Knut Nickol - Tester and Quality Coordinator

Dieburg, Germany

Experience

Jan 2025 - Aug 2024

-1 years -4 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Tester and Quality Coordinator

DB Fernverkehr

Sales system (booking system) in an agile SAFE environment
Main focus: Tester and Quality Coordinator
Creating and executing test cases including documentation
Coordinating quality assurance throughout the entire development process
Requirements analysis as well as creating, executing, and reporting test cases
Central contact for QA questions
Participating in design workshops and identifying risks from a QA perspective
Conducting Definition of Ready (DoR) checks
Monitoring compliance with deadlines
Supporting teams from a QA perspective up to acceptance
Methods: SAFE, Kanban, Agile
Results: test case catalog, test reports, acceptance statements, service level agreements (SLAs) with third parties
QA-backed development for: DB Navigator, bahn.de, employee front end VSPro
Technologies/Tools: Android Studio, XRAY, JIRA, Confluence, Office 365, Git, CI/CD

Apr 2022 - Oct 2024

2 years 7 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Tester, Test Manager hands-on

DB Netz

On-board staff information system in an agile environment
Main focus: Tester, Test Manager hands-on
Creating and executing test cases including documentation
Coordinating quality assurance throughout the development process
Requirements analysis as well as creating and running test cases for mobile apps
Coordinating a 5-person test team
Preparing test reports and approval statements
Participating in agile meetings
Customer contact on quality assurance topics
Methods: Kanban, Agile
Results: test reports, approval statements
Technologies/Tools: Android, JIRA, XRAY, ALM, MS Office

Apr 2022 - Oct 2024

2 years 7 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Test Manager hands-on

DB Systel

On-board staff information system in an agile environment
Main focus: Test Manager hands-on
Quality assurance consulting for the project
Supporting the Product Owners, Business Engineers, and Business Analysts
Coordinating a 4-person test team
Manual test execution
Participating in agile meetings
Setting up test automation
Supporting developers with unit tests
Assisting Product Owners and Business Engineers in the requirements process
Creating test plan and test concept
Processing test results and presenting them in the project environment
Reviewing user stories
Methods: Scrum, Kanban, Agile
Results: test reports, test plan, test concept, epics, user stories, functioning test automation, successful go-live
Technologies/Tools: Android, HP ALM, XENON, JIRA, Confluence, Office 365

Feb 2021 - Jun 2022

1 year 5 months

Mainz, Germany

Requirement Engineer / Business Analyst / Business Engineer

Aareon AG

Requirements analysis of a real estate portal (B2C, B2B) in an agile environment
Main focus: Requirement Engineer, Business Analyst, Business Engineer
Ensuring functional and technical requirements
Point of contact for Product Owner and development team
Requirements analysis as well as creating epics and user stories
Partially taking on the role of Scrum Master
Communication between the development team and Product Owner
Methods: Kanban, Agile
Results: agile deliverables (epics, user stories), smooth development of the web portal
Technologies/Tools: JIRA, Confluence, InVision, MS Office

Nov 2020 - Mar 2021

5 months

Berlin, Germany

Test Manager and Release Manager

Init AG

Federal government websites in an agile environment
Main focus: Test Manager and Release Manager for federal government websites
Hands-on Test Manager over multiple releases
Release management and support for project managers
Coordinating development according to the release plan
Supporting rollouts and go-lives
Conducting and coordinating tests
Methods: Kanban, Agile
Results: successful go-lives and rollouts
Technologies/Tools: JIRA, Core Media, MS Office

Apr 2016 - Dec 2016

9 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Test Manager, Tester, Product Owner

Deutsche Börse

Quality assurance and testing of the Deutsche Börse AG website
Main focus: Test management, Testing, Product Owner
Single point of contact to the service provider in the web environment
Test management and execution of user acceptance tests and end-to-end tests
Test case creation and reporting of test results
Communication and coordination with the external service provider
Coordination of development according to the release plan
Support for rollouts and go-lives
Execution and control of testing activities
Methods: Kanban, Agile
Results: Successful go-lives and rollouts
Technologies/Tools: JIRA, Confluence, iOS, Android

Mar 2010 - Mar 2016

6 years 1 month

Langen, Germany

Test Manager, Tester for ATCAS Air Traffic Control Software

Deutsche Flugsicherung

Quality assurance and testing of the ATCAS air traffic control software
Main focus: Test Manager and Tester for ATCAS Air Traffic Control Software
Test management, test execution and reporting of test results
Creation of test cases and test data
Developing functional tests in SQS-Test and setting up test automation
Manual testing in a safety-critical environment
Coordination of an external test team of 12 people
Preparation and presentation of test results to stakeholders
Method: Waterfall
Results: Successful go-lives and rollouts
Technologies/Tools: Redmine, Subversion (SVN), Mantis, SQS Test Center

