Robin Potter

Experience

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  Automobile Assoc.

  Jan 1995 - Jan 2000

  Telematics Test Analyst
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  Sun Life of Canada

  Mar 2000 - Mar 2001

  Test Lead

  Leading a team of test analysts. Primary focus of team to functionally test the pension application and infrastructure

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  IBM

  Mar 2001 - Jan 2011

  Performance Test Consultant

  Robin is an experienced performance test consultant with over twelve years of performance test experience in multiple performance roles spanning the full performance test and project lifecycle. Robin has experience in numerous performance engagements, and has actively been involved from consultancy roles, and from bid/proposal stage through to the final performance test phase. From a physical hands on testing aspect Robin has experience in using a number ofautomated testing tools including HP LoadRunner, Rational Suite to name a few, as well as many freeware tools and bespoke performance tools. Robin has been involved in the testing industry for over 15 years both in functional and non-functional testing. Robin is vastly experienced in the test preparation and execution for bothfunctional and non-functional testing phases. Robin is now consider in his niche profession to be a well versed performance test consultant and can work effectively at any stage of the test cycle. Show less

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  Royal & Sun Alliance

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2004

  Performance Tester
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  Bank of Scotland

  Oct 2006 - Nov 2007

  Performance Test Consultant and Manager

  Project Description: The Financial Regulator identified a needfor payments within financial insititutions and across financialinstitutions should be a lot more efficient than currently was inplace. They set SLAs to enable transfers across institutions totake a total of 15 seconds, rather than the then three days.HBOS identified a solution to provide this and also hadidentified a way to performance test this. There was a highprofile risk around both the solution identified and the approachto performance testing. Robin's role was to assess the performanceapproach, and plan and deliver the performance testing.Contribution: Robin's key contributions were proving that the HBOS proposed approach and tooling were not viable. Robin thenidentified and put in place a revised apporach, and alsoidentified a different tooling method, the use of the Iliad tool.This involved a tool option that was not held as part of thebank's toolset, and required evaluation and purchasing. Robin thenworked with the tool vendor to supply and configure the tool forthe FPS requirements. Robin was also involved with educating andmigrating the Iliad tool into the HBOS Group IT way ofoperation. Robin worked closely with both HBOS and other banksin the succesful delivery of the FPS. Show less

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  HM Land Registry

  Nov 2007 - May 2008

  Performance Test Consultant

  Project Description: The Land Registry were delivering severalstreams throughout 2007 and 2008, and had an inhouseperformance test team. IBM had a presence on the accountand had concerns around the efficiency of both theirperformance test manager and performance testing. Both theperformance infrastrucutrue used for HMLR performancetesting and the methods and approachs were brought intoquestion. Robin joined the project to mentor the performance testmanager over a specific release, to bring better methods andpractices to performance testing as a whole across HMLR.Contribution: Robin's key contribution was to train the current HMLRperformance test manager to deliver successful performancetesting. Robin put in place a robust performance approach andmethod that could be reused going forward. Robin also assessedthe performance test rig used, and identified it was the incorrectsetup and approach, which Robin then proposed a more suitedsolution. Robin successfully turned performance testing around inHMLR and was retained for two further releases post his initialengagement. Show less

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  Deutsche Bank

  May 2008 - Nov 2008

  Project Description: Deutsche Bank had a release due togo live the back end of November. The main focus was aroundnew batch processing and high performance risk attached tothis aspect. Deutsche Bank hit a major problem with the supplier oftheir performance test resource and release them from theirresponsibilities. Robin was asked to manage the cycle three, finalround of performance testing, prior to go live. This was a shortpiece of work, but involved me hitting the ground running in ahighly charged and focussed environment.Contribution: Robin had to turn the performance piece of workaround, due to the dissatisfaction installed by the previoussuppliers. Robin had to manage to testers, from the supplier inquestion, and take on work from their test manager. Thechallenging aspect was changing approaches so close toexecution and keeping the testers focussed. Robin managed to turnthe client satisfaction on its head and they came out extremelyimpressed with the final performance efforts and results. Robin'sfinal contribution was collating the performance results andpresenting to Deutsche Bank management to achieve apositive go-live decision. Show less Project Description: Deutsche Bank were moving their datacentre from London to Frankfurt. There was a requirement toensure that the switch caused no degradation in productionperformance under the move. Robin joined the account to managethe performance testing. Robin had to plan a four cycle approach toperformance testing, and migrate from an intial on-shoreapproach for the first two cycles to an off-shore approach forthe final two cycles. As well as the standard performancetesting responsibilities Robin was involved with off shore recruitment,external candidates for IBM India, and train schedules.Contribution: Robin planned the four cycle approach to performancetesting for all performance risk activities. This focussed aroundthe intraday trading activities, batch and front office interaction.Robin also supported and managed performance activities outsideFrankfurt that were being undertaken offshore andencountering difficulties. My other contribution was toformulating an approach to performance testing moving forwardand working for 2009. Show less

  • Performance Test Manager

    Oct 2008 - Nov 2008

  • Performance Test Consultant

    May 2008 - Sept 2008
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  Shell

  Nov 2008 - Jun 2009

  Performance Test Manager

  Project Description: A phased global implementation of terminalautomated services for a major petroleum company. Myresponsibility was for testing the middleware aspect, called theGlobal Icebox, which integrated with a SAP front end andBiztalk layers.Contribution: Working as a performance test manager assignedto reviewing and implementing a reusable performance processand methodology for the rollout of key middleware. My key rolewas to review the current performance approach used to testkey middleware and implement any changes or improvementsto all aspects of the performance cycle. This was a phasedimplementation and a repeatable process was required, alongwith integration to other interfaces. Show less

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  Marks and Spencer

  Jul 2009 - Jan 2010

  Performance Test Manager

  CSSM

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  Deutsche Bank

  Feb 2010 - Jan 2011

  Performance Test Manager

  Engaged as the performance SME to create strategy and plan for the bank's Asset Servicing Utility.

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  Barclays Corporate

  Jan 2011 - Sept 2011

  Senior Performance Test Programme Manager
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  IBM

  Oct 2011 - May 2022

  Employed as performance test manager on major public sector account.

  • Performance Test Consultant

    Jul 2012 - May 2022

  • Performance Test Manager, Contract

    Oct 2011 - Jul 2012
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  Nationwide Building Society

  May 2022 - now

  NFT Lead Engineer