Even if they never speak on the phone or in person, MPulse customers will benefit from the efforts of Jeff Harris. As our quality assurance engineer, Jeff works closely with the development team on the code that powers MPulse.
“Our goal is to help improve the quality of our software by verifying that it works as it should,” he explained. “So, I do a lot of quality assurance testing before updates and new releases.”
It’s a job that directly affects MPulse customers, even if they don’t know it. And, indirectly, it affects much more.
“Our customers maintain the world’s infrastructure and tools,” Jeff said. “We’d be far worse off without them, and I recognize the great responsibility I have to them. The work they do is incredibly important.”
Perfect Fusion of Facility Maintenance and IT
Jeff joined MPulse in December 2019, originally starting with the support team. The position melded his technology background with his hands-on facility maintenance experience.
“Working at MPulse feels like the perfect fusion of my IT and maintenance experience,” he said.
Jeff first provided support for MPulse users, as well as for customers of EPAC (our sister company). His hard work and attention to detail led to his newer role as a quality assurance engineer. In this ever-evolving position, Jeff works behind the scenes to identify bugs before the software is released to customers
“I tell people that I get paid to break things for a living,” he joked. “It’s a constructive process, where the software is stronger as a result. My work not only helps improve the software but also the experiences of my colleagues who provide support and education services, for example. We all want to improve the lives of our customers and the people who are using our software.”
Collaboration and Communication
Jeff’s job responsibilities also include improving collaboration and communication efforts between the stakeholders in the software development process.
“We want to make the best product possible for our customers,” he explained. “So, I also help improve our quality assurance processes. Part of my job is to make our efforts more open and transparent to everybody who’s working on the team. This enables our team members to make better use of their time, make more autonomous decisions, and ultimately produce better results.”
When he’s not battling bugs in code, Jeff likes to spend time exploring Eugene, Oregon (home to MPulse headquarters). He’s usually accompanied by his partner Dani and dog Gigi.
“Eugene is so well integrated into the natural environment,” he said. “Everywhere you look, you’re always in the city’s canopy of trees. I enjoy exploring the area, hiking, gardening, photography, and taking Gigi out to the water. I also enjoy camping and spending time with friends. Eugene has lots of food, music, art, and outdoor green spaces. I love going for a walk and looking at the town from new perspectives.”