Jul 2007 - Dec 2010

3 years 6 months

Darmstadt, Germany

Deputy Subproject Lead Testing / Test Planner

ActiveBilling GmbH & Co. KG (Deutsche Telekom)

QA and testing of Deutsche Telekom's billing software
Deputy subproject lead in the quality assurance area
Test planning, test data creation and test execution
Planning and execution of migration tests
Project planning and milestone planning
Data modeling
Coordination of testing activities and test data creation
Review of functional specifications
Creation of test concepts, test plans and status reports
Planning and documentation of test cases
Validation of test results
Organization and facilitation of meetings
Tools: BMC/ARS Remedy, MS Project, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, Sybase PowerDesigner, Mercury Quality Center, SoapUI, HP/Mercury Quality Center (user level, reports)

Mar 2007 - Jul 2007

5 months

Darmstadt, Germany

Deputy Lead for Overall Testing of Billing Software

T-Systems

Project NEWTON: Quality assurance of T-Com's billing software
Deputy lead of overall testing
Coordination of testing activities across multiple departments
Communication between departments and the test team
Creation of test plans and status reports
Reporting to clients and stakeholders
Organization and facilitation of meetings
Tools: ARS Remedy, MS Project, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint

Oct 2006 - Jan 2007

4 months

Darmstadt, Germany

Head of Quality Assurance

T-Online

Time-critical project: Redesign of the T-Online customer center
Head of quality assurance for an offshore development
Ensuring testing measures and activities in the project
Coordination of testing activities between onshore and offshore teams
Communication between departments and developers
Creation and review of test scenarios and test cases
Creation of test data
Execution of system tests and system integration tests
Configuration of the test environment
Tools: ClearCase, WinRunner, TOAD, PuTTY, UltraEdit, BEA WebLogic, Unix

Jan 2006 - Oct 2006

10 months

Darmstadt, Germany

QA Expert / Tester

T-Online

Test and quality assurance for T-Online customer center, BOT-OMS, COSMA, OMS
Creating test scenarios and test cases
Executing system tests and system integration tests
Manual UI tests
Creating automated tests and test automation
Configuring the test environment
Testing processes and workflows
Documenting test cases and test results
Tools: ClearCase, WinRunner, TOra, TOAD, UltraEdit, Action Request System (ARS), BEA WebLogic, Unix

Nov 2005 - Dec 2005

2 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Project Manager / QA Expert New Media

Neckermann

Project management and support in new media with focus on QA and testing
Project management and operational support
Requirements management and controlling
Communication between business departments
Consulting on web usability
UI tests and functionality analysis
Aligning a style guide for web interfaces
Conducting and documenting functional tests

Jun 2004 - Aug 2005

1 year 3 months

Wiesbaden, Germany

Project Lead Test Automation / Subproject Lead UI and Order Processing

HZD Hessische Zentrale für Datenverarbeitung

Online shop for GEO data, quality assurance, testing and UI design
Leading test automation projects
Subproject lead for UI design
Subproject lead for order processing in the shop system
Consulting on web interfaces, usability and web design
Consulting on Enfinity Intershop and online shop systems
Creating and executing tests and acceptance checks
Creating automated tests with Mercury WinRunner
Developing a web style guide according to Hessen CI
Creating templates for adaptation to the Hessen portal (CI)
Writing user manuals
Training and supporting departments
Creating a prototype for availability tests
Communication between client and general contractor
Tools: Enfinity Intershop, WinRunner, Badboy, PHP, HTML/DHTML, Photoshop, ARS Remedy, BSCW

Dec 2003 - Mar 2004

4 months

Soest, Germany

Web Consultant and Frontend Developer

Actebis Holding GmbH

Web interfaces and HTML frameworks for corporate websites
Consulting on user friendliness, style guide, corporate identity and corporate design
Creating HTML templates
Creating search forms and result listings
Writing CSS for layout and design
Writing a concise style guide
Technologies/Tools: HTML, CSS, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Homesite, UltraEdit

Oct 2003 - Nov 2003

2 months

Rotenburg, Germany

Web Portal Relaunch Consultant

Juwel Aquarium

Web portal relaunch with B2B and B2C focus
Consulting and conducting workshops on B2B and B2C portals
Capturing functionality of the future portal
Creating the functional specifications
Developing a requirements specification
Technologies: HTML, MySQL, database modeling

Jan 2003 - Jun 2003

6 months

Mannheim, Germany

Web Developer and Intranet/Internet Specialist

Roche Diagnostics GmbH

Intranet and Internet projects in a corporate environment
Web programming, content creation, and graphic design
Consulting, planning, development, and maintenance of various intranet sites
Communication between departments
Creating parts of the website according to internal guidelines
Setting up multiple online forums (e.g. sales market forum, HR FAQ forum)
Requirements gathering (business analysis) and creating specifications
Advising on usability and software ergonomics (GUI, style guide, corporate design, branding)
Installing, administering, and configuring search engines (Verity, ht.DIG) including search masks
Creating smart forms with JavaScript
Customizing form mailers
Writing online help and documentation
Programming Perl and PHP scripts, MySQL, and JavaScript
Preparing and creating content as well as editorial tasks
Graphic and web design
Technologies/Tools: HTML/DHTML, CSS, JavaScript, Perl/CGI, PHP, MySQL, phpMyAdmin, MySQL-Front, Reddot Web Content Management System, Homesite, UltraEdit, Photoshop, MS Office

