Gregory J. Annen

  

Plainfield, IL  60586

815-342-0469

greg@blueopal.com

http://www.gregoryannen.com/

 

Executive Summary:

  

Ÿ         Skilled at organizing complex projects, defining priorities, and delegating tasks.

Ÿ         Proven record of working within a budget.

Ÿ         Capable of handling multiple projects concurrently.

Ÿ         Highly imaginative with many innovative ideas and useful solutions.

Ÿ         Can easily break a large project down into smaller pieces, prioritize goals, and work under short deadlines, without sacrificing creativity.

Ÿ         Quickly learn procedures and methods.

Ÿ         Adept at both oral and written communication to interact effectively with individuals of all levels.

Ÿ         Business experience includes all aspects of the SDLC: development, system integration, functional test, client education, customer service, and deployment.

Ÿ         Expert in HP (Mercury) functional test automation suite: WinRunner, QuickTest Pro, Quality Center with Business Process Testing.

 

 

Accomplishments:

  

Automation Center Of Excellence

I organized and directed a Center of Excellence for test automation. The Automation COE provided governance, services and support for functional test automation projects across all US development centers. I managed a core team of experts in developing and deploying effective test automation solutions. I provided guidance for local, nearshore and offshore contract resources engaged by each location.

 

Standards and Best Practices

I established, documented and enforced standards for test automation. I began by analyzing existing assets, resources, and practices. Next, I applied an industry standard methodology to determine the effectiveness of an organization's automation effort. Then, I recommended the implementation path for a comprehensive solution within the budget of the automation project. Finally, I managed the initial efforts of the automation solution development team to ensure that they stayed within the guidelines. I established an Automation Council composed of test automation experts from several development centers to handle governance.

 

Cross-Team Collaboration

I leveraged various vehicles of communication to share test automation knowledge, assets and solutions across multiple projects and locations. I created a MS Sharepoint site as a common information access point for manual and automated testers. I organized web-based interactive demos which highlighted new developments in test automation. I published a blog with useful information about test tools, methodologies, and new developments in the industry.

 

Test Automation Frameworks

As a “hands-on” technical manager, I designed, developed and maintained keyword and data-driven automation frameworks for use with HP (Mercury) testing tools: WinRunner, QuickTest Pro, and Quality Center with Test Director. I implemented HP's leading edge Business Process Testing module for driving test automation. For both types of frameworks, I created extensive VBScript function libraries for use with QTP, using various source control tools for collaborative development. I always emphasized maintainability, reusability, and extensibility in my designs.

 

Staffing and Training

In addition to hiring expert resources for my own teams, I provided input to the hiring managers of other teams and at other locations within the company, for both full-time and contract employees. I organized training sessions within my test automaton domain for acquired resources, and made myself and my staff available to give direction or lend support. I managed both local and offshore contractors.

 

 Employment:

  

TriZetto Healthcare Management Systems                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Naperville, IL

Manager, QA Automation COE                                                                                                                                                                                                                  April 2008 to June 2009

I organized an Automation Center Of Excellence for functional testing which set standards and determined best practices for 5 development centers. I directed a local team of automation experts in developing and deploying enterprise level test automation solutions. I established an Automation Council for governance.

 

SunGard Financial Data Systems                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Lombard, IL

QA Test Automation Product Manager                                                                                                                                                        April 2006 to April 2008

I enhanced and maintained a keyword-driven framework using QuickTest Pro and TestDirector/Quality Center that simplified test case input using Excel spreadsheets. This single solution had multiple uses for mainframe, java, and web-based test execution. I provided technical guidance for SunGard’s offshore automation team.

 

ShopLocal, LLC                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Chicago, IL

Senior SQA Test Automation Team Leader                                                                                                 January 2006 to April 2006

I was responsible for test framework design, implementation and training using QuickTest Pro and Quality Center. I developed an SQL automation solution for query-based tests.

 

Utopia Solutions, Inc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Naperville, IL

Practice Lead for Functional Test Automation                                                                          April 2004 to January 2006

As a consultant for several major clients (Kraft Foods, CDW, AllScripts), I built and deployed test automation frameworks, trained staff, and documented solutions for hand-off. I implemented test lab virtualization using VMWare products.

 

CNA Insurance                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Chicago, IL

IT Quality Assurance Senior Specialist                                                                                                                                                      April 2003 to April 2004

I created WinRunner scripts in TSL, did LoadRunner test planning and execution, and evaluated QuickTest Pro for various application test scenarios. I revised the test script automation architecture to dramatically improve maintainability and increase test coverage.

 

IBM Global Services                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Chicago, IL

IT Specialist/Architect; Technical Team Lead                                                                                                       April 1998 to April 2003

I performed system test and support of Lucent’s Oracle-based Global Product Database and legacy interfaces. I introduced automated testing techniques to the Lucent QA team, using Mercury WinRunner with a keyword-driven framework I developed.

 

TEKSystems (Maxim Group) Consulting                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Chicago, IL

Team Lead for System Test and Support                                                                                          November 1996 to April 1998

This was a contract-to-hire position for IBM at Lucent, with responsibilities described above. My exceptional performance in this role led to my hire by IBM.

 

 

The Walgreen Company (Data Center)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Mt Prospect, IL

Coverage Analyst                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                October 1995 to November 1996

I performed system evaluation and support for transition of 2,000+ retail stores to the Intercom Plus satellite network, an n-tier client-server solution.

 

Harry Rohde Management Systems, Inc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Elmhurst, IL

Sr Programmer; Development Team Lead                                                                                         March 1990 to October 1995

As a Senior Software Engineer coding with Thoroughbred Business BASIC, I opened the door to a new client in a related industry. As Lead of the R & D team, I developed an “Open” version of the estimating system for 3^rd-party integration.

 

 

Education:

  

Loyola University                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Chicago, IL

B.A.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         1975

 

 

 

References:        Available upon request