programmer analyst

software engineer

senior associate

project manager

manager

Cognizant Technology Solutions

Typical day at work would be with several conference calls with a dozen or more people... stressful for me b/c it was hard to understand through the cultural gap (as an American while everyone else is from India) & often the only way to pick up relevant information.
I learned a lot, but it was hard to connect with the team as everyone is always so busy I could never get more than 1-2 sentences from them at a time without them ever looking up from their laptop. 
Management often just told what they want to hear, then angry when unrealistic demands not met. 
Workplace culture is that of India office--12 hour days not uncommon and expected to attend 'celebration' dinners for 3 hrs after work hours. 
Hardest part of the job was being the only American around and having to depend on others for help when they are so busy you can't get more than 1-2 sentence responses from them. 
Most enjoyable part of the job was when there was something I actually understood the requirements for and could do some work. 

Overall, not the worst place to work--competitive pay, benefits are there, and it a LOT depends on the project you land in but this was my experience...  
    First, it is awkward being the only American in the room at all times.  Even face to face communication is difficult. Half the time conversations are being held in another language so I missed out on a lot (even when I politely & repeatedly asked "what are you talking about? I don't want to miss out on anything."). 
    The whole training model was 'ask so and so about this, they will help you', then that person is always so busy I could never get more than 1-2 sentence answers about anything let alone comprehensive training. Finally connected with a couple people to where there was enough of a relationship that I could ask for genuine help if I needed it, and got put on another team... a whole new room full of people with no incentive to help me upon which my growth/development/training is dependent upon. Sure, this is what business/consulting is like in general, but I found this very difficult. 
 Sometimes was not sure why I was even there...  maybe just to rack up billable hours from client?  
    I did have a chance to learn a lot, but it was either generic stuff I learned on my own, or very specific stuff since having a thorough conversation about the project was basically out of the question (1-2 sentences at a time).  I thought 'maybe they just don't like talking to me', but I've seen it with everyone.  Everyone is so busy, they typically only mutter something as they stare at the laptop. On a larger scale, the training with the company seemed to be like "watch a few videos, then you're an expert so now you can train new people"...  seriously?!   It seemed like it's all just to look good on paper when the reality is very, very different.  So much seemed to be about appearances, while the reality was very janky--everything is handled through their main website and it's a real disaster area. 
    Another issue was that everything seems to be managed through very long (1-3hr +) conference calls  w/ often a dozen or 2 dozen people all talking... and again, very hard to understand with the cultural gap, not to mention I found it stressful personally b/c if this is the only way to get relevant info and I can't understand what's being said, how can I know what's going on ??!
    It was also really clear that women are treated differently, and that bothered me.  There was also really clear/open ring kissing of management regardless of their knowledge.  It was always "oh that's a great idea" or anything but a clear "no, we shouldn't do that because that's a bad idea in this case" etc.  Just an example of the lack of honesty in general.   
    Perhaps it would have been possible to be a shining star, but this was my first job as a dev, & I needed just a little more mentorship...  & I found no work/life balance.  Apparently 12 hr days are the norm in India.  Asked to come in on Saturdays and do late night deployments, as well as 3hr 'celebration' dinners after hours. The work being continuous is understandable, but it's a lot. 
    Not sure if I will continue with this company unless they allow me to work from home, but even then... I'd like to work someplace I can sort of fit in and maybe occasionally goes to non-indian food places for group lunches, heh.

