Freelance and interim test manager
I run the testing on big
transitions and migrations
I've been in testing and QA for 20+ years. Most of that time as test manager on complex programmes: pension transitions, government chains, media, finance and retail. If a date is not going to hold, I say so. Next to my assignments I build software under the same company: apps for Jira and Confluence, and ToolForte.
About me
I'm Toine Schoenmaekers, test manager from Utrecht in the Netherlands. Since 2018 I work through my own company, Toine.com B.V., on interim and freelance assignments. Before that I was a tester, test coordinator and project manager at Polteq, SYSQA and a few others.
Most assignments start the same way for me. I first want to know what can go wrong for the organisation, and what has to be proven before we go live. From there I write the test strategy, set up the test phases and make sure the steering committee gets an honest picture. Where we are, and what the open defects mean for the release.
I've spent a lot of time in chains with several suppliers and partner organisations. Everyone has their own planning and nobody owns a defect. So I make sure there is one planning, and a defect process that keeps moving.
Since 2026 I also ship software from the same company. The Jira and Confluence apps are basically the reports I made by hand for steering committees every week. ToolForte is a set of free browser tools with an API. You'll find both under Products.
What I do
Test strategy and master test plan
I start with a product risk analysis and turn that into a test strategy that fits the risks, the planning and the budget. Entry and exit criteria per test phase are part of that.
Setting up a test organisation
Roles, governance, tooling and working agreements. Also when there is no test team yet. At PME the test organisation was up and running within five months.
SIT and UAT coordination
I run the system integration test and the user acceptance test. That starts with test preparation and data requests and ends with the daily check on progress with the test teams.
Chain testing and end-to-end
Testing across systems and organisations, with external suppliers and chain partners all working to the same planning. I did this at the IND, at RTL and now at AZL.
Defect management and reporting
A defect process that keeps working when four parties are involved. And reporting that goes further than a count of open findings, so the steering committee can take a decision on it.
Process improvement and coaching
I coach teams in test automation and acceptance testing so they can carry on without me. At ThiemeMeulenhoff the teams still do this themselves.
Products
On assignments I keep running into the same gaps. So I started building things for them. Everything here is built and supported by me, through Toine.com B.V.
Marketplace listing in preparation
Apps for Jira and Confluence
Small reporting apps, one job each. For teams that have to show what has been tested and what is still open. The first one is Release Readiness for Jira. It only reads, so your data stays on Atlassian.
Live
ToolForte
Free browser tools for PDF, images, text, code and data. Most of them run in your browser, so your files don't go anywhere. There's also a REST API and an MCP server for AI agents.
In the works
Templates for test teams
Test plans, checklists and report templates you can download, including checks for AI chatbots. It's the material I use on assignments myself, cleaned up so others can use it too.
Industries
Where I've worked
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AZL / Rabobank Pensioenfonds, Test Manager
Wtp transition and conversion to a new administration platform. I run SIT and UAT with twenty testers, do the planning and the supplier management, and report to programme management, the steering committee and the client.
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PME Pensioenfonds, Test Manager
A new pension administration system and the preparation for the conversion of accrued rights. Within five months there was a working test organisation, with a strategy, test plans, risk analyses and governance.
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ThiemeMeulenhoff, Test Manager
CMS migration, a new corporate website and the redesign of the eDition portal. The migrations went live without problems. eDition is used every day by thousands of students and teachers.
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Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), Test Coordinator
Chain-wide testing of the Schengen, entry-exit and visa systems. We kept up with the European release calendar and every chain partner knew what was expected of them and when.
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Stater, Business Analyst and Test Coordinator
CRM projects and the interfaces with external parties. During a big database change the business clients met the new regulations on time.
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Ahold Delhaize, Test Coordinator
Point of sale systems, self-checkout and handheld scanners. When covid made it impossible to get to the test tills I arranged remote access, so the testing just carried on.
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RTL Nederland, Test Manager
Test strategy and planning for the migration to a new broadcast management system. Thousands of use cases, chain tests and parallel running, with all parties on one planning.
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Earlier roles
Senior software tester at Polteq (NXP), project manager at Netwinst (Dutch Railways, KPN), tester and business analyst at SYSQA (Port of Amsterdam, Rijkswaterstaat), Scrum Master at StartMobi and e-commerce at LM Maaseik.
Certifications and education
- ISTQB Advanced Test Analyst
- Certified Agile Tester
- TMap Next Engineer
- Professional Scrum Master I
- Bachelor of Business Administration
Contact
Looking for a test manager for a transition, migration or chain project? Send me an email or just call. I usually reply the same day. Questions about the apps or ToolForte can go to the same address.
- toine@schoenmaekers.com
- Phone
- +31 6 12 22 49 22
- toine-schoenmaekers
- Working area
- Netherlands, hybrid