Meet Parthiban | Senior Software Test Architect/Manager
“When I was six or seven years old, my dad bought a very old computer. That’s where my curiosity began.”
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a single day in your life. Sounds a little bit cheesy, but it’s true for Parthiban Rajasekaran, Senior Software Test Architect/Manager at diconium: “When you start doing something, when it feels natural and you don’t get tired doing it for a long time, then you know that you made the right decision. I wake up every morning and I’m happy doing what I’m doing.” What exactly that is, what diconium’s values mean to him and how he became a Global Cypress Ambassador, he reveals in our digital champions interview.
Wanna get to know all the other diconium digital champions? Just follow up on our stories here 💜
Hi Parthiban, nice to meet you! Can you introduce yourself?
Sure, my name is Parthiban Rajasekaran. I completed my bachelor’s degree in India and started my career there as a test automation consultant. My job included going to different clients and giving them a vision of how we could optimize their testing process and how we could help them build the product right through effective test automation solution. It was more like pitching, acquiring the project, doing the implementation, coaching the team before handing it over to them, and continuing to explore new initiatives to drive. A decade later, here I am as a senior test architect at diconium, one of the finest companies in assisting clients with digital transformations.
Do you want to become a colleague of Parthiban at diconium? Take a look at our open positions! 💜🚀 Testing & QA / All vacancies
Was it your goal to work in test automation from the very beginning?
I started my career as a developer, but soon thereafter, I wanted something different. When I had a chance to collaborate with the testing teams, I was fascinated with test automation. Initially I was helping them with some coding snippets, but I wanted to do more. So, I built some test automation frameworks using some of the best open sources test automation libraries available in the market. That’s where things really started for me with test automation.
“I started my career as a developer, but soon thereafter, I wanted something different. When I had a chance to collaborate with the testing teams, I was fascinated with test automation.”
Going even further back in time, where does your fascination for IT stem from?
When I was six or seven years old, my dad bought a very old computer. That’s where my curiosity began, and it was always exciting for me to sit in front of a computer screen. While it started with just gaming, my parents ensured I learnt that computers were more than just a gaming device by helping me pursue my education in the field of engineering.
So, if it wasn’t for that very old computer, you might not be here at diconium today, right?
Yeah, then I probably would have taken a different career path. But it’s hard for me to even imagine that right now. When you start doing something, when it feels natural and you don’t get tired doing it for a long time, then you know that you made the right decision. I wake up every morning and I’m happy doing what I’m doing.
“I wake up every morning and I’m happy doing what I’m doing.”
Sounds like work doesn’t feel like work for you then, more like a hobby?
Exactly. And the best thing is you get paid for it doing it with some amazing folks…
What was it that drew you to Germany after all?
Basically, I had two options: the United States or Germany. I’ve always wanted to go to the U.S. at some point in my career, but when the opportunity to go to Germany came along, I opted to go with the latter instead because I did not know what was in store for me there. Going to a country where I didn’t speak the language and didn’t know anyone to help me with anything made it an inquisitive quest. Easily one of the best decisions I made in my career.
Your current title at diconium is Senior Software Test Architect / Manager. What would you say is the most important skill needed in your job?
Communication: a major part of my work involves interacting with a variety of stakeholders and team members spread across different countries. In our diverse setup, we have people with different levels of understanding — be it technical and non-technical topics, different perspectives on a problem/challenge, or different ways of explaining an issue.
“Communication: a major part of my work involves interacting with a variety of stakeholders and team members spread across different countries.”
So, when I work on a complicated task with them, I’ll have to understand their perspective and their knowledge on the topic, show empathy for their efforts, and tailor my conversation based on the situation and the audience. Communication is always crucial in building trust between teams, especially in the hybrid work culture that we’ve embraced.
What does a normal working day look like for you?
I like to start each day by going over my schedule to make sure any calls or meetings I have are at the top of my mind and I get all the prep work for those done first. It helps me to keep meetings productive and collaborate efficiently with my peers. Then I have a glance at the deployment pipelines and the machine learning-based dashboard to ensure test executions were as expected. Then I look at the tasks at hand and try to prioritize them based on a quick impact analysis before getting started on the one with the highest priority.
