Meet the Team, Sophia Manalo QA Engineer

Sophia is an experienced software developer and QA Engineer currently working at Cyclr, an embedded iPaaS.

“I like working with the Cyclr product as it’s constantly evolving, which brings a lot of variety to my work.” Sophia Manalo

What does your job in QA entail?

On a daily basis, I review and test new features and bug fixes for the Cyclr platform. For each ticket, I aim to understand the objectives and make sure that the solution adequately meets them and to a high standard.

What’s the QA process from start to finish?

The process for bigger features tends to start by creating test plans to make sure I cover everything I can think of. Then I begin testing as soon as the feature or bug leaves code review. Any defects or inconsistencies are reported back to the developer, and once they are fixed, I retest to make sure there are no new defects. After it leaves the test, I create automated tests to reduce the chance of regression.

Where do you work?

I work mainly from home. I like working from home as I live quite far away from the offices. 

How did your role and work life change during the pandemic (if at all?)

The pandemic has made work from home a more readily accepted work model for our industry, which I feel like I have really benefited from in terms of the range of companies I could apply for. Without this change, I would not have been able to work at Cyclr.

What was your journey into your role?

I studied Computer Science at University, and then after graduation, started working as a software developer. At my first job, I realised I enjoyed writing the automated tests more than the features so I looked to transition to QA instead.

What skills have you developed during your time in the role?

Working with APIs and creating automated tests for them. I’ve also developed my ability to understand, analyse and question requirements.

What do you like most about working at Cyclr?

I like that the company really believes in its values and its people. I also really like working with the Cyclr product as it’s constantly evolving, which brings a lot of variety to my work.

How closely do you work with other team members?

I work with the Platform development team the most, as I test their work. Occasionally, I speak to our UX designer and CPO to clarify how features should look and how they should work. 

Finally, Cyclr helps people build integrations. What integrations do you rely on in your role?

I find that Slack, GitHub and JIRA integrations help with my productivity. On the whole, I mostly work with the integrations in Cyclr itself, I create a lot of cycles during my day-to-day to test features. 

Meet other Cyclr Team members