QA Practice Leads¶
The QA practice is led by Sukhjinder Manak and Stephanie Spence. Between them they set the standard for how CDS builds quality into everything it delivers and support the QA community day to day. Practice sessions are open to everyone at CDS, so whether you're a tester by profession or just want to improve how your team approaches quality, either of them is a good person to talk to.
Sukhjinder Manak¶
Practice Lead, QA · she/her
Sukhjinder has spent eighteen years at CDS and built its QA practice from the ground up. She defined how CDS approaches testing, from the core principles through to the automation strategy, tooling standards and the templates teams use on every engagement. She pairs that with hands-on delivery, still writing automated tests in Playwright so her decisions stay grounded in real work.
In Sukhjinder's words¶
I've worked in testing for over a decade, and there's nothing I enjoy more than helping the team deliver applications we're proud of. I care about building a quality culture where everyone takes responsibility for the standard of what we ship.
Outside of work, I'm mum to a five-year-old who keeps me busy and active, and I love baking.
What Sukhjinder focuses on¶
- Owning the CDS testing and automation strategy, the core testing principles and the tooling standards
- Keeping those standards practical and current, grounded in her own hands-on delivery
- Running the QA practice community and its monthly sessions
- Developing QA practitioners and building leadership within the team
Background¶
Across eighteen years at CDS, Sukhjinder has led testing on complex public and private sector programmes, including national-scale digital policing platforms, growing from test analyst to the person who defines quality across the business. She also contributes to bids and shapes how CDS articulates its approach to quality for prospective clients.
Strengths¶
Test strategy and coverage · exploratory testing · defect management · test metrics and reporting · Playwright automation · mentoring and developing testers
Certifications¶
ISTQB Advanced Level Test Manager (CTAL) · ISTQB Agile Tester · ITIL Foundation · ILM Leadership and Management
Get in touch¶
Reach Sukhjinder at sukhjinder.manak@cds.co.uk, or connect on LinkedIn.
Stephanie Spence¶
Practice Lead, QA · she/her
Stephanie is a QA leader with more than a decade of experience shaping quality on complex, high-stakes programmes, including national-scale digital platforms for UK policing. She has spent most of her career at CDS, moving from test analyst to leading quality on client engagements and now co-leading the practice, and she brings a consultancy mindset that spans delivery, product and technical domains.
In Stephanie's words¶
I'm Steph, and I came straight into the world of QA after graduating from university. I've enjoyed it so much that, over the past 12 years, I've actually had the pleasure of working for CDS twice!
I genuinely love what I do, and I know how lucky I am to be able to say that. Over the last decade I've had the opportunity to work on some incredibly rewarding projects, learn from some brilliant people, and develop not only my skills and knowledge of the industry but also a much better understanding of myself along the way.
Outside of work, I'm a very busy mum to a seven-year-old and a very demanding (but very fluffy) kitten. When I'm not working or parenting, you'll probably find me either at the gym or in the pub. It's all about balance.
What Stephanie focuses on¶
- Setting test strategy and embedding quality throughout the delivery lifecycle
- Championing shift-left and agile testing on engagements
- Communicating quality and risk clearly to both technical and senior stakeholders
- Mentoring and coaching testers and strengthening team capability
Background¶
Stephanie has delivered end-to-end testing on national policing platforms and a range of public and private sector programmes, increasing automation coverage and raising testing standards along the way. She contributes to pre-sales and proposals, and has delivered system training directly to client teams.
Strengths¶
Test strategy and coverage · exploratory testing · accessibility testing · visual regression · defect management · coaching and developing testers
Certifications¶
ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) · BCS Agile Foundation · BSc (Hons) Computing and Engineering, First Class
Get in touch¶
Reach Stephanie at stephanie.spence@cds.co.uk, or connect on LinkedIn.