Inside IMS: Meet Asma Zoghlami and Collins Manna

With over 20+ years of experience between them, Asma and Collins work in close collaboration, continually knowledge sharing and supporting one another. It was therefore only fitting that this Inside IMS blog spoke to them together about their roles at IMS Evolve. 

A Quality Assurance Analyst is a true custodian of quality – a gate keeper of customer expectation if you will. Through meticulous testing and grave attention to detail, QA Analysts are a key hurdle in the development lifecycle of any software, and for IMS, Asma and Collins ensure our product is not only of the utmost quality, but also that it accurately meets and exceeds customer requirements.

Asma says: ‘As QA Analysts, we are responsible for applying quality assurance practices and principles throughout the entire software development life cycle; this covers everything from management and design to coding and testing.

‘Ultimately, our role is to ensure that the software we develop and deliver to our customers is of the highest quality and is robust, reliable, fully functional and meets the end user's requirements and exceeds their expectations.’

Collins continues: ‘A typical working day can include anything from reviewing, preparing and writing test cases from business functionality, performing rigorous testing on mobile and web applications to identify and log errors, to working with the project and development teams to prioritise and manage workload.’

Asma adds: ‘Each day is different, and we never stop learning new things!’

 The team also creates structured processes to manage errors within the software, from identification right through to resolution – a part of the job the team particularly enjoy.

 Collins says: ‘Finding and identifying bugs and errors is the part of my role I most enjoy. It is exactly what we are there for; to test the product before it goes to the customer. Any problems are thoroughly documented and reported back to the development team to be fixed. This cycle is repeated until the product is error free and ready for the end user.’

 Asma adds: ‘The process is hugely satisfying. In fact, by finding bugs and developing ideas for improvement, we contribute towards the overall improvement of the software, solving issues and perfecting methodologies for the benefit of the IMS product stack.’

 She continues: ‘Without doubt, software testing is challenging for many reasons. Every project or feature will present different testing problems. Collins and I must continually look at the product from a whole range of different angles and perspectives and with a different set of expectations. This is why it’s so important for us to understand the customer requirements and to think like them when testing the product.’

 The creative culture at IMS, underpinned by the company’s values, gives Collins and Asma the flexibility to think outside of the box and be innovative in their approach to testing, and the team really feel like they are making a difference.

Asma comments: ‘Working for such a fast-growing company presents challenges in itself, but I personally really enjoy working alongside Collins and the other QA team members to help improve the testing processes and enhance the overall product.’

Collins adds: ‘IMS is just a really friendly place to work, with a bunch of helpful and approachable colleagues which makes collaboration feel natural and allows creativity to flourish.’

 Thankfully, this collaborative approach to working, and the strength of the QA Analysts working relationship, has not faulted during the unforeseen changes to our working life during the last 12 months. Asma and Collins have taken it in their stride, adapting quicky and settling into the new ways of working.

 Asma says: ‘I’m personally enjoying working from home and am maintaining motivation and productivity really well. It’s also nice to start the day without rushing to catch public transport!’

 Although Collins admits he found adjusting difficult at first, he too is now enjoying the unexpected change to working life, but can’t wait to finally get back to watching football again – especially when its Liverpool FC!