Pavel Vakhrameev, QA Automation Team Lead

Pavel Vakhrameev, QA Automation Team Lead, Exactpro, talks about how test automation became his specialty and how it follows him along.

– I started my career at Exactpro as a software developer over 10 years ago. I worked on creating a test tool called Sailfish. It was and is still used for testing different trading systems’ protocols. 

At some point, I took interest in a project which was related to a trading platform and required assistance in automating tests.My experience in software development helped me successfully implement an automated test library. The things that would take a few testers several days to complete were now done in a few hours using automated tests.

A few years later, I switched to another platform which was a kind of continuation of the previous project. This time, I focused on automation of a post-trade system. Yes, that is a whole different kind of system: a transaction at the exchange is only the "tip of the iceberg", the most interesting part happens after it. On this project, I took on the responsibilities of a team lead, and my team and I implemented an End-2-End automation approach. It took a great deal of effort, but ended up being very rewarding: we tested a huge multi-component system using a few manipulations and one click of a button. Having worked on this project for several years, I realized that if the testing process can be automated, then it must be done. And it is equally important to be able to interact with people and create a healthy workplace environment.

Over the past year, I've had several projects where I needed to provide a Proof of concept in automation for new clients. The skills that I had to apply on those projects were figuring out something new on my own, providing the results within a short timeframe, and directly communicating with foreign clients. It was an amazing experience that I am very inspired by. 

Automation has also found its way into my everyday life: I have recently enjoyed assembling various Arduino-based prototypes. The latest thing I’ve made is a small docking station with an indoor air quality monitoring system, as a healthy environment is as important in the team as it is at home :-) I like to spend my free time with my family: we take long walks and play board games.