{"id":70218,"date":"2020-01-05T14:30:13","date_gmt":"2020-01-05T14:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coforge.site\/cigniti_new\/?post_type=product&p=70218"},"modified":"2024-10-18T13:21:49","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T13:21:49","slug":"implementing-digital-transformation-with-nanda-padmaraju","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/coforge.site\/cigniti_new\/resource\/podcasts\/implementing-digital-transformation-with-nanda-padmaraju\/","title":{"rendered":"QATalks with Nanda Padmaraju of Cigniti"},"content":{"rendered":"

You are listening to QA Talks. A podcast for quality assurance executives implementing digital transformation in their organizations. In this show, we focus on unique pitfalls inherent in quality assurance and quality engineering and how these executives are navigating them to position their organization for the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Let\u2019s<\/span><\/i>\u00a0get into the show.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Welcome to the introductory episode of QA Talks. QA Talks is a podcast dedicated to the emerging technology and innovation happening in industries such as banking, airlines, insurance<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and retail. Quality assurance is a key component in digital transformation sweeping our world. Companies are increasingly leaning on quality assurance<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0quality engineering to seamlessly implement their unique digital transformation plans.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>However, digital transformation ca<\/span>n often seem like a massive tower<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0impossible to scale. In this podcast, you\u2019ll hear from executives who are heavily involved in quality assurance, the unique challenges they face<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and some of the most important pitfalls they are discovering\u00a0<\/span>so\u00a0<\/span>you can avoid them.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll hear today from Nanda\u00a0Padmaraju<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0Senior Vice President<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0Cigniti\u00a0and Head of<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>R<\/span>est of the\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span>orld<\/span>\u00a0(RoW)<\/span>\u00a0business unit. Nanda is going to be a co-host of this show.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How\u00a0<\/span>are\u00a0<\/span>you doing today<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0Nanda?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nanda:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>I am doing good<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0Ralph<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>How\u00a0<\/span>are you doing?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>I am doing well. Glad to have you on this show.\u00a0<\/span>My name<\/span>\u00a0is Ralph\u00a0<\/span>Miranda<\/span>\u00a0and I\u2019m<\/span>\u00a0your host\u00a0<\/span>pf<\/span>\u00a0QA Talks<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019ll be moderating the discussions that we are going to have in the future episodes. Today I\u2019ll be talking to the co-host about what you<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the listener<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0can expect from th<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0podcast. But before we jump into that, Nanda could you tell us about yourself and what you do for\u00a0Cigniti?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nanda:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Sure Ralph. I have 22 years of IT experience of which the last 15 years have been with pure<\/span>–<\/span>play, independent software testing<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0as an industry. I\u2019ve worked with many companies and then was a founding member of\u00a0Cigniti\u00a0in the UK. We started our UK division in\u00a0<\/span>May\u00a0<\/span>2014 & then expanded in<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0other geographi<\/span>es such as<\/span>\u00a0South Africa, Australia, Middle East<\/span>, and\u00a0<\/span>others. I manage\u00a0<\/span>what we call\u00a0<\/span>as the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Rest\u00a0<\/span>of the\u00a0<\/span>World\u00a0<\/span>business unit<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0which encompasses all the geographies\u00a0<\/span>outside of<\/span>\u00a0North America.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Well,\u00a0Cigniti\u00a0is a leader in the field of quality assurance &<\/span>\u00a0ultimately<\/span>\u00a0quality engineering. Tell us about the company and the passion that over 2400\u00a0<\/span>employees<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>share\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>quality testing.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nanda:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Sure.\u00a0Cigniti\u00a0has been in this space for the last 20 years while the\u00a0<\/span>Rest\u00a0<\/span>of the\u00a0<\/span>World\u00a0<\/span>business unit is\u00a0<\/span>relatively younger<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0compared to our North American counterparts<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>with just being<\/span>\u00a05 years old. But through<\/span>out<\/span>\u00a0this journey, what we\u2019ve realized is we need to be good at what we pick. