The Story
I'm based in Karlskrona, Sweden. I've worked in software testing since 2005,
spoken at conferences since 2011, and helped teams across Europe and the US
figure out how to ship software they can stand behind. Northern Test is me,
and I am Northern Test. It's a personal brand backed by a consultancy, not a
company with employees.
My technical background spans telecommunications systems (Ericsson), distributed
compilers, cloud, smartphone OS development, and embedded systems. I still build
hands-on every day. These days the building is mostly AI-assisted, which is also
what the advisory work is about: how to keep accountability in step with how
fast AI lets you move.
Software is a social activity, and that is exactly why AI needs accountability.
The first half of that line was the theme I chose as Programme Chair for
EuroSTAR 2023: "Software Development is a Social Activity". The
second half is where the work has gone since. Same underlying belief
(technical problems are almost always people problems in disguise), now
applied to the AI era, where the speed has outrun a lot of the human
judgment that used to keep systems explainable. The work has moved altitude,
from testing teams to engineering leadership, but the thread is continuous.
When I'm not working, I'm in my workshop making lamps, or out in the Blekinge
archipelago where I've lived for many years.
Advisory & Consulting
Over the years I've been brought into engineering organizations to do a
handful of recognizable kinds of work. The shapes below are how I tend to be
useful, with the chronology of specific roles further down as an appendix.
Assessing AI accountability and engineering maturity
The current centerpiece, and the productized version of a kind of work I've
done before in non-AI form (the closest prior shape: a testing-maturity
assessment for Arthur Intelligence in Montreal). The advisory engagement
looks at how the organization actually builds with AI-assisted tooling,
where the accountability and quality gaps are, and what to do about them.
See the AI Accountability Diagnostic.
Building a test function from scratch
Setting up the testing capability where one didn't exist before. Recruiting,
building a team, choosing the testing strategy, putting in the framework, and
coordinating with adjacent engineering organizations.
Examples: Qvantel (system and integration test department for two telecoms systems, coordinating with Ericsson).
Agile and quality transformation
Moving an organization from waterfall toward continuous delivery in a way that
actually sticks. Hands-on with the technology, leading by example, putting in
CI, code review, and automated tests, then helping the rest of the organization
follow.
Examples: Miljödata (full agile transformation), Softhouse Consulting (embedded agile testing).
Architecting test infrastructure at scale
Designing and building non-functional test frameworks that survive deployment
across many sites, many products, and many years.
Examples: Ericsson (non-functional test automation framework deployed globally), Electric Cloud (5,000-agent simulator for stress testing).
Establishing release discipline and test rigor inside an engineering team
A current, long-running client engagement of Northern Test Consulting:
embedded as senior test developer and project/release manager on the
backend team of a US education nonprofit. Started in 2021 and still active.
The operating signature is a steady release cadence, test rigor, and zero
drama.
Client: CodePath (2021–Present).
Role History
A condensed chronological list, kept here as a credibility appendix. The
engagement shapes above are the primary way to read the work.
Senior test developer and release manager on the backend team of a US
education nonprofit. Release discipline, test rigor, planning, and
coordination.
Testing maturity assessment and QA practice for a Montreal-based dental
clinic automation SaaS. Also built ETL pipelines with Apache Airflow and
BigQuery.
Automated and manual accessibility testing for the self-service team.
E2E with Cypress, WCAG 2.1 with Axe-core.
Manual and automated testing for a cryptocurrency platform doing real-time
market making and arbitrage. Security risk for online trade solutions.
Built the system and integration test department for two telecoms systems,
coordinating with Ericsson. Introduced SBTM, exploratory testing, and the
test automation framework.
Agile transformation across requirements, delivery, and engineering practice.
Introduced CI, code reviews, and automated tests.
Embedded agile tester across two development teams. Exploratory testing to
shorten feedback loops, user workshops, and communication between developers,
project leads, and customers.
Architect and lead designer of a non-functional test automation framework
deployed globally (Sweden, Germany, US, India).
Test lead for Electric Accelerator (distributed build acceleration). Managed
a test team across California, Sweden, and Ukraine. Built a 5,000-agent
simulator for stress testing Electric Commander.
Software developer and test developer on Ericsson's charging system.
Designed a non-functional test framework used across multiple nodes,
products, and platforms. Also taught Git courses at Ericsson and Softhouse.
Started and led the non-functional testing and test tools team for UIQ's
Symbian smartphone OS. Introduced Scrum to system verification.
Master's programme in Telecommunications Systems, Karlskrona.
