Trystan Mccourt Email & Phone Number

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Following Proletariat's acquisition by Blizzard, continued prior duties as the discipline head for Proletariat QA, but now as the lead for Blizzard Boston's QA team working on World of Warcraft.Led the Proletariat QA team through a bumpy acquisition process and the integration into a large, well-established QA team working on a long-lived product, ultimately managing morale dips, technical challenges, and onboarding hiccups.Interfaced with counterparts on the Irvine- and Ausitn-based World of Warcraft team(s) to establish new and/or modified processes to accommodate both teams' needs and refine remote and hybrid working methods, as well as identify staffing needs for QA teams across locations.Supported the team professionally during a unionization effort by ICs in the Proletariat team, ensuring individual's professional and emotional needs were met despite the stress of the situation and without respect to possible outcomes or individual opinions.During highly tumultuous periods of the acquisition, took on copyeditor duties for internal and external communications, editing for tone and ensuring the words used matched the intent of the author, ultimately reducing the level of internal miscommunication.As Boston QA team members left ABK for other opportunities, created spaces for the former team to meet up virtually and maintain bonds, leading to ongoing mentorship and career development within the wider group on a volunteer basis.Led the QA team in sunsetting Spellbreak in a manner designed to minimize negative impact to the player community.

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Formally assumed the duties of a department head, taking on responsibility for the full Proletariat QA team and participating directly in corporate leadership meetings to represent the QA perspective.Alongside the corporate leadership team, defined company policy and pushed for human-first HR and development practices, as well as methods of measuring the success of those policies relative to both humanist goals and development needs.Continued to manage and mentor QA team members, growing those with prior-to-Prole QA experience in achieving their career goals and those who entered game dev with us in developing a rounded set of skills to take forward wherever they might go.Developed and refined a branching career ladder for QA which allowed team members to choose between managerial, testing, and QA engineering career paths, rather than forcing all team members down a single, management-oriented route.Participated in internal discussions pertaining to possibilities for the studios long-term future and how best to approach acquisition by a larger organization, especially flagging risks in terms of overall team perception and morale relative to such a move.Led QA team members through exiting a contract with another, undisclosed studio and preparing to enter a contract with a second, undisclosed studio.Led the QA team through a second period of internal project incubation and skill development, with many team members stepping outside the discipline, working beyond their comfort zone, and taking on lead duties within their project teams.Assisted team members inclined to drive process changes in refining their documentation, pitches, and approach, as well as implementing directly suggested changes and providing opportunity for team members to experience leadership firsthand with the benefit of a safety net below them.

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Lead the QA team in launching Spellbreak on 5 SKUs, with crossplatform functionality, across PS4 (SIEA, SIEE), XB1, Switch, and PC (Steam, EGS), to highly positive critical reception.Grew the QA team to a total headcount of 13 in order to support Spellbreak through launch and live development/support, while working in a fully (and unexpectedly) remote environment.Onboarded 2 junior Testers, 1 mid-level tester, and 3 senior-level testers in a fully remote environment.Continued managerial duties, now incorporating the delegation of aspects of people management and project leadership in order to support the career growth of direct and indirect reports, while assisting all team members in successfully balancing their personal and professional lives with respect to their specific, individual needs.Following shifting studio priorities, migrated team members from supporting Spellbreak to supporting an undisclosed project under a contract agreement between Proletariat and an undisclosed second studio.Led the team through a period of internal IP experimentation and career development, with several team members stepping outside of the discipline.Assumed the duties typically associated with a department head, in an informal capacity.

Greater Boston Area

Took on leadership duties for the Proletariat QA team, surfacing the team's work to the wider studio and working alongside the project's Executive Producer to direct QA priorities.Acting as hiring manager, doubled the size of the QA team in order to support Spellbreak's growing needs.Took on managerial duties for new hires, mentoring a team of new-to-the-industry testers into QA excellence.Taught certification testing and best practice methods for wrangling console testing to the QA team at large. Additionally assisted other disciplines' team members who lacked prior console experience with navigating console-specific challenges and avoiding potential pitfalls.Created test plans and performed functional and certification (PS4, XB1, Switch) testing for Spellbreak from pre-alpha through to launch, within a highly embedded and integrated QA framework.Contributed documentation pertaining to certification (PS4, XB1, Switch), QA processes, formalization of the embedded QA model, and proper QA process.