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0we\u2019ve picked software testing, quality assurance<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and quality engineering as our niche & we\u2019ve stuck to our forte and trying to make a difference in the\u00a0<\/span>overall<\/span>\u00a0software development lifecycle. We have\u00a0<\/span>about<\/span>\u00a02400\u00a0<\/span>career<\/span>\u00a0testers\u00a0<\/span>on<\/span>\u00a0our roles\u00a0<\/span>spread<\/span>\u00a0across the world. Each of these people has chosen\u00a0Cigniti\u00a0because they are passionate about testing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0if you just take a step back & see how the IT industry & the major IT players<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0whether they are<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0large Indian players or\u00a0<\/span>the MNCs<\/span>\u00a0of the world like IBM and Deloitte, they all go to graduate schools, pick up a lot of graduates, train<\/span>\u00a0them,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0then<\/span>\u00a0deploy them for various projects around the world. Unfortunately, QA or testing has been at the bottom end of the pyramid<\/span>. T<\/span>he top, the cream of\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>professionals\u00a0<\/span>goes<\/span>\u00a0on to do<\/span>\u00a0architecture<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0rest of the<\/span>m do<\/span>\u00a0software development<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and the botto<\/span>m<\/span>\u00a0end are pushed to<\/span>ward<\/span>\u00a0testing. Unlike the major IT<\/span>\u00a0or the<\/span>\u00a0system integrators, at\u00a0Cigniti, we\u2019ve taken testing as the only thing that we do. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>we\u00a0<\/span>are able to<\/span>\u00a0attract people who have chosen testing as their career and\u00a0<\/span>are excellent<\/span>\u00a0in it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Nanda,\u00a0<\/span>how\u00a0<\/span>would you envision this podcast\u00a0<\/span>can help<\/span>\u00a0the QA community as they seek to position\u00a0<\/span>themselves<\/span>\u00a0in digital transformation?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nanda:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Digital transformation is incomplete without the focus<\/span>sed<\/span>\u00a0approach towards QA\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>re are a lot of<\/span>\u00a0pitfalls. Our objective\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span>\u00a0this podcast is to enable\u00a0<\/span>or empower\u00a0<\/span>our audience\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0listeners to be able to come up with few things like the people,\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>process<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0technology that can enable them from a Q<\/span>E<\/span>\u00a0perspective in their digital transformation journey. So we would come up with a lot of actionable insights into the journey of digital transformation, we will help our audience to avoid pitfalls, we\u2019ll share our learnings across multiple industries<\/span>, across<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>multiple\u00a0<\/span>clients that we have served around the world<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and give takeaway<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in terms of\u00a0<\/span>some of the best tools that can help you in your journey towards digital transformation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Quality assurance is a familiar term to most organizations<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but quality engineering may not be as it brings monitoring components to\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0company\u2019s efforts. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0talk a bit about how\u00a0Cignit<\/span>i<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>involvement early<\/span>\u00a0in testing lifecycle<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>can help drive down the total cost of IT?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nanda:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Sure Ralph. In the age of digital transformation, everybody appreciates that it is not just a shift<\/span>–<\/span>left but also a shift<\/span>–<\/span>right approach. This dual shift enables you to also take into account the live customer feedback in this digital era. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0let me\u00a0<\/span>first<\/span>\u00a0talk about the shift<\/span>–<\/span>left approach.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of shift left<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0as a testing organization, we advocate that testing also has a place on the table early on in the lifecycle. By being early on in the lifecycle, we can help drive the ambiguities out of the requirement<\/span>s<\/span>. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the business analysts, development community<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0all other stakeholder\u00a0<\/span>are on<\/span>\u00a0the same page with respect to the requirements. Each requirement is rated on 4 parameters by\u00a0Cigniti<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>– guarantee, consistency, completeness<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and testability<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0that significantly drives down the downstream<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>defects.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0we believe in eliminating the scope for defects early on in the lifecycle<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As\u00a0<\/span>you<\/span>\u00a0know the cost of fixing the defect in production is 100 times more costly than what it would cost to eliminate that in the requirement space<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>That\u00a0<\/span>covers the shift left approach.