Curriculum Vitae - Vincent Dirks

Name	Vincent Dirks
e-mail	vincent@dirksonline.net
Mob	021-0269-6216
LinkedIn	nz.linkedin.com
Location	Beautiful Parau, West Auckland

Vincent Dirks - Software Quality Engineer

As a versatile Software Quality Engineer, I aim to understand the nuances of the product, team dynamics, technological landscapes, and organizational structures so that I can adapt and contribute effectively. My approach extends beyond traditional testing methodologies; I consider the design of the whole ecosystem that facilitates excellence and efficiency in software development.

I specialize in adapting to diverse contexts to deliver high-quality software solutions efficiently, and I'm passionate about testing and tool development, they are both critical to driving software excellence and maintaining delivery speed.

Skills Summary

Testing Skills

Context Driven Testing API Testing Testing Native Mobile Apps Testing Web Apps Testing Firmware/Embedded systems Testability Concepts

Observability Concepts Exploratory Testing (Session & Thread Based) Visual Modelling Metrics Driven Development (A/B Testing) Accessibility Testing

Programming and Automation Skills

Javascript	Java	Other
Node.js Express.js React.js Jest Cypress.io Webdriver.io	Cucumber (BDD) Tidal Wave UI automation library Selenium REST Assured JUnit, TestNG LeJOS (Lego mindstorm) Robotics	Appium XCUITest C#: Specflow (BDD) SQL GraphQL C++: Arduino, ESP32
Tools
Splunk (log aggregation & analysis) Postman, Newman Jenkins, Azure Devops, TFS, Google Cloud Platform Bash & Powershell scripting SoapUI & ReadyAPI

General Skills

Platform Engineering Staff Mentoring & Induction Agile Squad Master Manufacturing Resource Planning - Logistics Manager Physics - Weather Radar Systems, Lasers, Fibre-optics Electrical & Electronic Engineering

Work Experience

Click roles for details and references

Senior Software Test Analyst – Trade Me (Dec 2014 - Aug 2016)

References

2016 Trade Me Motors - Jason Cullum Reference, Annual Review

2016 Mike Berry - Delivery Mgr

Part of small squad (cross functional agile team) testing software changes to the iconic NZ Trade Me website (Motors Group) covering

• context driven, tool assisted exploratory testing, using session and thread based techniques
• testing DB, UI, API, and architectural changes
• leading the deployment of changes using Trade Me's continuous integration and continuous delivery processes
• splunk system monitoring
• agile methods and squad mastering
• test automation for API (Ready!API/SoapUI) and UI changes (tractor/protractor) using BDD with Gherkin syntax.
• test planning and peer test reviews
• visual test tools (eg mindmaps for test planning and video capture of test sessions etc)
• Jira for test plans, managing test sessions, and defect work flow. Confluence wiki for test practice documentation.
• active contributor to test and agile guilds
• new staff induction and junior staff support

see more...

Software Tester – LeasePlan NZ (Apr 2013 - Dec 2014)

Full time testing contractor to the IS department, testing a variety of bespoke applications primarily for internal use.

• Complex quotation app for car leasing built in MS-Access
• Online driver FBT data collection portal (UI, web security, data flows, emailing)
• Character based legacy (AS-400) system testing
• Developed a test automation framework for above character based system.

At LPNZ I was introduced to testing as a proper profession by my friend Christina Linwood. I attended the NZ Tester Magazine conference, and went to a full day workshop on Risk Based Testing by Matt Mansell. It was exhilarating to learn from people passionate about testing.

---

What I'm reading, watching, listening, learning, and trying out in 2024

Interesting Reads

• A Context Driven Approach to Automation in Testing By James Bach and Michael Bolton

Quote: "dynamically evaluating context and selecting, designing, or adjusting our actions to solve the problems that we encounter."

• Round Earth Test Strategy by James Bach

Interesting alternative to the "Test Automation Pyramid".

Quote: There are testing problems to consider at every level, "Quality above requires quality below".

My Observability Project

• Express.js basic hello world and my node.js-in-the-cloud repo
• Kubernetes vs. Docker by Josh Campbell at Atlassian
  

I want to learn the difference between these technologies to see how it might apply to my Observability Project

• Setting up Docker Desktop at home to run the Docker Splunk Image

Archive of pre-2024 entries

<end>

Send feedback