Russell Wissman

Seasoned Software Test Lead with over 35 years of experience in healthcare systems testing and managing onshore and offshore QA teams, delivering high-quality enterprise solutions through a blend of manual and automated testing practices. Adept at leading QA teams in SAFe Agile environments as a Certified Scrum Master or Kanban Lead, with deep expertise in healthcare IT.

Professional Summary

Seasoned Software Test Lead with over 35 years of experience in healthcare systems testing and managing onshore and offshore QA teams, delivering high-quality enterprise solutions through a blend of manual and automated testing practices. Adept at leading QA teams in SAFe Agile environments as a Scrum Master or Kanban Lead, with deep expertise in healthcare IT.

Innovative and detail-oriented Test Architect with over 10 years of experience in leading a team of test automation engineers, cross-functional teams and stakeholders to ensure the delivery of reliable, high-performance software products.

Core Competencies

• Healthcare Systems QA (Facets 2.62 – 6.1, Enrollment, Billing, Claims (Medical and Dental), Provider agreements, Benefits and Mandates, 837 Edi files, X12 Enrollment Files)
• Subject matter expert on health care claims
• ACA Lead Tester 2013- current. 
• Team QA lead Cloud Migration Azure
• Onshore & Offshore Team Management
• Manual & Automated Testing (SQA Robot, VBA Scripts, UFT, QTP, Test Complete)
• Test Architecture, plan Automation Script Recording and Maintenance
• Test Strategy, Planning, Design & Execution
• Defect Management (Rational Test Manager, Clear Quest, HP-ALM, Quality Center JIRA)
• Kanban Team Lead
• Agile, SAFe Agile (Scrum & Kanban) & Waterfall Methodologies 
• SIT, Functional & Regression Testing
• UAT Coordination & Stakeholder Communication
• Cross-Team Collaboration & Leadership
• Risk-Based Testing & Root Cause Analysis
• Test Data Management & Environment Readiness
• Functional, Regression, Integration & UAT Tester
• Microsoft Office Suite with advanced Excel and Access
• Worked on-Site, Hybrid, and Remote

Professional Experience

Lead QA Test Analyst, Kanban Lead, and Test Architect
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
2009 – January 2026

• Designed and implemented an enterprise-wide test automation architecture (with the automation engineers) for health insurance claims 60% automation rate.
• Directed QA efforts for enterprise healthcare systems using manual testing for exploratory and validation tasks, and automated frameworks for regression and smoke testing
• Spearheaded transition from manual to automated testing for medical claims during the Affordable Care Act (ACA) rollout
• ACA Product / Claim configuration testing to ensure claim payment matches Benefits and Mandates. Testing approximately 25K claims per year. 
• Supervised a blended testing model with extensive manual testing and gradually introduced automation using TestComplete for repetitive tasks.
• Implemented defect lifecycle processes and built reusable test case libraries to support scalability.
• Partnered with developers to define acceptance criteria and ensured 100% coverage of high-priority test scenarios.
• Helped develop a VBA framework to create and mask 837 claim creation and load into test regions
• Created test complete scripts to apply rate data to groups and Consumer Direct Members
• Introduced test data management strategy using synthetic and production-masked data for high-quality test environments.
• Provided architectural and health care expertise across distributed Agile teams (US, India).
• Mentored and trained test engineers in automation standards, framework usage, and agile testing practices.
• Mentored QA leads and engineers onshore and offshore, fostering high-performing, collaborative team culture.
• Designed and executed testing frameworks for multi-million-dollar Facets Rollout, ensuring 100% compliance with internal audits.
• Oversaw system, integration, and UAT testing of third-party interfaces ( X12, FileNet, TIBCO).
• Led test design, execution, and defect management across multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs) in a SAFe environment.
• Authored test charters, traceability matrices, and verification protocols in alignment with business requirements and regulatory compliance.
• Provide System Demos
• Scrum team Test Lead 
• Kanban Lead

Senior Software Test Engineer
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
1998 – 2009

• Worked as a manual tester for the Facets Enrollment and Billing implementation (Functional and System)
• Web Testing for implementation of Intranet site
• Conducted Test walkthroughs with stakeholders
• Test Lead and Tester for Dental claims Implementation on Facets
• Test Lead on the Dental History Migration project, Provider Conversion project (Mainframe to Client Server), and RealMed Claim System project 
• Create test timeline and estimates
• Managed QA activities for clinical and billing systems, with full lifecycle oversight from requirements to UAT.
• Supervised a blended testing model with extensive manual testing and gradually introduced automation using SQA Robot for repetitive tasks.
• Partnered with developers to define acceptance criteria and ensured 100% coverage of high-priority test scenarios.
• Log and track defects in Rational test manager, Clear Quest, HP-ALM, Quality Center
• Conduct DRB calls and follow-up
• Provided weekly status reports to Sr. Management
• Developed and fostered a relationship with our offshore partner, including the creation of a “CareFirst University” to teach them about health care
• Create Test plans and requirement traceability documents and led business walkthroughs
• Create detailed test data based on the test plan
• Record Automated test Scripts in Rational SQA Robot, WinRunner
• Tested Custom .Net extensions working 2 in a box with the developer
• Backend testing of data loads via SQL  

Network Admin / Technician
BlueCross BlueShield NCA
1997-1998

• Conversion of dumb terminals to Windows PCs on a Novell Network
• User & folder permissions
• Network Print Manager
• Tier 2 support
• Cable management

Claims Adjudicator/ Team Lead
BlueCross BlueShield NCA
1987-1997

• Adjudicate claims
• Managed Claims volume and reporting
• Managed 11 associates in a production environment 
• Evaluated and Mentor employee performance
• Wrote updates to edits and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Perform User Acceptance Testing

Certifications

• SAFe 6 Scrum Master
• SAFe 4 Agilist 
• SAFe 6 Practitioner
• CTFL - International Software Testing Qualifications Board
• MCP - NT Server 4.0, NT Workstation 4.0, Networking Essentials
• CNA - Novell 4.11

Technical Tools & Languages

• Testing Tools: UFT, TestComplete, MS SQL Server, Toad
• Test Management: Clear Case, Rally, ALM/QC, JIRA, Zephyr
• Automation Tools: WinRunner / UFT, Test Complete, VBA Scripts
• API Testing: SoapUI
• Languages: SQL, VBA, JavaScript
• Healthcare Tech: EDI 837, X12, CPT/ICD, SOB
• Manual Testing: Test case design, exploratory testing, checklist testing, UAT, SIT, and Functional

Professional Highlights

• Successfully implemented test automation strategy, reducing manual regression test time by 60%.
• Balanced manual exploratory testing with automated regression to improve quality and test coverage in agile sprints.
• Mentored junior testers in both manual execution techniques and automation scripting, growing in-house QA competency.
• Implantation of Off-Shore “CareFirst” University

Associates Degree in Computer Business Systems, With Network Administration - from Computer Learning Centers