mark chappell abridgedcv

Personal Details:

Full Name: Mark Chappell

E-Mail: Home: [email protected]

Phone: 07891 918228

Available: June-2015

Educational Details: 6 'O' Levels: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English Language, English

Literature.

1 'A' Level: Economics.

HND: HND Computer Studies (BEC/TEC) Plymouth Polytechnic (1980 - 1982).

Subjects Covered: Computer Programming, Business Organisations, Systems

Analysis, Computer Architecture, Statistics, Communications and Project

Implementation.

Current Skills Overview:

ISEB Intermediate certified Test Manager.

I am equally competent in a technical (System Test), business (UAT or OAT) or managerial role and I

adapt easily to the role requirements of the client. I am particularly strong on Test Process and

building teams of testers.

I have managed teams ranging in size from 3 up to 12 testers on and offshore. I generally work in a

project or programme team in a plan-driven environment with fixed deliverable dates to the usual

tight timescales!

I have over 30 years experience in the computer industry and have graduated up through the IBM

mainframe Analyst/Programmer ranks, into client/server technologies in the early 1990’s and more

recently (mid-1990’s) into System/User Acceptance Testing and Test/Senior Test Management (for

the last 15 years) across multiple workstreams within major UK, blue-chip, financial organisations.

Curriculum Vitae for Mark Chappell

Abridged CV for Mark Chappell

of 10

Updated: 1-Mar-2015

Dates: Oct-2014 to Mar-2015

Client: Ministry Of Defence (M.O.D.) – Gosport Hampshire

Business arena: Technical Refresh

Job Title: Test Manager

-Engaged with a multi-million pound project as part of a test service from an MOD services

supplier via Defence Business Systems (DBS)

-Attended various supplier meetings for a Data Centre Build and Fit-Out project

-Attended various supplier meetings for a full Oracle Data Centre lift and shift (infrastructure,

applications, middleware etc)

Dates: Mar-2014 to Oct-2014

Client: NextGear Capital, Chester

Business arena: Start-up company


-Created and implemented a project Test Approach for a fully-hosted Salesforce, Wholesale

Finance System (WFS v6) and Microsoft Great Plains (MSGP) implementation

-Co-ordinated and guided the testing of all in-house workstreams with external software suppliers

-Day-to-Day test management of integration test, UAT and operational (OAT) testing

Dates: Feb-2013 to Oct-2013

Client: Zurich Insurance, Zurich (and home-working)

Business arena: Commercial IT/Insurance

Job Title: Test/Quality Manager – MyZurich2 - Sharepoint 2013 Portal project

-Created a project Quality Plan and a Project Test Strategy

-Document, articulate and implemented Quality Gates for the project

-Planned and managed the testing of a strategic Commercial Insurance project that incorporated a

number of existing applications into a portal.

-Co-ordination of the third-party software supplier testing deliverables into the mainstream testing

timeline.

-Third-party software supplier test management during test preparation and execution; system and

integration testing

-Day-to-Day test management of system test, integration test and business testing resources

Dates: July-2012 to Jan-2013

Client: Axa Insurance, Lytham

Business arena: Commercial IT/Insurance

Job Title: Test Manager – Simple Projects

-Document and articulate a requirements-based test estimation technique for the Test Capability

Team in Commercial I.T.

-Planned and managed the testing of a 2 strategic projects (Renewals and Instalments) for an

online commercial insurance system selling products via an online trading platform.

-Third-party software supplier management during test execution; managing defect fixes and code

drops into the test environments

-Day-to-Day test (re)planning of test script execution and test resources.



of 10

Updated: 1-Mar-2015

Dates: Feb-2012 to May-2012

Client: SPX, Stockport

Business arena: Vehicle Diagnostics

Job Title: Test Manager – Honda project

-Understand, document and improve testing capability on a long-term project that was undergoing

strategic change.

-Stakeholder management.

-Day-to-Day test planning

-Hands-On testing including creation of resource plans

Dates: Jan-2011 to Jan-2012

Client: Lloyds Banking Group, Leeds

Business arena: Insurance division – Wealth Management

Job Title: E2E Test Manager – Strategic Point of Sale

-Ensure compliance to testing across all test phases and the transition between test phases

(development testing, System testing and UAT).

-Extensive Stakeholder management.

-Liaison with Environments team, Release Management, Development and Test teams – on and

off-shore.

-Extensive liaison with Development testers and System testers, both on and Off-shore

Dates: Sept-2010 to Jan-2011

Client: Lloyds/Bank Of Scotland, Edinburgh

Business arena: Wholesale Operations


-Engaged on the largest major UK bank integration programme in Europe.

