Pete Copper

Test Lead

How long have you worked at UnderwriteMe?
I’ve been an UnderwriteMe contractor since 2014 but recently became a permanent employee in October 2019.

How have you found it so far?
I’ve been with UnderwriteMe since the near beginning, watching it change from a greenfield site to a market-leading company and having been through the chaos and panic of the first launch to now where most releases are a steady procedural affair. It’s been a ride!

What does a day look like for you?
Every day can be different for me! Usually, I will get in, try and sort through any emails I have outstanding, finish off outstanding tasks and chase up on a few items before meetings start. I luckily don’t spend too long in meetings most days, although agile sprint ceremonies can take up most of a day when they come around. A large chunk of my day talking to other people, whether it’s developers about tickets they are working on, DevOps Engineers to help with test environments, testers to help with work they are doing or to find out the status of releases or management to discuss processes, and on the odd occasions everyone when there is a production incident that may need attention from a wider group. When I am able to sit down I am usually documenting and running tests, or maybe writing wiki pages!

What skill sets are you building in your current role?
I started at UnderwriteMe in more of a test automation role but that has developed over my time here from the experience I have gained and the changes in the structure of the business. I have moved away from test automation and into the Test Lead role supporting the Test Manager as well as taking up a more strategic approach when possible in between some good old fashioned testing. Currently, I’m working on my management skills so I can take on more line management duties.