Welcome to our Meet the Team series, where we look at the lives of various Planit team members from across the company. We caught up with Alex Li, a consultant with our Christchurch team since 2014, to find out his journey into testing, how to manage miscommunication, and his love for running.
What is your career background and experience?
I joined Planit through its Bootcamp programme and have been here ever since. Over the years, I’ve worked on numerous projects across multiple government and private organisations, testing various complex software applications and systems to help deliver better business value.
What are your key skills and areas of expertise?
I spent three out of my seven years at Planit as a Senior Test Analyst and Engineer specialising in Functional Testing, User Acceptance Testing, and Test Coordination. I have extensive experience across all testing phases of the software development and defect management lifecycles.
What do you love about your job?
I really enjoy seeing a product being built from scratch and then making its way to a finished state. I am proud to be a part of this process with my contribution to the quality of the end product.
What qualities make you great at your job?
I’m a “glass half full” person, so I always look on the brighter side of things. Not only does that help me to get along well with the people on my team, but also with client stakeholders.
What do you love about your team?
I never consider my team at work as a “work team” – they’re more like a group of friends who just happen to be working with me.
What do you love about working for Planit?
There’s lots to like, from the career development to the social soccer games. To me, Planit is a place where there are limitless opportunities, and everyone cares.
Planit also shapes you as a person - I joined as a blank canvas straight after graduating from university, and Planit added the colour to turn me into the painting I am today.
What advice would you give to junior testers?
A tester’s life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. You will regularly encounter challenges which can significantly impact to testing or project progress. In my experience, many of these issues are not technical, instead stemming from miscommunication. It can be important to clarify the issue with stakeholders to get a full understanding and identify any potential miscommunication.
What have you been doing in your free time recently?
Running! If you don’t catch me sprinting on a road somewhere, then I’ll likely be jogging up a mountain. That or I’ll be out on a rugby pitch!
Interested in joining the Planit family? Visit our Careers page for a full listing of current opportunities across Australia, New Zealand, India, and the UK, and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram for the latest job updates.