-Identified key business processes for critical business testing of the Wholesale Operations

business. Managed the conversion of identified business processes into usable test scenario and

script collateral sufficient for proving the Wholesale Operations business in the integrated bank

-Built a test team and a test strategy to cover critical business testing of Wholesale Operations.

-Engaged with divisional test professionals and business subject matter experts to plan and

deliver End-To-End business testing across integrated business areas within both banks.

Dates: April-2009 to Sept-2010

Client: Transition Consulting Ltd

Business arena: Consultancy


-Engaged on a major UK mobile telecommunications client site (Orange UK) providing Test

Management and consultancy to a number of projects focusing on test strategy and governance

(at programme level) and hands-on test management (at project level).

-Managed onshore and offshore Functional test resources.

-Engaged on a government Fire Control project providing test consultancy for the system and

performance test teams. (Basic) Security clearance.

http://tcl.eu.com/



of 10

Updated: 1-Mar-2015

Dates: May-2008 to Mar-2009

Client: PremierFarnell, Leeds

Business arena: Global eCommerce distribution of electronic and related components

Job Title: Global Information Systems Test Manager

-Create and implement a Programme Test Strategy for testing all eCommerce and related

upstream/downstream systems. Strategy geared towards a testing service in a SOA environment.

-Manage and develop a test team split between UK and USA.

-Create a functional and non-functional testing automation framework that can accommodate a

large manual testware repository.

-Amend the test strategy to cater for both Agile and Waterfall SDLC methodologies

Dates: Dec-2007 to Mar-2008

Client: British Library, Boston Spa

Project: Digital Object Management Programme - Microsoft Digitisation Project


-Create and implement a Test Strategy for testing the digitisation of material for the British

Library. Implement the Test Strategy on one of the line Projects in the DOM with a view to rolling

it out across the organisation.

-Create basic reusable test scripts for functional and non-functional testing.

-Create a strategy for performance profiling of live (production) kit

Dates: Apr-2007 to Nov-2007

Client: Numero (www.ThisIsNumero.com), Stockport

Project: SmartAgént 4 roll-out


-Create a pragmatic Test Strategy for testing a state-of-the-art intelligent Customer Interactive

Management software called SmartAgént. This software takes in multi-channel input, categorises

it and applies workflow techniques to process the work items therein.

-Introduce a formalised testing approach and methods for a total rewrite of already market-

established software

-This is a very “hands-on” role in a shop which happily embraces mainly open sourced tools for

both development and testing. No formal test team (just me) and I have utilised existing staff on

my test team.

-True SOA environment – mixing Java, .NET, Web Services and just about any open-source

toolset that is available.

http://www.premierfarnell.com/premier_farnell/

http://www.bl.uk/

http://www.thisisnumero.com/



of 10

Updated: 1-Mar-2015

Dates: Feb-2007 to Apr-2007.

Client: Swiss-ONE, London

Project: Internet Bank start-up

Job Title: UAT Test Manager.

-UAT Test Manager and co-ordination of all activities UAT for an Internet Bank start-up that are

going for a full banking license.

-Create a pragmatic Programme Test Strategy for an out-sourced, off-shore UAT operation. Create

very pragmatic test procedures for an organisation relying on a heavily outsourced banking

solution. VERY TIGHT DEADLINES

Dates: Mar-2006 to Feb-2007.

Client: Marks and Spencer, Stockley Park, near Heathrow, London.

Project: Integration Services

Job Title: Integration Services Programme Test Manager.

-Integration Services is the Marks and Spencer strategic message broker for their retail operation.

All messages broker through Integration Services – including Point of Sale tills, website-

purchase/fulfilment and various other large Programmes, including Amazon

-Create a dynamic Programme Test Strategy for Integration Services multiple Biztalk (2000, 2002,

2004 and 2006) estates. Include a Biztalk migration strategy and formalise the approach for

moving the regression testing forward.

-Formalise the complex test environments and procedures governing the Change Control,

Configuration Control, Version control and Release control into those environments. Liaise very

closely with the Environments Management team

-Create self-maintaining regression Test Packs (as dictated by the Test Strategy) that can be

prepared/executed in-house (by Integration Services), by third-party support or offshore teams.

-Frequent, cross-programme liaison with senior management regarding the testing scope, testing

process and testing quality

-Maintain testing quality and coverage of the day-to-day problems found

-Substantial liaison with offshore test and development teams

Dates: Aug 2005 to Feb-2006.

Client: Bank of Ireland (BOI), Dublin, Belfast and India.

Project: POFS – Post Office Financial Services/Bank of Ireland joint venture to

launch BOI’s first savings product

Job Title: Retail Operations Test Manager - contract position.