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But coming to the shift<\/span>–<\/span>right approach, most of the customers today have social media presence<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>In\u00a0<\/span>the age of digital, just 1 mistake can eliminate the company<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0so to speak. We take customer feedback very seriously. At\u00a0Cigniti, we have built\u00a0<\/span>intellectual<\/span>\u00a0property, we call it\u00a0<\/span>as\u00a0<\/span>Sentiment<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Analyser<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>If you have an<\/span>\u00a0app either on the iO<\/span>S<\/span>\u00a0or on the Android platform<\/span>, our tool can parse through<\/span>\u00a0all the feedback & categorize them into buckets that sit within the QE space<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0which becomes a backlog in terms of the Agile way of dealing with this backlog.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0we cover both shift<\/span>–<\/span>left\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>shift<\/span>–<\/span>right<\/span>, and\u00a0<\/span>then give a holistic approach to quality engineering within the software development lifecycle<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0whether customers are on their Agile or DevOps methodologies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Excellent. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0what can\u00a0<\/span>listeners\u00a0<\/span>expect to hear\u00a0<\/span>in the way of<\/span>\u00a0topics or information that are vital to their efforts during\u00a0<\/span>each of the<\/span>\u00a0episodes\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0this podcast?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nanda:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>We want to structure this in a way that helps our audience<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0Ralph. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0we picked up topics starting from test automation in th<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>field of DevOps<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0to covering the processes that help you enable digital transformation successfully &\u00a0<\/span>at a\u00a0<\/span>very fast pace<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0to tools & technologies<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 b<\/span>ecause in the age of DevOps<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>particularly in\u00a0<\/span>the QA space<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0there are\u00a0<\/span>plethora of\u00a0<\/span>tools out there & not a single tool can\u00a0<\/span>actually\u00a0<\/span>do the entire task. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>it\u00a0<\/span>is the chaining of these toolsets to drive the best benefit\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>our customer which will again depend\u00a0<\/span>particularly based upon<\/span>\u00a0each of the customers<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0their\u00a0<\/span>own\u00a0<\/span>technology landscape<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0& other such factors that drive the selection of tools. That\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>where\u00a0<\/span>we<\/span>\u00a0want to<\/span>\u00a0bring in\u00a0<\/span>our<\/span>\u00a0expertise. We\u2019ll cover the tools aspect, importance of automation, the various automation frameworks that we bring to the table that can potentially help our customers<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0& more importantly<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0people<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>culture and the<\/span>\u00a0skillsets that can help you address the problem statements within the Q<\/span>E<\/span>\u00a0in the digital transformation journey.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Well Nanda you\u2019ve always been a result-oriented leader with proven success in pursuing & managing\u00a0<\/span>multi-<\/span>y<\/span>ear<\/span>\u00a0multi-million<\/span>–<\/span>dollar IT testing service\u00a0<\/span>fields\u00a0<\/span>across diversified financial<\/span>\u00a0service<\/span>\u00a0sectors, you\u2019ve\u00a0<\/span>been\u00a0<\/span>adept at<\/span>\u00a0building long-term client relationships and\u00a0<\/span>alliance<\/span>\u00a0partnerships & your IT consulting experience includes\u00a0<\/span>ERP implementation<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0& challenging fast<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>pace in varied verticals.\u00a0<\/span>Your speciality includes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>enterprise<\/span>\u00a0sales,\u00a0<\/span>account\u00a0<\/span>management revenue<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>ROI\u00a0<\/span>enhancing strategy &\u00a0<\/span>implementation,<\/span>\u00a0team building training. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>through\u00a0<\/span>your\u00a0<\/span>many years of experience, what<\/span>\u00a0have you found<\/span>\u00a0are the key components that organizations must master to successfully make<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0digital transformation switch effective?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nanda:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>We believe that the<\/span>re are<\/span>\u00a03 most important factors that can help\u00a0<\/span>you\u00a0<\/span>avoid the pitfalls of digital transformation & put you\u00a0<\/span>on\u00a0<\/span>the path\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>success.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>first and the foremost\u00a0<\/span>is the culture aspect within\u00a0<\/span>your\u00a0<\/span>IT workspace. Whether it\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>embracing change, being open minded<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0enabling people to take the risk\u00a0<\/span>are\u00a0<\/span>extremely important from\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>cultural perspective<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>o<\/span>n<\/span>\u00a0this<\/span>\u00a0digital transformation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he cultural aspect is generally downplayed at the very\u00a0<\/span>beginning,<\/span>\u00a0but we believe that it is an<\/span>\u00a0extremely<\/span>\u00a0important aspect.