Tobias Eckhardt, how did your journey in Quality Assurance begin, and what has kept you at WINPACCS all these years?

Tobias Eckhardt: My journey in Quality Assurance began with a student job at mbi, working in the insurance sector. At the time, we supported clients from the insurance industry, and I was primarily responsible for testing custom software solutions developed for them. I even had the opportunity to spend a year supporting the development team. That was a long time ago, but it gave me valuable insight into the developers' perspective and helped me better understand their work.

What started as a student job quickly turned into a full-time position in Quality Assurance at mbi. This allowed me to continuously expand my responsibilities and eventually take on testing activities across almost all areas of custom software development, as well as throughout the WINPACCS ecosystem, or support the respective teams in doing so.

What has kept me at WINPACCS is the opportunity to get to know the software in great depth through years of testing and to look back on its continuous development over a long period of time. I particularly enjoy working on projects over many years with persistence and dedication, rather than moving on after a short time.

Another aspect I have found especially interesting is gaining insight into many different areas related to WINPACCS over the years. This includes customer interactions, supporting our WINPACCS support team, and participating in events such as Customer Day and the Symposium. All the processes surrounding WINPACCS, from marketing, sales, and customer support to product development, from initial ideas and concepts through development, quality assurance, and delivery, form one interconnected whole that has driven WINPACCS forward over the years.

Being part of this journey and continuously improving a product tailored specifically to the needs of organisations working in global development is something I find both exciting and rewarding.

What is one aspect of WINPACCS that has remained unchanged despite all the developments over the years? 

Tobias Eckhardt: One thing I particularly appreciate about the WINPACCS team is the strong collaboration between Quality Assurance, software developers, business analysts, consultants, and customer support colleagues. Throughout the years, we have always had a very positive team spirit. That's something quite special. The stereotype of "developers versus QA" simply doesn't exist here.

We all share the same goal: providing our customers with a high-quality product that makes their daily work easier and more efficient.

I also value the long-term perspective behind WINPACCS. It is not a short-term project that is completed after a few months or even a couple of years. Our shared goal has always been to provide reliable software that supports organisations in their day-to-day work. That mission has never changed, and I truly appreciate being able to contribute to it year after year alongside colleagues who have also been part of this journey for a long time.

How do you stay curious and critical, even after so many years?

Tobias Eckhardt: One of the fascinating aspects of Quality Assurance is that you never stop learning. Requirements, technologies, and ways of working are constantly evolving.

For me, staying critical does not mean questioning everything or constantly reinventing the wheel. Instead, it means paying close attention, observing carefully, and continuously looking for opportunities to improve processes and products.

From a functional perspective, WINPACCS has expanded into entirely new areas over the years. Additional features and topics are regularly introduced, which means there is always something new to understand and test. Whenever unfamiliar topics emerge, I need to immerse myself in them and develop a solid understanding of both the subject matter and our customers' needs.

What has been the most challenging bug of your career, and what makes testing so exciting for you?

Tobias Eckhardt​​​​​​​: One of the fascinating aspects of Quality Assurance is that you never stop learning. Requirements, technologies, and ways of working are constantly evolving.

For me, staying critical does not mean questioning everything or constantly reinventing the wheel. Instead, it means paying close attention, observing carefully, and continuously looking for opportunities to improve processes and products.

From a functional perspective, WINPACCS has expanded into entirely new areas over the years. Additional features and topics are regularly introduced, which means there is always something new to understand and test. Whenever unfamiliar topics emerge, I need to immerse myself in them and develop a solid understanding of both the subject matter and our customers' needs.

What has been the most challenging bug of your career, and what makes testing so exciting for you? 

Tobias Eckhardt: Over the years, I have documented and reported thousands of issues that have contributed to improving our software. However, I cannot point to a single bug as being the most challenging one.

What I find particularly exciting are those moments when intuition leads me to a specific test scenario and I can almost "sense" that there might be an issue hidden there. It is always satisfying when that intuition proves correct and an actual bug is uncovered.

Another enjoyable aspect is the light-hearted exchange between testers and developers. Developers naturally take pride in delivering features to QA without defects, and when we do discover something, the friendly discussions begin about whether it is truly a bug or perhaps a feature after all.

Which sport best describes the work of Quality Assurance from your perspective?

Tobias Eckhardt​​​​​​​: If Quality Assurance were a sport, it would probably be a combination of an endurance sport and a strategic team sport.

It requires perseverance, the ability to stay focused over the long term, and the determination to keep searching for issues. At the same time, quality is not created by QA alone. It results from close collaboration across all disciplines, from concept development and requirements definition to software development.

Every issue that can be prevented through effective processes, clear communication, and strong teamwork does not need to be found during testing later on.

In my personal life, I am less drawn to a particular sport and more to mountain biking. Riding through fields, forests, and nature trails helps me unwind, recharge, and gain fresh energy.