Expertise on Retail, Business Process Management (BPM) and Business Rules Engines (BRE) applications in Pega Systems - Pega Rules Process Commander (PRPC) in Pharmacy Benefit Management and Siebel CRM Applications
Expertise in designing and developing Test Strategy, Test Plan, Test Cases by understanding the business logic and User requirements. Generating test reports, defect reports and product quality assurance documentation. Expertise in implementing SDLC methodologies including Waterfall Model, Agile Methodology and Rational Unified Process (RUP). Experience in testing applications built on SOA Architecture
Responsible for testing and reviewing of ETL mapping and transformation specifications based on the business requirements from various teams and the business teams
Handle the tasks of ETL jobs that are scheduled for file transfers from Operational Data Stores to designated file systems/directories. Expertise in Problem solving and Bug Reports using Defect Tracking Tools like Quality Center/ALM, JIRA, Bug Zilla, Issue Tracker and Rational Clear Quest
Expertise with Black Box Test design Techniques like Boundary Value Analysis, Equivalence portioning, Decision Table Testing, State Transition Testing and Error guessing techniques, Smoke, Functional, Regression, Beta testing and Integration Testing. Expertise testing the application on data driven testing to test the application UI
Working with development team to create a suite of test data (both input files and expected results) the fully exercises data validation (detecting and rejecting bad data) and actual ETL functionality (properly processing good data. Improving specification and design documents through active review and feedback with developers
Expertise with Mainframe screens to validate the functional flow of the business logic. Expertise with GAP analysis to analysis enterprise data. Expertise in testing various services to validate data for Smoke testing, QA testing on UAT testing. Expertise in working with Multiple Relational Databases like Oracle 9i/10g, SQL Server 2000, MS Access, XML and Flat Files. Expertise in writing SQL queries to verify the database
Expertise working with Requirements Matrix Traceability in Quality Center. Expertise testing Mobile applications on Mobile devices. Expertise with XML web services to test the functions in SOAP and validate the output against the UI 
Experience on Clinical Document Architecture (CDA)/ Continuity of Care Document (CCD). Expertise in Health Care application i.e. Member, Provider, Claims, Coinsurance, Copayment, Deductible, Flexible spending accounts, Coverage Type, HIPAA, ICD Codes, Coordination of Benefits/Third Party Liability
Worked on Team expectations for the “USER COUNSELLOR” Meetings to showcase the Testing Efforts. Demonstrated the New functionality built for every Release to the Client, Product Owner, Business and all other different Team Members. Documented PPT's for the Show Case as it's the best approach to share the details with the Non-functional and Functional Teams
Expertise with working with the Change Management Board (CMB) for any issues created and follow up on a daily status basis. Worked on Estimations for the QA tasks based on the requirement analysis to be delivered for each Sprint
Documented the Case Study for the client project successfully and shared the details with the QA Team. Documented the “Agile Challenges in Software Testing” as White Paper and shared with the QA Team. Initiated and trained domain knowledge by demonstrating the functionality as well as through PPT’s. Responsible for creation of project plan, defining QA tasks to be done and estimating times for those tasks

MANAGEMENT
• Rich Project Management experience in Implementation, Rollout, Upgrade and Application support engagements
• Maximized resource utilization through comprehensive business analysis, leadership and project management skills.
• Assessed and Analyzed the legacy eco-systems Roadmap / Health / Sunset points by conducting impact analysis keeping completeness of the Business Processes
• In-depth knowledge and experience of PMO deliverables and metrics.
• Worked closely along with the Client Project Manager and other stake holders for defining project milestones and metrics to adhere to timelines and deliverables.
• Formation of change control body, and monitoring and driving each change and having close monitor on the scope creep
• Worked on both ASAP methodology and other traditional Project management methodologies.
• Project Monitoring through effective co-ordination with various client team, status meeting, Monthly Steering committee meeting along with the project updates to client management for a successful implementation
• Communication and effective co-ordination with both internal & client team to avoid all the ambiguities
SALES
• As SAP certified consultant responded over hundreds of RFP/RFI/ made presentations and demos to ‘C’ Level key decision makers effectively selling the product capabilities its credentials
• Exclusively worked on the template designing for SAP Pre-configured solution for Automotive and Process industries so as to reduce the implementation duration.
• Chalked out Price Policies and Negotiation for solution launching and selling
• Taken a SAP Partnership to next level and aligned the strategies SAP marketing and Solution selling
• Strategized the selling plans and worked on the time-to-reduce implementation methods
• Assisted in the selection of the appropriate offering that will meet the client's business objectives and provide a financial return to company
• Maintained Relationship with existing clients for further business enhancement and growth
TECHNOLOGY
• Extensively worked on defining SAP solution to Process as well as discrete industries for developing roadmap from Product Development to Phasing out of product.
• Good hold on creation of Global Blueprints (AS-IS and TO-BE), GAPs identifying and RICEF optimizing, preparing functional specification, Technical specification and respective approvals for smooth and hassle free project execution.
• Stratergized and planned the massive Master Data Migration activities like Data Extracting, Purging, cleansing and determining the rules and converions and uploading and Cut over activies from legacy systems
• Practiced and delivered development and its targets aligning with the orgnaization sales targets
• Diversified industry exposure: Foods, Packaging, Automotive, Media, Retail and Engineering and Construction etc
• Designed New Product Development and Introduction (NPDI) process and its intergration with ERP and SCM management.
LEADERSHIP
• Worked on the various roles of SDLC as Program Manager, Project Manager, Practice manager to manage and deliver programs/projects
• Planning with CXO level people and other stake holders to meet the requirement and decision making
• Managed team 50+ resources for achieving the successful delivery of the project