The day usually concludes with me reflecting on the objectives we were able to achieve for the day and a short update on the tasks I might be halfway through. That way, it’s easy for my peers to pick it up in case I have to jump onto an unexpected task. Towards the end of the day, I try to spend up to 30 minutes reading a book, a blog, or a tutorial of my liking, which is in line with my development plan. What I really appreciate about diconium is that they invest in their employees by encouraging them to increase their knowledge and gain expertise in the field of their choice.
“What I really appreciate about diconium is that they invest in their employees by encouraging them to increase their knowledge and gain expertise in the field of their choice.”
Reflecting on your past projects, which one sticks out for you and why?
The first is always special no matter what it is. When I joined diconium, most of the projects were being tested manually, if not with tools or tech stacks that were begging for an upgrade. We realized that we needed a massive overhaul, but not by shelling out thousands of euros on licensed tools. Being an open-source evangelist, I and a few others in the company crafted an open-source framework that spans across Web / API / Mobile platforms using some of the best open-source libraries in the market.
We had transparent communication on the efforts this was going to incur with the management as well as with the client I was working with. They had the patience to listen and were understanding of the work that was to be done. Of course, we walked our talk. How can we fail when we have such backing? That not only helped us deliver an effective test automation solution for our client but also changed how we approached a project as the competence center in the company from then on.
As you know, diconium’s slogan is “creating digital champions”. What is a digital champion for you?
A digital champion is a leader. Someone who can toggle between being a coach and a mentor based on the team member, helping them find answers to their questions by themselves. This way not just the knowledge is passed on to the team members but also the thought process behind it. I strongly believe that you cannot motivate someone to do something. Therefore, a digital champion must create a platform or space where people can draw inspiration in doing something which then keeps them motivated.
“I strongly believe that you cannot motivate someone to do something. Therefore, a digital champion must create a platform or space where people can draw inspiration in doing something which then keeps them motivated.”
Now, that we’ve learned a lot about what you do at diconium, would you like to tell us what you like to do outside of work?
Sure! I’m kind a of a nerd, I like books. Aside from the books, something that I always loved doing was exploring new tech stacks in the open-source market. That’s what drew me to a tech stack called ‘Cypress’ recently. It’s one of the exciting test automation tools available in the open-source market, it’s fantastic. Thanks to my contributions to the open-source repositories, earlier this year, the Cypress leadership team onboarded me as one of their Global Cypress Ambassadors.
Why did you decide to join diconium?
I’ve been in this industry for over a decade now and I’ve always kept a few principles close to my heart. I refer to them as 3C’s (Competence — Courage — Collaboration) which means continuous learning, having the courage to try new approaches, and doing it all as a team. When I looked at the job advertisement, one of the key things that attracted me was the company’s values, which were in line with my personal ones. During the interview, the QA director briefed me on how he envisioned my roles to transform the way we approached test automation at the company. I was impressed with his trust in my abilities and his ambition for relentless improvement. That’s what convinced me to take the job; it has easily been one of the best decisions of my career.
“I’ve been in this industry for over a decade now and I’ve always kept a few principles close to my heart. I refer to them as 3C’s (Competence — Courage — Collaboration) which means continuous learning, having the courage to try new approaches, and doing it all as a team.”
Do you want to become a colleague of Parthiban at diconium? Take a look at our open positions! 💜🚀 Testing & QA / All vacancies
What advice would you give a new starter at diconium?
If you want to join a company that gives you the opportunity to express yourself, get the backing to try unconventional approaches without the fear of failure, and learn and collaborate with like-minded people, diconium is your place. diconium has been and will always be a land of opportunity for those who dare to dream beyond.
You mentioned “courage” — how would your describe that?
If you want something you never had, you must do something you’ve never done. At diconium, we back team members who come up with initiatives/approaches that are unconventional. We either end up with success or a lesson, so we can learn to pick ourselves up and go again.
WANNA GET TO KNOW ALL THE OTHER DICONIUM DIGITAL CHAMPIONS? JUST FOLLOW UP ON OUR STORIES HERE.
