Ian Richard McDonald
BSc, PGCE, CSci, CPhys, MInstP, EurPhys, IEng, MIET, MBCS, CITP,  ISEB Test Practitioner

 (T)+44 (0)20 8949 1095 

Profile

Strategic test & quality assurance specialist with wide ranging public sector & private blue chip multinationals experience in defence, telecommunications, insurance, healthcare, aviation, new media and national security.  Experienced in full product life cycle, using V-model, Rapid Application Processes & Lean.  Prince 2 & ISEB Test Practitioner.  Leader of temporary & permanent specialist teams up to 700 engineers on worldwide multiple sites.    

Achievements

•	Cut defect leak at Symbian by over 46% in 18 months, making company world class in testing
•	Successfully delivered to time and schedule fully tested National Firearms Licensing Programme
•	Delivered to time & budget testing on Defra project reducing impact of  national crises
•	Contributed to winning bids for NATO & MoD battlefield communication systems at Cogent Defence
•	Innovated games test strategy at Electronic Arts (EA-Games) resulting in dramatic cost reductions
•	Successfully tested one of Europe’s first WAP sites for whole of Irish Republic
•	Produced test strategy for UK National Topographic database System Integration at Ordnance Survey
•	Sub-System Design Authority  on International Air Traffic Management systems, identifying weaknesses within overall systems and designing in safeguards
•	Designed software/hardware for intelligent interfaces on Sky Phone, as exhibited on BBC TV
•	Major contributor to design of Watchman (UK Air Defence) Radar console
•	Design Authority on Radar systems including London Luton airport.
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Work History

2007 – 2009	Symbian Software Ltd 								Chief Test Architect

Responsible for international sites with c.700 engineering developers, cutting defect leak by 46% in 18 months for this international software telecommunications development specialist.  By end of year one achieved company’s lowest ever defect count delivery to customers.

•	Introduced DNA profiling of code
•	Improved requirements Risk and Gap Analysis 
•	Implemented Test Escape Analysis
•	Improved reporting, review techniques & created and delivered training  
•	Carried out audits ensuring processes delivered 
•	Improved code coverage 
•	Member of advisory group for planning to move towards Agile development
•	Developed new training course in Creating Testable Requirements and Test Escape Analysis
•	Tooling; Mercury Test Director, Bullseye, Coverity, Codenomicon, TeamTrack, Perforce, FocalPoint & wiki.

1997 – 2007	Island Systems Ltd								Managing Director

Having built substantial experience in testing/quality assurance, established test consultancy offering services to blue chip companies ensuring client code quality increases for best value for money.  Contracts varied from 3 months to one year.

