Coming Back and Stepping Up at BlueCloud: a Conversation with Kalyana Yerraguntla, QA Lead

For many professionals, the people around them play a major role in shaping their careers. For Kalyana Yerraguntla, they've mattered as much as the work itself. When asked to name the best thing about BlueCloud, she answered without hesitation: the people.

Almost four years after joining as a Senior QA Engineer, Yerraguntla is a QA Lead on BlueCloud's India team. She leads quality assurance for a Salesforce client engagement spanning Sales and Service as well as SAP-related testing and coaches the five team members who report to her as they move into test automation. We spoke with her about why she chose BlueCloud, how she stepped up to lead, the opportunities opening up for her and her team, and the people behind that journey.

When did you realize that joining BlueCloud was the right call?

My path to BlueCloud began with a pause. I had built my QA career at Optum, UnitedHealth Group and Cignity, and during COVID I stepped away to care for my young child. When I was ready to return, I found an opening for a Senior QA Engineer role at BlueCloud, a company I knew little about at the time.

From my first day, the leadership team has been transparent and supportive. Almost four years later, it still feels like the right place for me.

What has stood out most to you about working at BlueCloud?

For me, it's the people. What surprised me most was how naturally colleagues support one another, and that gives you a real sense of belonging. It goes beyond work, too. People here understand what it takes to balance a career and a family, so you feel valued not just as a professional, but as a person.

The projects which brings new challenges to every sprint and keep me growing.

How has that culture shaped the way you work?

I've been able to put my energy into my work, and when that work delivers, both clients and leadership notice.

That changes how you feel outside the office, too. When you trust your work to speak for itself, you can switch off at the end of the day and be present to your family. And leadership doesn't just recognize good work, it pushes us to go further. They encourage us to stretch beyond our own domain and take on new technologies, so we keep growing rather than settling into what we already know.

How has BlueCloud helped you grow?

I joined as a Senior QA Engineer, and my path to leading a team came through an unexpected turn. When the QA lead on our project for a Florida-based client left the company, leadership trusted me to step in. I led the project for about a year, the client was impressed with the results, and I was promoted to QA Lead. The engagement ran for more than two years and closed with very good feedback. Since then, our scope has expanded to additional modules, including Salesforce Sales and Service.

Today, five team members reported it to me. I assign work, help them through testing questions, validate issues, prepare UAT flows, and join client calls and reporting.

Someone believed in me and gave me a chance. When that happens, you pass it on to the people coming up behind you. I give my team the same opportunities I was given and watching them grow in confidence has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my role.

What moment at BlueCloud changed the way you approach your work?

My current project did. When I took it over, the client was raising escalations on several fronts, so I documented every concern and resolved them one by one. It taught me that quality starts with listening: once you address every concern a client raises, you earn their trust. It also taught me to adapt, whether a client runs everything in Jira or in Excel. Finally, learning Salesforce on the job along the way ultimately prepared me to lead a team.

What new skills are you and your team building, and where do you see your team's role growing?

My priority is test automation. Our work so far has focused on manual and functional testing, including SAP-related testing. Now we're moving into automation with Playwright, with Snowflake as the next step.

I also see us bringing QA to far more of BlueCloud's projects, including development and Snowflake work, and that's already under way. We've recently identified several projects where QA can add more value, and my team will be joining them. The more teams see how testing prevents escalations and builds client trust, the more QA can become a core part of how we deliver across BlueCloud.

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What would you tell someone considering a career at BlueCloud?

Look for a place where you'll be surrounded by people who support you and push you to grow. Every company offers interesting projects, but it's the people around you who shape the quality of the work and your experience of it. At Blue Cloud, my colleagues are always happy to share what they know, so my advice is to ask questions early and often, because that's how you learn fastest.

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