Navya Reddy Lenkala is the lead quality assurance (QA) engineer in The New England for Children’s ACE® Department. She joined NECC five years ago as a QA engineer and was promoted to lead QA engineer last year after operating as a team of one for months. A colleague nominated Lenkala, noting her “very strong work ethic” and dependability despite increasing demands. “People may have noticed that the ACE software has been operating pretty smoothly for months, but there’s only one person doing all the testing,” said the nominator. “The team has been moving a little bit faster each month and it’s put more and more pressure on Navya to keep up—and she’s doing it—somehow.”
What does a typical day look like in the ACE Department?
It starts with a stand-up call posting what I did yesterday, what I will do today, and [addressing] any concerns or blockers. The whole team logs into the virtual office and complete the tasks assigned. As a QA engineer, the majority of my day is testing the developed features and finding issues before reaching out to production and touching base with the team to fix issues.
What is something you wish other NECC staff knew about ACE?
When we started working remotely, most of us felt disconnected and missed the water cooler talk. Thanks to Nicole [Gardenier, executive director of the ACE] and Darryl [Agostinelli, chief technology officer] for the virtual office idea, which made us feel more connected as if everyone was sitting next to each other.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Knowing that every day my work assists teachers in helping these wonderful kids reach their full potential. I enjoy investigating the root causes for the issues I find in the ACE product.
Who is someone you look up to?
I look up to my mother, who always goes beyond and above to help those around her.
What is your life philosophy or a motto you like to live by?
Live today and plan for tomorrow as well.