates and guides for ST, UAT, Agile Testing, Regression Testing.

1. Key projects:

• ClinigenDirect online services portal and enterprise resource planning (ERP) Oracle eBS (medicines order management).  Regular ongoing releases (Agile/Scrum).  Offshore developers and testers. 
• New product Master Data Management system to centralise product creation (Agile). 
• Integration of Oracle E-Business Suite (ERP) to 3PL system (7Bridges).
• A new Aravo Supplier Management system (third party USA based supplier).
• Data migration from Sage Intacct finance application to Oracle eBS.
• Logistics - Transition from 3PL to in-house warehouse management.  System Integration testing: ERP system Oracle eBS to US warehouse management system CEMS.

1. Responsibilities include: 

• Created project Test Plans, Test Summary Reports and Quality Gate reports.
• Managed and provided support and guidance to a team of Test Leads on Agile/V Model projects.
• Stakeholder engagement and management.
• Conducted defect management (using JIRA Kanban boards), risk and issue management. 
• Managed User Acceptance Testing (UAT); the 10+ testers were sourced from the Business.
• Worked with the offshore Scrum team to implement software demonstrations to be used to supplement UAT.  Promoted Agile best practices amongst Testers and Test Leads. Promoted best practice test case creation in preparation for test automation. 
• Managed combined release regression testing by the Business – for all projects.
• Ran or supported Quality Gates at the end of UAT for all IT projects, inviting all stakeholders.

Programme Test Lead | Sellafield Ltd (Nuclear) – Cumbria | 09/2020– 11/2022

• Programme of work: 
• Multi-workstream management of testing of:

1. A new target operating model processes associated with Service provision.
2. The implementation of a multi-Supplier SIAM structure for provision of all IT services. 
3. The implementation of a newly configured cloud-based service desk system called ‘ServiceNow.’  Developed and supported by a third-party supplier. 
4. Supplier and Client readiness to provide the new service (Supplier contracts went out to tender and these included a new Service Desk provider).
5. Responsibilities:

• Managing a team of 3 Test Leads & 3 Test Coordinators through the transition of 9 new suppliers.  Matrices were used to demonstrate test coverage for each process and contract.
• Leading the process and service provider readiness testing associated with the new Service Desk.  This included readiness to perform against the new target operating model and readiness to engage with all parties providing the service.  The testing took the form of role-based scenario testing on a risk basis.  Raised risks and issues.
• Managing the test leads through Supplier readiness role-based testing for 9 new service contracts undergoing transition.  End user and SME testers numbered 15+  ALM was used to record tests and defects.
• Managing the testing (ST/SIT/UAT) of the transition from one ServiceNow system owned by a third party, to a client owned newly configured ServiceNow. 
• Produce Programme level Test Strategy, and Test Plans associated with each new contract.

Test Manager | AstraZeneca – Cheshire | 07/2018– 09/2020

A global pharmaceutical company with a major UK presence, focusing on developing/manufacturing new medicines.

• Key Projects included: 
• Finance Transformation Program: (1) System Testing, System integration testing and UAT of a new Product Costing reporting solution for 8 international regions from SAP to SAP Hana data warehouse.  The Product Costing data transformation and reporting solution was developed using SAP BW Hana; the product costs are loaded from the SAP systems and broken down via a value chain.  Data was extracted from SAP ECC (8 instances), SAP APO, SAP MDM, FT Planning.  Reports / viewers developed using data from SAP Business Objects.
• Responsibilities included: 
• Supporting the manual user acceptance testing and manual performance test of 
• Reports & Value Chains in SOAR viewers; Validation of live & locked costs; Commercial volume forecasts & ops budget forecasts.
• Managing Business 10-15 testers in North America, Costa Rica, Kuala Lumpur, Poland, UK, & China.
• Consulting with offshore developers and resolvers in India. 
• Producing Test Plans, Test Summary Reports. Managing Quality Gate meetings.  Risk/issue mgmt.
• Use of Jira for defect management.  Supporting the Early Life Support/Hypercare period during go live (supported by ServiceNow). 

Head of Testing, Test Consultant | Sellafield Ltd (Nuclear) – Cumbria | 05/2014– 07/2018

A public-sector company using a managed IT outsourcing company.

