Interview with Marco Perugini - Etiqa's Software Quality Assurance Engineer

Marco Perugini is our dedicated Software Quality Assurance Engineer at Etiqa, specializing in mobile application testing.

Currently pursuing his studies in Computer Science at the University of Pisa, Marco brings a unique blend of academic prowess and real-world experience to his role.

With a keen interest in both finance and artificial intelligence, he navigates the intricate landscape of software quality assurance with a fresh perspective and innovative solutions.

Leveraging two years of professional experience, Marco joined Etiqa in 2022, where he continues to refine his skills while contributing to the company's mission of delivering top-notch software solutions.

In this interview, we delve into Marco's journey, his insights into software quality assurance, and his contributions to Etiqa's innovative projects.

‍

Can you describe your role as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer at Etiqa?

As a Software QA Engineer my role revolves around understanding the client needs and expectations and then ensuring that software products meet quality standards and perform as expected. My job involves a constant collaboration with the developers in order to make sure that we are on the same page and that all the software requirements are clearly defined.

Another part of my job is also creating and maintaining automated test scripts to streamline the testing process. I use testing frameworks to develop automated tests for regression testing and functional testing. Automation helps in accelerating test execution, improving test coverage, and enhancing overall efficiency. When I find some defects I categorize them based on severity and impact, ensuring that critical issues are addressed promptly to maintain product quality.

‍

What inspired you to pursue a career in Software Quality Assurance at such a young age, and how has your journey been so far?

Good question! I had a professor in university that was always telling us how from his point of view there was too much focus in the software development world in always writing new code and features without stopping and thinking about what was really necessary and if the current product is behaving as expected. This stuck with me.

I have always been quite picky with software and I often get frustrated with simple issues that I notice with the products that I use everyday, so when I started looking around for a possible career, Quality Assurance felt like the perfect path. I started working with Etiqa at 22 because I wanted to see the differences with what I was studying and the everyday problems that you encounter while working.

Could you walk us through your process of ensuring that the software meets specified requirements and standards, especially considering the regulated industries Etiqa serves?

‍

The first and most important step is always talking with the client and understanding what the requirements are. It's fundamental not only to consider the happy path but also all the tricky situations that we could encounter and how we should deal with them. After this it’s a matter of talking with the team and making sure that we all understand what we need to do.

‍
One thing that is especially important for regulated industries is having a well-defined structure on how to complete each step of the process while making sure that everything is well documented.

During the testing phase it is also really important to keep an eye on everything that might go wrong and not focus only on the new changes. When a new defect is found then it’s important to document it well and assign the right priority to it so that the developers and the rest of the team can understand what is happening and how it should be addressed. Communication with the development team is especially crucial in these situations since you need to help them reproduce and understand why something is behaving in an unexpected way.

‍

Can you share an example of a particularly challenging project you've worked on recently, and how your role as a Quality Assurance Engineer contributed to its success?

The first situation that comes to mind is a recent one with a client in one of these regulated industries, to ensure the quality of the product we were doing quite a lot of manual testing but it was becoming ever more challenging because the client had many products that needed to be tested. After talking with the team about this issue we decided to start covering some of the manual tests with automated testing. The real challenge wasn’t really running the tests automatically but doing it while making sure that we were still compliant with the regulation and that all the documentation was still produced as expected.

One thing that was instrumental in doing this right was that the entire QA team already knew all the important regulatory needs of our client, this meant that during the preliminary discussions we were able to set up a realistic roadmap of each step needed to implement this solution. 

This project was important not only because we were building something that was helping us do a better job but also because the team was able to learn a lot about the challenges that you needed to overcome when you have certain restrictions while doing test automation.

‍

As someone balancing work and completing a bachelor's degree in computer science, how do you manage your time effectively between your studies and your responsibilities at Etiqa?

It’s a matter of enjoying what you do, I really like my work and I am deeply passionate about what I am studying. One thing that definitely helps is that I don’t feel the pressure to finish right away but I like to take my time and try to really understand the subjects that I am studying, if it means that it will take a bit more then so be it.

Overall, I find great fulfillment in the synergy between my work and academic pursuits. Both provide paths for personal growth, intellectual stimulation, and meaningful contributions which means that it is a lot easier to pursue them without feeling discouraged or bored. When you like something then it’s a lot easier to find some time for it.

‍

How does Etiqa foster an environment that supports your growth and development, both personally and professionally, as the youngest member of the team?

When I talk about my job with other people that is one of the first topics that comes to my mind. I tend to think about myself as someone who is really curious about a lot of topics and I always try to find time to delve into them and try to understand more. From my point of view Etiqa is a great environment for someone like me, since day one I had the opportunity to learn and discuss a lot about various topics with my colleagues while also taking courses about specific subjects or tools that we need in  our projects.

This is my first working experience and I think I was quite lucky to find colleagues that were able to take the time when it was necessary and give me their perspective for things that I didn’t know very well. I probably can’t name all of them since the list would be a bit long but there are certainly two that helped me the most, Juan and Francesco. I worked with Juan for more than one year and I was able to learn a lot from him. He has a lot of experience in Business Analysis and Quality Assurance and he helped me look at the products from different perspectives. As I said Francesco has also been instrumental in this part of my career because he has always helped me when I had problems with technical issues and on more than one occasion he made an effort to make sure that I was happy at the company and with the job that I was doing.

‍

‍

How do you stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in quality assurance, considering your academic commitments and professional responsibilities?

Balancing academic commitments and professional responsibilities while staying updated with the latest trends and technologies in quality assurance requires a proactive and organized approach. Fortunately I really enjoy these topics and most of the time I am eager to learn something new and that makes the process a lot easier.

Effective time management is crucial. I prioritize my tasks and allocate dedicated time for learning and professional development. I also try to find a way to use these new things that I learned inside my current projects. By doing so I can keep on learning while I improve some part of my daily job.

I also dedicate time outside of work to learn about other things that might not be directly related to work but that I know might come handy in the future or that maybe just look interesting to me at that moment. In these situations I also like to try them out in small projects to get a better understanding of how it would look like a real implementation inside a more structured project.

‍

Why do you enjoy working at Etiqa?

There are a lot of things that I enjoy about Etiqa but the most important is probably the possibility to work remotely. I am involved in multiple things around my local community and I wouldn’t be able to follow them if I had to live in another city, but since I can work from home it’s really easy to move to other stuff when I finish my work for the day. 

Moreover, I appreciate the challenges that come with every project. Each project presents unique opportunities to apply my skills and knowledge in creative ways, pushing me to think critically and problem-solve effectively. 

Last but not least it’s definitely the colleagues, since day 1 I always had people around that listened to me and helped me when I needed someone with more experience or just a different point of view. I like that everyone can say what they think and that every point of view is respected.

‍