Framingham, Ma

Drove integration of embedded testing methodologies in Star Trek Timelines, helping to reduce exit pass time by several weeks.Provided functional testing for Star Trek Timelines live development.Shipped weekly content updates for Star Trek Timelines, as well as periodic feature updates.Defined and took on a build owner role for Star Trek Timelines content pipeline, increasing efficiency and cleanliness of builds.Created build ownership guide, tracking documents, and tracking templates streamlining Star Trek Timelines content pipeline processes.Regularly worked with off-site QA team to set expectations and define their daily tasks.Assisted in resolving interdepartmental conflicts, clearing up related process problems.Cofounder of a non-manager employee communications group seeking to improve communication processes within the company.

Greater Boston Area

Reduced average build exit pass time for The Walking Dead: March to War from two weeks to two days.Assisted in integrating embedded testing methodologies for the first time at the company.Provided functional testing for The Walking Dead: March to War, before and after release.Shipped bimonthly game updates with The Walking Dead: March to War live development team.Provided documentation on QA processes including embedded testing methodology, JIRA, work flows, and efficient testing strategy.Assisted lead with test plans and runs, task delegation, testing strategy, and coordination of releases and resources.Helped mentor new QA lead, based on previous lead experience.

Boston, Massachusetts

Worked as QA Lead on Rock Band 4 through the development of 6 patches.Worked as Assistant QA Lead on Rock Band Rivals.Provided testing for Amplitude, Rock Band 4, and SingSpace, shipping Rock Band 4.Provided expertise in certification requirements, preventing certification failures during submission. Created documentation about project systems, tools, and pipelines. Collaborated with team members to generate flavor text for character items in Rock Band 4.Copy edited game text across projects for clarity and style. Trained new hires in QA and Harmonix-specific tools, ramping trainees onto their projects. Assisted in hiring for contracted and full-time QA positions across several projects. Assisted at studio events during three years of PAX East and two years of E3.Collaborated with leads group to create a content plan allowing for monthly bug and content updates to Rock Band 4.Managed a team of seven internal QA testers and a team of outsource QA partners.

Cambridge, Ma

Harmonix Music Systems in Cambridge, MAOversaw DLC pipeline schedule, working with licensing and authoring teams to ensure timely acquisition, production, and submission of new content. Shipped approximately seventy pieces of DLC for Dance Central Spotlight.Maintained close relationship with first party through DLC releases across 39 countries, including content submissions. Provided animation, functional, and metadata testing for all DLC moving through the pipeline.Created documentation for tools and overall DLC pipeline.

Simmons College, Boston, Ma.

Oversaw student workers and day-to-day mailroom operations.Responded to customer inquiries and resolved any problems customers encountered with their mail.Maintained an up-to-date roster of on-campus students.Processed, sorted, and delivered incoming mail.Processed outgoing mail, including generating USPS and UPS shipping/postage materials and seeing to any mail forwarding or returns.

Emerson College, Boston, Ma

Trained new hires in mailroom procedures.Responded to customer inquiries via phone and email.Distributed mail to student mailboxes and packages to students.Processed inbound mail.

Emerson Print & Copy Center, Boston, Ma

Operated copy machines and printers to produce client work, including cutting, binding, folding, hole punching, and printing on and gluing NCR paper.Advised clients on printing options and Adobe program usage.Contributed photographic work to and designed for advertisements.Managed phone calls, emails, and incoming orders.

Emerson College, Boston, Ma

Created CSS stylesheet defining the visual style for the ebook The Lonely Victorian's Handbook: Not-So-Modern Dating Etiquette, currently available on Kindle and Nook devices.

Quincy, Ma

Created new in-house and outside advertisements for web and print.Formatted and sent out newsletters for JazzTimes and Fairways+Greens.Found and prepared photos for use in magazine layouts.

Greater Boston Area

Served customers in a fast-paced, high-traffic environment.Maintained concession stand stock.

Bachelor Of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Magna Cum Laude, Writing, Literature, And Publishing, Gpa 3.78

Activities and Societies: Minor in Photography

Education record

Activities and Societies: Head of Recycling for the Environmental and Recycling Club, Co-Editor and Contributor to Literary Magazine.