-Responsible for co-ordinating in-house UAT testing for retail operations (the Dublin based

Fulfilment Centre) – liaising between an in-house Contact Centre, off-shore Fulfilment Centre and

Technical Infrastructure teams.

-Responsible for signing off the UAT of joint venture testing between BOI and Post Office on

behalf of retail Operations (Fulfilment Centre).

-Responsible for the UAT testing delivery of a new Image and Workflow system (Astrons TxQ) and

a retail Banking Financial terminal product (Alnova Release 5) into the existing BOI infrastructure.

-Ensuring that the Bank pilot project covered sufficient testing in terms of retail operations for BOI

before the handover to the Post Office. Produced test strategy and relevant test plan.

-Ensuring compliance of the two new products (mentioned above) into the existing BOI compliance

framework.



of 10

Updated: 1-Mar-2015

Dates: Dec 2004 to Aug 2005.

Client: Royal Bank of Scotland (RBoS), Edinburgh.

Project: Ulster Bank Integration into RBoS

Job Title: Programme Test Manager Group Finance- Walker - contract position.

-Responsible for defining the test environments, Programme test strategy and group test planning

activities for Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR), Fixed Assets (FA) and General

Ledger (GL) components of Walker.

-Liaison with all of the Group Finance projects and dictating test environment build requirements

for System, Integration (End-To-End), UAT and OAT testing on a programme-wide basis in

Group Finance.

-Ensuring that a Risk-based testing approach is adopted programme-wide within Group Finance.

-Planning the programme-wide system testing and dove-tailing the individual Group Finance

projects System Testing with the business users UAT testing to ensure Ulster-Bank integration

testing coverage was met.

-Ensuring CMMI 3 compliance in Group Finance.

Dates: August 2004 to Dec 2004.

Client: Gemserv, Dublin.

Project: Deregulation of Irish Electricity market

Job Title: Retail Market Readiness Testing Co-ordinator body.

-Gemserv provide Electricity market entry consultancy, industry knowledge and market entry

adjudication services to potential retail market participants. These services include market testing

co-ordination and new market participant guidance services.

-Formulate and produce a market-wide testing strategy and subsequently carry-out Network Access

testing, Data Transfer testing and Inter-Prticipant (End-To-End) testing for the participants market-

wide.

-Conducted industry-wide testing using an XML message-based data transfer between market

participants.

-Presided over the Technical Implementation Group that was responsible for all matters technical in

the Irish Electricity market.

-Witnessed and provided impartial assessment services as to the effective readiness of market

participant systems to the Central Electricity Regulatory body within the Irish retail Electricity

industry.

-Assisted in the role of Run Co-ordinator for the Inter-Participant testing which involved issuing test

data, recording and advising on testing progress, collating and analysis of Problem Reports and

adjudication of test abandonment/rescheduling.



of 10

Updated: 1-Mar-2015

Dates: July 2003 to July 2004.

Client: Royal Bank of Scotland (RBoS), Edinburgh.

Project: Sales & Account Opening

Job Title: Senior Test Manager - contract position.

-Responsible for defining the environmental build requirements for a Websphere/Chordiant front-

end into an existing mainframe/distributed computing infrastructure within the bank - including

significant matrix-managed activities.

-Mainstay of the role is liaison with all of the Host/Off-Host projects and dictating build

requirements for System, Integration (End-To-End), UAT and OAT testing on a programme-wide

basis.

-Ensuring that all interfacing projects adhered to Bank-wide testing processes and procedures at

programme level

Dates: May 2003 to July 2003.

Client: IBM Global Services (HBoS account) – Sighthill, Edinburgh.

Project: IBM Service Management Testing Services Group (SMTG) to Halifax/Bank

of Scotland (HBoS) projects


-Established and implemented high-level testing procedures and processes for the Service

Management part of the organisation and ensuring that projects that were using the Testing

Services Management Group were operationally compliant.

-The role was, essentially, an Operational Acceptance Test (OAT) Test Management one and

involved liaising with the Core Banking programme in Halifax/Bank Of Scotland (HBoS) and

support staff to prove non-functional operational compliance.

Dates: Nov 2002 to Apr 2003.

Client: LloydsTSB Group Project Services – London.

Project: iPSL Integration (combined HSBC, Barclays, LloydsTSB, Unisys) for a

combined Banks Clearing System

Job Title: Senior Test Manager/Test Consultant - contract position.

-Reported directly into the Senior Programme Manager for Group Project Services

-Developing guidelines for Lloyds GroupIT, company-wide testing and implementation strategy to

fit the existing project strategies within the bank.

-Set up a high-level User Testing Framework for Group Project Services within the bank. These

guidelines/strategies would then be dove-tailed into existing Project/Programme plans.

