Bhaskar Akula

Experience

1. Test Specialist

   IBM

   Feb 2020 — Present · Bengaluru, IN

   Team Leadership · Software Testing · System Testing · Test Design · Test Planning · Test Execution · Quality Assurance · Root Cause Analysis · Regression Testing · Test Data ManagementProject: Bell Canada (Feb 2020 – Dec 2023)Executed manual testing (UI, functional, regression, smoke) ensuring stable production releases.Designed and executed test cases aligned with business requirements and functional specifications.Automated UI regression tests using IBM Ignite OTFA, reducing repetitive manual effort and improving efficiency.Managed defects in HP ALM, collaborating with developers for quick resolution.Delivered test scenarios, traceability matrices, and coverage reports to validate end-to-end quality.Reported progress to QA leads and stakeholders, contributing to smoother release cycles.Project: Scottish Government (Jan 2024 – Present)Performed manual & automation testing for web applications, focusing on UI and API validation.Developed automation scripts using Selenium WebDriver + Cucumber BDD, improving test coverage and readability.Conducted API testing with Postman; validated requests, responses, payloads, and status codes.Collaborated with product owners/developers to define acceptance criteria and ensure testability of user stories.Used Git for version control and peer reviews of automation frameworks.Configured regression test suites in Jenkins CI/CD, accelerating test cycles.Logged and tracked defects in JIRA, ensuring clear traceability to test cases.Actively participated in Agile Scrum ceremonies to enhance team collaboration.