ASHOK KUMAR GUTTA
Summary
Results-driven QA Manager and Quality Engineering Leader with 25+ years of experience driving quality transformation across enterprise, SaaS, and cloud platforms. Proven expertise in software quality assurance, test automation, performance engineering, CI/CD, and AI/ML-enabled quality practices, with deep domain experience across finance, insurance, media & entertainment, e-commerce, and hospitality. Recognized for translating business and product requirements into scalable QA strategies, modernizing legacy test frameworks, and establishing automation-first, risk-based testing models enhanced by AI/ML tools for test optimization, defect prediction, and execution intelligence. Extensive experience across custom applications (J2EE) and packaged platforms (SAP), building functional and performance automation frameworks, quality metrics, and governance models aligned with Agile and Hybrid Agile delivery. A trusted quality leader with a strong track record of managing onshore and offshore teams, enabling shift-left and continuous testing practices, and supporting multiple concurrent programs across all phases of the SDLC. Delivered measurable outcomes including reducing mean time to deliver from one week to two hours, enabling on-demand releases, and cutting UAT effort by 80% during enterprise transformation initiatives. Currently leading teams toward a CI/CD-native, AI-assisted quality engineering model focused on scalability, efficiency, and business impact.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Principal Software Engineer in Test (Acting QA Manager)
Autodesk Inc.
10.2018 - Current
- Lead global QA teams across multiple time zones; responsible for hiring, mentoring, and career development.
- Define QA organizational roadmap, aligning quality goals with business objectives and product strategy.
- Drive budget planning and resource allocation for QA initiatives, ensuring cost efficiency and ROI.
- Act as executive liaison, presenting QA metrics, risk assessments, and release readiness to senior leadership.
- Champion shift-left and continuous testing practices, embedding quality early in SDLC.
- Owned end-to-end quality strategy and release readiness for multiple SaaS products.
- Modernized UFT automation to Python, saving $100K annually.
- Reduced regression cycles by ~60% and automation flakiness by ~80%.
- Introduced risk-based testing and AI-driven insights for predictive defect analysis.
- Acted as primary QA escalation point for critical releases.
Lead Quality Assurance Engineer
Zenith Insurance Company
Woodland Hills, CA
03.2012 - 09.2018
- Led enterprise QA initiatives for insurance platforms, driving automation adoption and performance engineering while managing offshore teams.
- Owned portfolio automation strategy and designed reusable frameworks for functional and performance testing.
- Operationalized automation in Agile environments, reducing manual effort and improving release predictability.
- Recommended and implemented new tools to expand testing capability and throughput.
- Developed load, performance, and stress testing strategies; eliminated bottlenecks during development lifecycle.
- Communicated QA health and improvement plans to senior leadership; managed offshore QA resources.
Performance Test Lead / Services Information Developer
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Colorado Springs, CO
09.2003 - 01.2012
- Directed performance engineering for global enterprise releases, ensuring scalability and reliability of mission-critical applications.
- Designed non-functional requirements and release execution strategies for large-scale projects.
- Developed automated business scenarios for web, Siebel-Web, AJAX, RTE, and Oracle 2-tier applications.
- Conducted system performance analysis using LoadRunner, Performance Manager, and SQL Tuning Advisor.
- Recommended tuning strategies and optimization based on defect analysis; led troubleshooting calls for performance issues.
- Collaborated with global delivery teams to ensure timely, high-quality releases.
Software Engineer
Pentasoft Technologies Ltd.
Chennai, India
07.2000 - 08.2003
- Delivered functional and automated testing for enterprise applications, contributing to improved test coverage and reliability.
- Developed and executed functional test cases and automated regression suites using WinRunner.
- Designed test automation architecture and reusable scripts; implemented ASP and JavaScript for test modules.
- Prepared defect reports, test documentation, and user interface layouts for enterprise applications.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Computers
Skills
- QA leadership and strategy
- Governance and metrics
- Test automation transformation
- Agile and SAFe enablement
- Release readiness and risk management
- Performance engineering
- CI/CD processes
- Stakeholder and executive communication
- QA center of excellence
- Selenium, Worksoft Certify, UFT, Katalon, Postman
- LoadRunner, JMeter, NeoLoad
- Python, Java, Groovy
- Jenkins and Rundeck
- Dynatrace and Nagios
- Salesforce expertise
- REST and SOAP protocols
- Scrum and Waterfall methodologies
Websites
Accomplishments
- Built and scaled QA Centers of Excellence.
- Standardized QA processes, metrics, and governance.
- Delivered measurable cost savings and faster releases.
- Mentored senior engineers into leadership roles.
- Reduced Mean Time to Deliver from 1 week to 2 hours for on-demand releases.
- Cut UAT effort by 80% through shift-left strategy during SAP Hana migration.
Tools And Technologies
Selenium, Worksoft Certify, UFT, Katalon, Postman, LoadRunner, JMeter, NeoLoad, Python, Java, Groovy, Jenkins, Dynatrace, Rundeck, Nagios, Salesforce, REST, SOAP, Agile, Scrum, Waterfall
Timeline
Principal Software Engineer in Test (Acting QA Manager)
Autodesk Inc.
10.2018 - Current
Lead Quality Assurance Engineer
Zenith Insurance Company
03.2012 - 09.2018
Performance Test Lead / Services Information Developer
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
09.2003 - 01.2012
Software Engineer
Pentasoft Technologies Ltd.
07.2000 - 08.2003