Currently giving large infrastructure support to one of the largest retails client in Canada as a Team Lead of Storage Team. My responsible is to manage onsite and offshore team as well as level 4 support.

Project Description:
Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) is Canada's largest food retailer and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services. It’s providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of products and services to meet their everyday household demands. Loblaw is the largest retail grocery store in Canada, with more than 1,000 stores across the country.
Loblaw’s mission is to be Canada’s best food, health and home retailer by exceeding customer expectations through innovative products at great prices.

Cognizant’s Involvement: After evaluation CTS selected as a best vendor to manage Loblaw’s IT infrastructure, CTS is giving onsite and offshore infra support from last 4 years.  
Role and Responsibilities:
•	Leading more than 10 members of Storage infrastructure team including onsite and offshore in Loblaw infrastructure.
•	Planning and Leading Loblaw DR Server and SAN migration from old Data center to New Data center.
•	Designing, Planning and implementing Legacy SAN segregation to separate Legacy devices from current Production SAN environment.
•	Implementing Backup fabric separation from Production SAN fabric to improve PR SAN performance.
•	Implementing Hitachi USPV to VSP Storage migration using replication.   
•	Leading and implementing IBM DR550 Legacy Archival device worm data to Hitachi Content Platform Device.
•	Deploying mid-range as well as Enterprise storage solutions and client knowledge transfer. Storage implementation, replication, business copy and data classification projects.
•	Responsible for the general administration and maintenance of the corporate SAN environment
•	Plan, allocate and advise client in storage solution implementation.
•	Responsible for storage allocation from IBM and Hitachi Storage using IBM DS manager , SVC, Hitachi Command Suite, Device manager & Storage Navigator.
•	Implementation of Command View. Storage Essentials and Switch Zoning Configuration.
•	Configure and manage wide variety of storage systems, plan and carry out upgrades, automate key processes
•	Responsible for incident and change implementation through Remedy Tool.
•	SAN management and zoning of Brocade Edge and Directors.
•	Responsible for Data migration, firmware up gradation of SVC.
•	Responsible for micro code upgrade for Cisco, Brocade switch.
•	Responsible for Firmware upgrade of IBM Storage Controller as well as Drive.
•	Responsible for Hitachi Shadow Image, True copy and Split mirror activity based on Customer Requirements.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great training, a very helpful staff , and good benefits . Pay weekly.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I didn’t experience much stress on the job, I was a little nervous during training that it was a lot of information to learn , but when I finished training it was a lot easier than I thought and the Training staff and Supervisors will help anyway they can and you have multiple options if you need help with a caller on the line so you never have to worry that you can’t find the answers to solve problems. I highly recommend this place for the atmosphere, and education, and a very friendly and Professional experience. I worked Remotely from my home office, they provided me with name brand equipment an additional monitor and headphones, extra Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. And they pay well, give raises frequently, have attendance bonuses and referral bonuses are great  . And you never have to feel alone there is always Someone available via chat or email or phone call and it’s a fun place to work.5 stars.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Fun upbeat very friendly and supportive staff and co-workers.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Take inbound calls from providers and assist them with Molina healthcare members, Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace members with their Eligibility enrollment, benefits, and claims ( info on the claim if it was denied, see why and if needs corrected file a corrected claim or advise them to go on Provider Portal, Also advise them if they need to file an appeal , or if they didn’t receive payment of the claim resubmit it through the bank software or submit it using electronic funds transfer also using a bank software which requires the representative to fill out a form and look up the check number. 
Also look up Benefits the members coverage for procedure or surgery, etc. and if they needed a prior authorization then we would submit the request once we documented the code on the PA and send it via email or fax. We determined if the members were eligible and enrolled in one of our insurances and answered all questions the Provider ask, we had to verify HIPPA and the providers were mostly very friendly and patient. Every once in a while we received a Not so friendly Provider but we were trained how to deescalate the caller by being a good listener as he vented and being empathetic and keeping a kind and caring voice and happy to help resolve the problem and maintain a calming atmosphere to get to the bottom of the issue to rebuild the confidence in our services and our representatives and the company’s reputation.