-Advised IT and business users on how to test their existing systems within the User Test

Framework.

-Organise demonstrations of structured testing in action and ‘hands on’ testing for the business

users to show the benefits and business justification of correctly applying structured testing into a

Banks Clearing operation.



of 10

Updated: 1-Mar-2015

Dates: Jun 2002 to Sept 2002.

Client: UIA Insurance Ltd – Stevenage, Herts.

Project: Provision of a new General Insurance System

Job Title: Test Manager - contract position.

-Define, establish and implement structured testing processes and techniques into a ‘green-field’

site.

-Developed a company-wide testing strategy and developed ‘phase-based’ testing plans to fit the

strategy.

-Advised insurance business users and call centre staff on how to test their existing insurance

systems. Organise demonstrations of structured testing in action and ‘hands on’ testing for the

business users. Used an insurance system related functional test and scripted, executed and

documented the test results according to my own structured techniques from my own company-

wide testing strategy proposal.

-Researched, evaluated and costed the use of automated Test Tools for use within UIA according

to their specific needs. I later produced a recommendation (Mercury suite) for UIA.

-Defined and specified and assisted the UIA technical staff in building the test environment

capable of supporting their new General Insurance system. This included scoping out a Model

Office for their training needs and scaling up the test environment as the new General Insurance

system is phased in.

Dates: Nov 2001 to Jun-2002.

Client: Barclays Bank plc – Knutsford, Cheshire.

Project: Provision of Testing Services to Barclays projects


-Defined, established and implemented high-level testing procedures and processes (created test

product templates such as PID, Test Strategy, Master Test Plan and various Test

metrics/scorecards for monitoring test progress) in the Testing Services division at Barclays.

Testing Services provide testing services (via creation of the aforementioned product-set) to the

entire base of projects at the Barclays retail banking organisation

-Acted as the primary focal point for resource/work requests for Testing Services from all of the

Projects within Barclays.

-Allocated testing resources from a pool into suitable projects within Testing Services.

-Responsible for establishing the high-level testing controls/processes that allows Testing Services

Test Managers to engage projects. Specification of the Rules of Engagement for Senior Test

Managers/Test Managers to the entire Barclays business.

-Co-ordinated Testing activities across multiple business areas and Testing Services on very large-

scale and high-profile projects (10 Test Managers reporting to me). Ensured Test Manager’s

adhered to standards imposed on their testing activities.

-Performed resource availability planning for some 140 Testing staff in Testing Services,

effectively organising when and who will be supporting the Barclays business projects from

Testing Services.

-Mentored/trained inexperienced Barclays testing staff.



of 10

Updated: 1-Mar-2015

Dates: Aug 2001 to Oct 2001.

Client: Grey Archer – Welwyn Garden City.

Project: E-Commerce Business Exchange (leisure industry – Pub Companies)

Job Title: User Acceptance Test Manager - contract position.

Dates: November 2000 to July 2001.

Client: Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBSG) – London.

Project: Clearing Integration Programme (takeover of Natwest by RBSG)

Job Title: Test Manager - contract

Dates: Sept 2000 to November 2000

Client: Paypoint Networks – Welwyn Garden City

Project: Flexible Direct Debits – retail system

Job Title: Test Lead



of 10

Updated: 1-Mar-2015

Dates: June 2000 to September 2000.

Client: an internet-based, multi-utility .com start-up in the Electricity Supply

Industry – London & Manchester

Project: MRasco Electricity Industry accreditation

Job Title: MRasco accreditation Test Consultant - contract.

Dates: Jan 2000 to June 2000

Client: MMT Energy Ltd – Ipswich

Project: MRasco Electricity Industry accreditation for an MMT Energy client

Job Title: MRasco accreditation Test Consultant - contract position.

Dates: Nov 1999 to Jan 2000.

Client: IBM UK Ltd – London

Project: Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) Y2K Millennium Programme

Job Title: Desktop Quality Assurance Test Manager - contract position.

Dates: Jul 1999 to Nov 1999.

Client: IBM UK Ltd – Basingstoke

Project: Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) Y2K Millennium Programme

Job Title: Testing Quality Auditor- contract position.

Dates: Nov 1998 to Jul 1999.

Client: PayPoint Network Ltd – Welwyn Garden City.

Project: New System Rollout – country-wide Swipe-card terminal network

Job Title: Test Manager - contract position.

Dates: Dec 1997 to Nov 1998.

Client: CIDA (Central Integrated Design Authority) – Old Broad St, London.

Project: 1998 Electricity De-Regulation Market Testing.

Job Title: Witness Test Co-Ordinator - contract position.

mark chappell abridgedcv

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