• As Head of Testing, creation of a new IT Testing Services function; tasks included: 
• Recruitment of the new test team.  Introduced defect/test incident management process, test frameworks and processes for all IT projects and BAU support, upgrades, and software patches. 
• Creation and promotion of a Test Strategy. Created and documented test processes, templates, and guides.  Adhering as close as possible to the latest testing standards.
• Provided test process improvement for the SAP HCM user community, HR, and Payroll. 
• Introduced risk-based testing for change requests.
• Produced a guidance document for Agile testing on Agile projects and Regression testing.  Provided assessment of a current and long-running Agile (Scrum) project.
• Projects included: 
• Desktop upgrade: Application rationalisation: upgrade from Windows XP Office 2003 to Windows 7 Office 2010; Lotus Notes to MS Outlook; SharePoint upgrade from 2007 to 2013; manage UAT of around 500 systems/applications.  Planning and coordination of manual performance testing. 
• SAP HCM: Implementation of employee new Terms & Conditions in HR and Payroll system.  Data migration from PeopleSoft.  Responsibilities included:
• Managing the end-to-end User Acceptance testing.
• Defect Management using HP ALM.
• Running UAT workshops to train and support Payroll & HR User Acceptance testers.
• Taking part in formal project risk meetings with Risk Analyst.
• Working alongside a 3rd party service provider.
• System upgrade: Produced Agile Scrum Test Plan and attended sprint retrospectives.
• ERP system upgrade (INFOR M3): Managed UAT of system upgrade & data migration, a new ETL to new data warehouse and manual performance testing. Managed 20+ UAT testers.  Consulted with two external suppliers during test support/defect resolution. 
• Server virtualisation: Producing the Test Plan for multiple applications testing (migration of apps).

Test Manager | 2i - Standard Life Investments (Financial Investment) | 10/2012 – 03/2014

1. Key projects:

• ‘Digital Workplace Program’: Desktop Upgrade: laptops and VDIs; UK and worldwide, from Windows XP/Office 2003 to Windows 7/Office 2010; also, Lotus Notes to upgrade Outlook 2010.

1. Responsibilities include: 

• Managing and supporting a team of 3 test coordinators and a defect manager.  Coordinating 100+ UAT testers across UK, Germany, Dublin, Boston, Sydney, and Hong Kong.  Testers included Traders.
• Consulted with third party Accenture, internal dev. team & Offshore testers/support staff during testing.
• Manage testing of documents converted from Office 2003 to Office 2010 (3rd party software tools).
• Managing system testing of 400+ applications using third party offshore testers. 
• Managing the UAT of 400+ applications by SLI business users in both the UK and overseas to ensure compatibility with Office 2010 and Windows 7.
• Managing manual Performance testing.
• Producing weekly status reports (using HP Quality Center).  Risk and issue management. 

UAT Manager | Jardine Lloyd Thomson | 03/2012 – 10/2012

1. Key project: Pensions and employee benefits; Program ‘Hydra’: New web-based Document Management System (“StreamServe”) developed by OpenText, Account Crystallization and System Consolidation.
2. Responsibilities include: Managing System Testing & UAT for projects sitting under Hydra; formed and managed UAT team:  21 testers across 6 locations in the UK.  System Test team size: 5

User Acceptance Test Manager | Cumbria County Council - Carlisle | 11/2011 – 03/2012

1. Key project: Desktop upgrade: UAT of upgrade of all council directorates to MS Office 2010 (from MS Office 2003/2007) including interfaces with 20+ third party software applications.
2. Responsibilities include: Business Requirements gathering; producing Test Strategy & UAT Test Plan; managing 49 UAT Testers.   Running UAT workshops & test results evaluation meetings.

System Test Lead | NIHR (NHS) - Leeds | 06/2011 – 11/2011

1. Key projects:

• NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio system developed on SharePoint, & Portal Migration to new server. 
• Installation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM system.  NHS Permission system (CSP) developed in Oracle: Oracle Identity Management 11g.

1. Responsibilities include: Managing 3 System Testers; progress reports on HP Quality Centre 10 & Quality Centre 11; writing BAU Test Strategy/Test Plans; attending CAB meetings.

Test Manager | The Lowell Group (Debt Collection) - Leeds | 07/2010 – 06/2011

1. Key projects:

• Testing SOPRA ICS Instalment Credit, Workflow Arrears Mgmt., managed purchased & commission debt, performing & none performing contracts, Sales Ledger postings, Client Billing, Client payments & Debtor payments functionality (credit card payments), upgrade to credit card payments system.
• New Recourse application for returning accounts to Clients (.net application).

Responsibilities include: Writing Test Strategy; forming a Test team; managing System Testing & UAT.  Defect Management inc. regular communications with third party software supplier.   

1983 – 1987 - Sheffield City Polytechnic: B.Eng. Degree in Civil Engineering.

2019 – ISTQB Agile Tester,

2018 - ISTQB Advanced Test Automation Engineer,

2016 – TMMI Professional certificate (Test maturity modelling),

2014 - Certified Agile Scrum Master course,

2011 – Prince2 Practitioner Certificate,

2010 – Parity: ISEB (ISTQB) Practitioner Certificate in Test Manager (equivalent to ISTQB Expert level),

2008 – Parity: ISEB (ISTQB) Intermediate Certificate in Software Testing,