Started right out of college in the US, got a salary I was content with, told I would learn new things. Right out of the gate I was concerned b/c the 'training' was just the last batch of new recruits dumping their study notes on us... not really an expert or anything.  Oh well, fine--they helped get us through the tests we wanted to pass.  Spent months studying for certifications waiting for an assignment, almost hit the time out point where I would be let go.  Got placed at a client site finally, and luckily I knew some of the languages/tech being used (none of the stuff I had been studying at the company's request but what I knew from school).  More of the 'training' from other people on site that were busy with their own work.  Kind of a 'sink or swim' scenario, which is fine, I guess it just bugged me a bit that they called the half hour or hour long info dumps 'training'. Part of the problem for me was the cultural gap (all my coworkers were on H1B visas), so I had to ask people to repeat themselves a lot, and it made me self conscious about asking for help, BUT, I will say that they did all help me how they could, and that made me want to get past the hurdles and be a part of the team.   As I talked to some other new people I met during orientation that got sent to different client sites, I learned that I got really lucky perhaps.  My experience was a good one, where others were worked very hard, mean managers, no niceties, sometimes no gig even and got let go (there's a month or so window where you have to find another client site or you are let go).  I never had to deal with the constant site hopping or finding a new manager internally to hire me thankfully, but the idea of being a consultant means doing just that--I don't think I really understood the process when I signed up.  It's the employee's responsibility to find a new client site to go to!  I thought the manager would set it up for us..? They do for the first one, then you're on your own so to speak.  It would help to know some managers or other employees, but that can be tough if you're new.  I think it would have been better to start at a smaller company where I could have built some relationships, but I also think this was a great crash course into the world of business/software consulting work.  Also, you have to use their websites to do everything, even timesheets every week despite being on salary... and the websites are all terrible, slow, awful... but maybe the servers are in india, I don't know. 

The company repeatedly promotes people to 'artificial' roles within the company thus creating additional layers of management that cloud the ability to get clear information about decisions regarding your client assignment. This also happens in the HR department when trying to get resolutions to errors in vacation time or pay changes. 

Due to too many managers, they regularly switched out the on-site project manager which led to the person in charge never fully understanding the environment he was supposed to manage and thus was constantly questioning existing, efficient, commonplace practices. 

The last issue is that they regularly made little effort to keep talented, senior level staff for their clients. Choosing instead to hire lower paid and lower experience level employees while bluffing to the client and stating the replacement had the necessary skills. This was with the hopes that the replacement could quickly master whatever new tech presented. This issue of not having the correct staff for the client project was especially commonplace when using an off-shore service desk solution. Virtually none of the staff assigned to the off-shore team had any tech experience (as admitted to me by themselves during a conference call) and Cognizant refused to own up to it. Each middle manager parroting what the previous one told them about those individuals' qualifications. 

The final straw was the racial profiling that occurs regularly on US-based clients. They repeatedly would place favor based on country of origin for all client-facing projects. The great majority of these were people who were manipulated by Cognizant to work in fields they weren't qualified for and shuffle them around the country to maintain their visa status. This not only is awful for those employees that have to change cities every 6 months, but also limits locals who were vastly more qualified but equally paid. 

The cherry on the cake was the performance review system. Due to the constant shuffling of managers, you never got to know your own for very long. This meant the new manager was always playing catch up and never had time to meet with the employees to actually ever go over the goal-setting required for the performance reviews. What this translated into was poor goal setting that later translated into poor bonus payouts and even poorer annual raise percentages.

1) Their DM's have to sell their services to end-client so as to get people on their bench back to work ! They don't do that now (because they say they are a premier company and not a Tier1/Tier2 bodyshop); rather the DM's just sit there hoping that the business will come to them. This is ridiculous and must be changed.

