As Quality Assurance (QA) Lead, Dhivya plays a pivotal role in our testing team. She is responsible for developing testing procedures by defining quality metrics and testing strategies.
Continuous improvement lies at the core of everything we do, and we walk the talk by continuously enhancing our products and services. To help achieve this, Dhivya and her teammates work to establish expected standards and processes, as well as mentor and provide feedback. Dhivya also works closely with management to ensure that the testing team’s goals are aligned with the broader organisation.
Dhivya shares with us more about her journey in Enlighten, and her thoughts about the future of the industry.
What has your career journey been like to date?
I joined Enlighten in 2018 as a test analyst and two years later became senior test analyst. In August 2021, I was given the opportunity to take on the role of QA Lead. Currently, I’m responsible for coordinating projects, fine-tuning processes, upholding the standards and quality of Enlighten’s offerings, and mentoring juniors.
Have you had a role model or mentor who has helped you on your journey?
Enlighten’s CTO Steven Corry and CIO Dr Ian Boyd have been a big inspiration in my career. Prior to moving to Australia and eventually joining Enlighten, I worked in India. When I began working here, I saw a world of difference between my managers in Enlighten and those at any of my previous workplaces.
Steven and Ian are both highly respectful to and supportive of every employee. Such consultative leadership means a lot as it gives me the confidence to speak out and volunteer my ideas, to have a say in how Enlighten can improve. It also gives me a sense of assurance that enables me to perform better, as it shows that they trust me.
Another role model of mine is Sarah Coughlin, Head of Enlighten Institute of Management. I admire her, not just because she is a trailblazer, but also because of the way she carries herself. She can answer tough questions with poise and tact.
A critical mentor who has guided me in my career is Rossitza Klissourova, Development Team Lead at Enlighten. When I joined Enlighten, she taught me everything about our product. She was my first Lead when I started working on a specific project, and she was an amazing team leader who was always pleasant and approachable. As a senior in Enlighten, she has always made every effort and spent lots of time transferring knowledge.
If you were mentoring a leader of the future, what advice or guidance would you give to help them on their way?
I would advise my juniors – the next generation who will take over – to set short-term goals. Instead of long-term goals, I prefer to set short-term measurable and achievable goals. This serves as a roadmap and a checklist, enabling you to achieve what you need to in increments, to move you towards where you want to be.
Also, with short-term goals, there’s a confidence boost every time you achieve something. This will fuel your journey onwards.
While long-term goals are great in terms of providing a general sense of direction, to me, they seem vague and seemingly insurmountable. That is why I believe short-term goals are more viable.
Is there anything specific that you would like to achieve in your career? What is the next step on your journey?
Very much so! As mentioned earlier, I was promoted to the QA Lead position in August 2021, and I feel like there is plenty more for me to achieve and to contribute. Professionally speaking, I would like to bring in many more quality-based improvements to Enlighten. This will also help me set the stage for the next step in my career.
I am confident that I have grown into my role as team lead, and I do see myself in a managerial position where I am completely responsible for the quality space.
What are the biggest changes you have seen to date in the areas of leadership and operational excellence?
In the past, the original team at Enlighten was small. We did not have multiple groups and team leads, and everything was managed by the CIO and CTO. Over time, we split our teams into our respective specialisations, such as testing teams, data analyst operations, development and so on. Team leads such as myself emerged from these, and we focused on mentoring our juniors and on day-to-day operations, while senior management focused on the big picture.
However, this does not mean that we have disconnected from our senior leaders. Each team lead receives mentoring from the CIO and CTO; we also have workshops and certifications such as the lean six sigma certification, and are all still given opportunities to grow in our roles.
There’s been much discussion about the role of employee well-being in business success. In your view, how does workplace wellness contribute to a productive work environment?
We are all human, and it is difficult to separate personal commitments from career challenges. Being a mother is never easy, and I have two young kids. I had my second child after joining Enlighten, and thankfully, my leaders in Enlighten have always been supportive. In pre-COVID times, they allowed me to work from home whenever I needed to and allowed me to take a break whenever I needed one. While work-life balance was difficult to juggle between my expanded role and my family commitments, the Enlighten team was always ready to rally behind me and push me forward – both in a personal and professional capacity.
Being from India, I thought that I would be part of the minority in Enlighten. However, there are people from all walks of life here. Our points of origin did not matter – what mattered were our contributions, our views, and this made me feel cherished as an employee, inspiring me to continue giving my best and not engage in self-censorship.
Where do you see the industry headed in the immediate to mid-term future?
I believe there is a lot of opportunity in the cybersecurity space. As the workplace becomes increasingly digitalised, the digital attack surface has expanded greatly. This is driving the need for security engineers, security testing, and cybersecurity consultants.
An increasingly digitalised workplace also creates the opportunity to capture data and automate processes. To this end, I anticipate that data scientists and data analysts will be in high demand.