Mar 2000 - Jun 2002

2 years 4 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Web Developer / Intranet Tester

Dresdner Bank

Worked on three projects in WebIT, UB Corporate Clients, CC IT credit and risk systems, and global transactions
Developing and testing intranet projects
Using Enfinity Intershop and content management systems
Focus on web development and quality assurance in a banking environment

Jan 1999 - Present

27 years 1 month

Dieburg, Germany

Web Developer / New Media Consultant

Freelance

Implemented over 100 websites and online shop systems
Worked with systems like Magento, Joomla!, Contao, Typo3, modifiedShop, Wordpress, Kunena forum, phpBB forum, phpList newsletter system, and others
Planning, designing, and technically implementing websites and shops
Consulting on web technologies, CMS, and online shop systems
Focus on user-friendliness, responsive design, and performance
Technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, Responsive Design, Linux, Apache

Jul 1996 - Dec 1998

2 years 6 months

Seligenstadt, Germany

Software Developer

ATAS GmbH

Full-time position in software development
Process visualization for Deutsche Post AG mail centers (XL, XXL) on behalf of Mannesmann Dematic
Using PLCs and Pic++ on Linux/Windows 95/NT
Process visualization and control of baggage handling at Cologne-Bonn Airport on behalf of Mannesmann Dematic
Technologies: C, PLCs, Linux/Windows 95/NT, ESSI, Turbo Pascal, Windows 95/NT, DOS

Aug 1993 - Mar 1994

8 months

Darmstadt, Germany

Mechanical Engineering Diploma Candidate

Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Mechanical Engineering Department

Diploma thesis in mechanical engineering/aerospace in cooperation with MBB
Capturing the physical environment of a technical system
Converting the mathematical description into a numerical model
Determining appropriate parametric inputs
Visualizing processes and results
Defining optimal parameter settings
Developing a new solution followed by a patent application
Documenting the patent application
Thesis grade: very good
Technologies/Tools: QuickBasic, Windows 3.1, MS Word

Summary

Knut Nickol, born in 1966, is a self-employed Senior IT Consultant focusing on quality assurance, web topics, and business analysis.

He has expert knowledge in quality assurance and has been involved in traditional and agile software projects for over 25 years. His preference for web development and user-friendly interfaces quickly led to a specialization in testing and requirements management.

In agile software projects, he has successfully filled various roles, such as Scrum Master, Product Owner, Business Analyst / Requirement Engineer, Tester / Test Manager.

His open, positive approach is appreciated as a team player. A quick grasp of new and more complex topics leads to short onboarding times.

Skills

Focus Areas And Experience:

Quality Assurance Qa / Qm / Testing
Project Work / Consulting In All Phases
Test Management: Planning/control, Analysis, Design, Execution, Evaluation, Closure
Testing: Test Analysis, Test Design, Test Execution, Test Data Creation, Test Automation
Usability Consulting
Presenting Test Results

Business Analysis:

Business Analysis In Agile Projects
Requirements Analysis, Requirement Engineering
Creating User Stories And Specifications
Professional Product Owner

Agile Know-how:

Extensive Experience In Agile Projects

Consulting: New Media - Web Services:

Custom Online Shop Systems
Content Management Systems
Corporate Web Design
Usability Consulting

Tools And Software (Excerpt):

Test Management: Jira, Confluence, Hp Alm, Redmine
Testing: Selenium, Jmeter, Sql Developer, Soapui, Xmlspy
Web: Joomla!, Wordpress, Modifiedshop, Phpbb
Html, Css, Javascript, Mysql, Php

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Elementary

Education

Aug 1993 - Mar 1994

FH Darmstadt, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Dipl.-Ing. in Mechanical Engineering (FH) · Mechanical Engineering · Darmstadt, Germany

Certifications & licenses

ISTQB Expert Test Manager (Training)

ISTQB Certified Tester

Certified Professional Product Owner PSPO

Certified Scrum Master PSM

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T-Online

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Actebis Holding GmbH

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Roche Diagnostics GmbH

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Dresdner Bank

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Freelance

Software Developer

ATAS GmbH

Mechanical Engineering Diploma Candidate

Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Mechanical Engineering Department

Summary

Skills

Languages

Education

FH Darmstadt, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Dipl.-Ing. in Mechanical Engineering (FH) · Mechanical Engineering · Darmstadt, Germany

Certifications & licenses

ISTQB Expert Test Manager (Training)

ISTQB Certified Tester

Certified Professional Product Owner PSPO

Certified Scrum Master PSM

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