•	Major clients included Computer Science Corporation, Cogent Defence & Security Networks Ltd, National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA), IBM/Defra, Nortel Networks, TesCom UK Ltd, Ordnance Survey, Bearing Point/BT, Cable & Wireless, NHS, Symbian, Canon Research, Help Hire & EA-Games
•	Devised test strategy for .NET financial reporting package
•	Using Oracle database (9i and 10g), XML schemas, Web Logic, Business Objects, Site Minder and Blue 8 Gazetteer designed test strategy, delivered successful scripting & testing  for National Firearms Licensing
•	Lean/Scrum project for accident management company (insurance & legal sectors) working on call centre support application. Test team leader, project reports, testers recruitment using Pega, Mercury QTP & Quality Centre (Test Director)
•	Designed test strategy, recruited team & delivered to time, budget & high quality, Whole Farm Approach (WFA) - phase 1.  Time sensitive due to spread of avian influenza. Tools/Technology used  Test Manager, Clear Quest, Clear Case, Requisite Pro, Toad, Oracle and WebSphere on AIX, HTML, XML and SQL 
•	Technical test & QA content provision for successful bids:
o	 Fully automated Test Factory with 400 testers for BT.  Agile methodology with offshore support (£67 million).  Prior to support bid was being won by a competitor
o	NATO military battlefield command messaging system.   Started 2 months behind schedule
o	UK Military Satellite Communications System Skynet 5 – MoD Army interface
•	Devised cost cutting test strategy for international Games Company, stabilising  large fluctuations in staff numbers.  Presented strategy to the Board.  Approach was adopted across EA (world wide)
•	Tested NHS Email and Calendar system for England and Wales preventing serious defect leakage
•	Designed successful test strategies and cases for:
o	Multilingual Information & Document Access System retrieval engine using Natural Language Processing.
o	Small Object Modeller –rendering 3-dimensional image from 2 dimensional images
o	Embedded voice / speech recognition system
o	UNIX and NT based network-monitoring tools.
o	Parcel Force Collection and Delivery Management System Portable Data Capture Device
o	WAP site for Republic of Ireland
o	Test scripts for WAP server
o	Pro National Topographic database mapping System
o	High usage web & email sites (virtual Internet Service Provision - vISP)
o	HTML & Java Script test scripts for a  Digital TV browser
o	Test Director test scripts for an Electronic TV Programme Guide. 
•	Tested embedded software for Mobile phones
•	Conceptualised & wrote a design document for a mass automation test suite
•	Provided sub-contract test consultancy to TesCom UK
•	Developed training material for TesCom & Nortel
•	Tested CD for Radio Spares customer ordering catalogue
•	Designed successful test data generation tool for Nortel, saving weeks of effort in each test pass
•	Tested finance and stock control systems.
•	Tooling: 

1996 – 1997	Flomerics Ltd								QA & Test Manager

Successfully directed test operations within UK & USA.  Moved Blue Chip Computerised Fluid Dynamics company towards ISO9001 & level 4 of the Software QA Capability Maturity Model, establishing metrics to initiate corrective actions and turning around key product (previously a year behind schedule) to product launch.  
•	Taught staff how to write system requirements
•	Produced test strategies
•	Advised on system design changes
•	Wrote test scripts
•	Tested and led product test teams
•	Project budgeting, estimating, planning & staff interviewing.  
Tooling/Env: Unix (Sun, HP, Silicon Graphics IRIX, Dec), Windows, Clear DDTS, XRunner, PCMS, C, C++, Java, Fortran.
1994 – 1996	Siemens Plessey Air Traffic Management					Sub-System Design Authority

Business / systems analyst and team leading for International ATM systems, co-ordinating teams at multiple UK sites. Produced customer presentations & proof of concepts. Wrote system requirements. Project budgeting, estimating, planning & business requirements analysis.  Sub-system responsibilities included: 
•	Operational Role and Position Management (Sweden, Finland and Hungary), 
•	Search and Rescue (Finland) 
•	Military Communications (Finland). etc. 
Tooling/Environment: Team Links, Interleaf, Teamwork, Sherpa/EDMS on VAX.

1989 – 1994	London Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames		Teacher - Head of Physics and Electronics

Taught courses in A level Physics, Science, Electronics, BTEC Engineering, Environmental Science – pupils achieved high pass rates.  Supervising over 140 pupils directly, supporting other teaching and laboratory staff in the department and deputising for Head of Faculty. Developed an E-learning suite to assist pupils in additional learning. Trained both new teachers and university students on work experience. Managed department budget and staff.   Co-authored borough COSH laboratory handbook.   
1986– 1988	Racal Avionics								Senior Engineer

Team leader  (Embedded Software and System Design and Integration Engineering) responsible for design (hardware & software), Conceptualised, designed and tested all microprocessor controlled interface sub-systems for GPS airborne satellite voice communications project (Sky Phone – featured on a BBC TV Science Programme).  Sourced and vetted subcontractors for custom-made power supplies. Delivered customer presentations, project budgets, planning, etc.  Env: ASM, VAX, VMS, UNIX, logic analyser, cro, etc.
1980 – 1986	Plessey Radar, Naval Systems & Displays				Principle Engineer (Radar Systems)