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/span>hen we<\/span>\u00a0move onto the\u00a0<\/span>processes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0hitherto<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>o<\/span>r<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the legacy processes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>may become significant roadblocks on your journey to digital transformation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>you\u2019ll be\u00a0<\/span>advised,<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>we have seen customers unlearn a lot of practices &\u00a0<\/span>then\u00a0<\/span>relay the roadmap afresh<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0be able to be on the digital transformation. The reason companies like Amazon, Netflix, Facebook<\/span>s of the world<\/span>\u00a0are able to release code\u00a0<\/span>in a matter of<\/span>\u00a0seconds<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>vis-a-vis the legacy players<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is a testimonial to the fact that\u00a0<\/span>you\u2019ll\u00a0<\/span>have to\u00a0<\/span>lay\u00a0<\/span>the road afresh on<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0digital transformation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

L<\/span>ast<\/span>ly<\/span>\u00a0but not the least, the importance of quality engineering, within the digital transformation space we have our own advisory & transformation practice within\u00a0Cigniti\u00a0that can help our clients<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>client\u00a0<\/span>stakeholders<\/span>\u00a0f<\/span>irst<\/span>\u00a0appreciate the complexities within<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0digital transformation because we don\u2019t want to reinvent the wheels so to speak, help our learnings\u00a0<\/span>across\u00a0<\/span>serv<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0multiple customers around the world, bring them to the table, fine tune\u00a0<\/span>them\u00a0<\/span>to suit a particular customer<\/span>, and<\/span>\u00a0then take it forward.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the advisory\u00a0<\/span>&\u00a0<\/span>transformation group is\u00a0<\/span>adept at\u00a0<\/span>doing workshops<\/span>, soliciting\u00a0<\/span>feedback from the customer<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0trying to replay the requirements<\/span>, and<\/span>\u00a0align them to the end objectives of the customer\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0then fill the gaps from\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>QA & QE perspectiv<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0so that we ensure that the customer is set up for success.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Excellent. Well, then how\u00a0<\/span>can listeners<\/span>\u00a0connect with you or the company in case they have ideas for episode topics\u00a0<\/span>or guests that should be featured<\/span>\u00a0on th<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0show?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nanda<\/span><\/b>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I would welcome them to drop\u00a0<\/span>me an<\/span>\u00a0email. My email is\u00a0<\/span>nanda@cigniti.com<\/span><\/a>. I am also active on LinkedIn<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>If\u00a0<\/span>you search for Nanda\u00a0Padmaraju\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>Cigniti, you\u2019ll be able to find me<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Drop\u00a0<\/span>me a message there and I\u2019<\/span>m happy to get connected with all my business and\u00a0<\/span>audience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Well, that wraps\u00a0<\/span>it\u00a0<\/span>up\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>introductory\u00a0<\/span>episode<\/span>\u00a0with Nanda. Thank you<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0Nanda<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0I\u2019m really excited to see this show grow<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0I think it will add\u00a0<\/span>exponential\u00a0<\/span>value to our listeners\u00a0<\/span>in a\u00a0<\/span>growing\u00a0<\/span>yet very<\/span>\u00a0challenging industry. Any final thoughts?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nanda:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Thank you so much Ralph for facilitating this podcast. I am very happy & excited to be on the 1<\/span>st<\/span>\u00a0episode of this podcast. I look forward to connecting with the audience &<\/span>\u00a0first understand then<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>help<\/span>\u00a0my customers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Quality Assurance is vital to the success of an organization\u2019s digital transformation. Lack of control can quickly derail a company\u2019s technological presence, costing thousands. At\u00a0Cigniti, all the solution is to build a better world with better quality software. Renowned for the global thought leadership in the industry, we\u00a0<\/span><\/i>draw\u00a0<\/span><\/i>expertise from over a decade of test engineering experience across verticals. To learn how we do it, visit Cigniti.com.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You have been listening to QA Talks. To ensure<\/span><\/i>\u00a0that<\/span><\/i>\u00a0you never miss an episode, subscribe to the show in your\u00a0favorite\u00a0podcast player. Thank you so much for listening<\/span><\/i>,<\/span><\/i>\u00a0until next time.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Speakers:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Nanda Padmaraju<\/strong>, Senior Vice-President at\u00a0Cigniti (A Coforge Company)
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