2) Their jobs website is a disaster: Most of their jobs are phonies (the next day, when I followed up the job never even existed), closed, on-hold or website mistakes. This is because clerks in India are data-entering the jobs and not the DM's directly; and because they're putting up potential jobs and not real jobs onto their jobs website.

3) Regarding "final paycheck" process: They sent it to where I haven't been for 2 months instead of to my home; and if it hadn't been that FEDEX called me first, my final check would have gotten lost. Then when I finally got it, it bounced; and the bank had to call them and I had to email/call them so as to get this embarrassing mistake fixed.

4) Regarding hiring process: Had to endure several challenging interviews and exams and thru their 3rd party make several 100 calls/emails; and it took a year to get hired.

5) Regarding their background check company HireRight: I endured this nightmare (several 100 emails to many many people and many calls as well) for weeks; and then it came back again 5 months later to haunt me again--I eventually passed 100% but it means nothing because any other company does care does not care about this pass and will make me take another one.

6) Regarding pay: It's very low and they would not go a penny higher.

7) Regarding DM initial negotiations: They wanted to bring me aboard as consultant not fulltime which I did not want. I declined and then a month later they finally gave me fulltime.

8) Regarding the assignments: It seems like the clients are being forced to take you and resent you and are afraid of losing their jobs. Also they put you into assignments that are winding down and/or ending. And they deceive you into thinking they are long term (which I want and need) but they are always short-term.

I feel compelled to share my concerns about the company's practices, specifically related to communication, job security, and relocation policies.

First and foremost, the communication within the organization was abysmal. It seemed as though there was a significant lack of transparency and effective information flow between management and employees. Important updates, project changes, and even performance feedback were often communicated poorly or not at all. This led to confusion, inefficiency, and a general sense of disconnect within the teams.

Moreover, the job security at Cognizant was practically nonexistent. The company's emphasis on cost-cutting and client satisfaction seemed to outweigh any consideration for the well-being and stability of its employees. Layoffs and downsizing became frequent occurrences, leaving many talented individuals in a constant state of uncertainty and anxiety about their futures. This lack of job security created a toxic work environment, where employees were constantly on edge and unable to fully invest in their roles.

Additionally, Cognizant's practice of forcing random relocations based on client assignments was highly problematic. Instead of taking into account the preferences and personal circumstances of their employees, the company appeared to prioritize the needs of clients above all else. This approach not only disrupted the personal lives of employees but also added unnecessary stress and financial burdens. The lack of consideration for individual circumstances and the disregard for work-life balance contributed to a high turnover rate and negatively impacted employee morale.

I believe that these issues are indicative of systemic problems within Cognizant Technology Solutions. It is disheartening to witness a company that values its employees so little, neglecting their well-being, job security, and work-life balance. As a result, I cannot, in good conscience, recommend Cognizant as an employer to prospective candidates.

- Depending on your project, work life/balance can be nonexistent. You will be working 12-16 hour days consecutively for weeks at a time with no reprieve.
- Management will arbitrarily remove people off your team/project, despite person having a niche skill or tribal knowledge about a system.
- Base pay is lower than the industry standard. The benefits package is excellent. PTO is stingy.
- Bonuses are good if you can get them, but they are based on team, not individual performance. You can kiss any chance of getting a bonus goodbye if your team is performing poorly in the extremely arbitrary rating system Cognizant implements even if your individual record is stellar. The rating system often doesn't reflect reality.
- Job Advancement doesn't happen. Period.
- Job Security is nonexistent, if your project ends & your skill profile doesn't fit any current projects you'll be let go. This has happened to countless friends I've had over the years. Cognizant didn't provide any opportunities to them to reskill despite their efforts.
- Management is consistently inept across the board. They range from simply being well meaning, but incompetent to maliciously stupid.
- Job Culture: If you don't fit into any niche you'll be left out to dry. People will make up things to report you to get you in trouble if they don't like you. I'd suggest knowing Tamil & having some understanding or appreciation of south Indian culture before joining this company if you want to have any chance of success at fitting in with the majority of Cognizant's workforce.

However, despite all of this negativity I learned quite a bit about performing software analysis, supporting a client base under pressure, implementing automation scripts to increase workflow efficiency, & how to debug & fix programs. I'm extremely thankful for having this opportunity to learn & expand my skills. But Cognizant & companies like it need to stop treating its worker base(onsite & offshore alike) like disposable tools.

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