Part of successful design team for Air Defence Radar Console (UK MoD - Watchman) & Tiina (Finnish Air Force   Design Authority on four TMA Air Traffic Control systems (including a London system and an equipment migration project).  Worked on 5 other systrems. Included site support, system configuration, bids, project and budget management, business analyst work, diagnostic software, handbooks and factory documentation, project budgeting, estimating, planning, progress chasing (engineering, test, QA, factory, drawing office, etc).  Experience included: Business Analyst, Hardware Engineer, Software Engineer, Systems Engineer and Test Analyst. At a management level worked with teams (client, factory, test, drawing office, buying office, technical publications, projects, 3rd party suppliers) ensuring delivery to time and budget.  Designed test strategies & wrote test specifications at every hardware and software manufacturing and development level – including air trials and User Acceptance Testing. Wrote, designed and created test harnesses. Produced and ran diagnostic software. Designed and produced test equipment and test software for cursive displays.  Successfully led trouble-shooting teams for embedded systems, heading up a trouble shooting teams for Built-in Test Equipment & Radar Plot Combiner.  Was told that I had “best all round engineering experience within the company” at that time.  Promoted over 6 times, having served a graduate apprenticeship.  Tooling/Env.: RTL/2, PLM, ASM, VAX VMS, PDP11, Spice, protocol analyser, logic analyser, CRO, etc.
Education
1990 - 1997 	UK Open University,  BSc – Science.  Degree includes science and mathematical modelling 
1988 – 1989	London University,  PGCE - Science Education
1987 – 1988	University of Westminster,  Diploma - Electronics and Computer Technology (project judged appropriate for  MSc Standard project – fast Array Sorting and Design of  ARINC 429 to RS232 data test equipment)
1978 – 1980	Portsmouth University,  HND Applied Physics
1971 – 1978	Beverley Boys School, New Malden, 
9 “O” Levels including English and Mathematics and achieved A level Physics in one year of study.

Professional Institutes

CSci, CPhys, MInstP, EurPhys, MIET, IEng, MBCS, CITP
Member: Institute of Physics, British Computer Society & Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Certifications & Training

2003		Prince 2 Practitioner, also hold Prince 2 Foundation.
2008		ISEB Test Practitioner, also hold ISEB Test Fouindation.
2008		Graduate; UK National Leadership Academy – Improvement and Development Agency 
Lean Projects – Two day presentation by Mary and Tom Poppendieck (authors of Lean Software Development). 
		Lean & Agile Projects Estimation Workshop & Goal Directed Project Management (GDPM) planning..
Pega Rules Process Commander Fundamentals – Pega Systems.
Rational courses - TestManager, ClearCase, ClearQuest, RequisitePro, RationalRose, & Rational Unified Process (RUP).
UNIX, C++, Java, XML, .NET, Visual Basic, INTEL iAPX 86, 88, 186 part 1 assembler and Motorola MTT6-MC6805 assembler.
		Pega Systems – Pega Commander Foundations course.
		Kennedy Carter OOA readers course (Shlaer-Mellor Process).

Security Clearance

Computer Science Corporation - At British Aerospace, 
SC 	Cleared 10/05/2007 to 17/02/2012 (Computer Sciences Corporation at BAE Systems Ltd).  Previously cleared 04/07/2003 to 04/07/2008 (Cogent Defence Systems). Renewed PITO (2006).  
CT 	Cleared 09/11/2005 to 09/11/2008 (IBM - Defra). Renewed Police IT Organisation (now called National Police Improvement Agency) Oct 2006.  Obtained: 10-May-2007  Valid: 10-May-2007 to 17-Feb-2012

Personal Interests

•	Local councillor for 16 years; Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (Deputy Mayor 2000 – 2001)
•	Author - teaching material contract with a publisher
•	Writing a drama novel ‘Celtic Tigers’
•	Support Mayor’s Charity  each year
•	Geneology – tracked family tree back to 1700.