Collaboration or Communication

Tutorials

Jennifer Bonine, tap|QA, Inc.

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 8:30am

Have you ever needed a way to measure your leadership IQ? Or been in a performance review where the majority of time was spent discussing your need to improve as a leader? If you have ever wondered what your core leadership competencies are and how to build on and improve them, Jennifer Bonine shares a toolkit to help you do just that.

ML Innovation Thinking: Evolve and Expand Your Capabilities SOLD OUT

Jennifer Bonine, tap|QA, Inc.

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 1:00pm

Innovation is a word frequently tossed around in organizations today. The standard clichés are do more with less and be creative. Companies want to be innovative but often struggle with how to define, implement, prioritize, and track their innovation efforts. Using the Innovation to Types model, Jennifer Bonine will help you transform your thinking regarding innovation and understand if your team and company goals match their innovation efforts. Learn how to classify your activities as "core" (to the business) or "context" (essential, but non-revenue generating).

Concurrent Sessions

W4 A Tester’s Guide to Collaborating with Product Owners

Bob Galen, Velocity Partners

Wed, 10/15/2014 - 11:30am

The role of the Product Owner in Scrum is only vaguely defined—owning the Product Backlog and representing the “customer.” In many organizations, Product Owners go it alone, trying their best to represent business needs to their teams.

W7 The Role of Testing: Quality Police or Quality Communicator?

Mike Duskis, 10-4 Systems

Wed, 10/15/2014 - 1:45pm

An underwear advertisement in 1985 featured the dedicated and thorough Inspector 12 saying, “They don't say Hanes until I say they say Hanes.” Historically, software testers have been called on to perform a similar role―preventing defective products from reaching customers. However, software development is not underwear manufacturing. The specifications are less clear and the acceptance criteria more complex. Why then do organizations continue to place acceptance decisions in the hands of testers? Because they lack the information required to make a sound decision.

W17 Speak Like a Test Manager

Mike Sowers, Software Quality Engineering

Wed, 10/15/2014 - 3:00pm

Ever feel like your manager, development manager, product manager, product owner, or (you fill in the blank) is not listening to you or your team? Are you struggling to make an impact with your messages? Are you “pushing a wet rope uphill” in championing product quality? Are you talking, but no one is listening? Mike Sowers shares practical examples of how to more effectively speak like a test manager and offers concrete advice based on his experiences in the technology, financial, transportation, and professional services sectors.

W18 Implementing Outsourced Testing Services with a Third Party

Shelley Rueger, Moxie Software

Wed, 10/15/2014 - 3:00pm

Outsourcing test services are all the rage today. But are they really faster, better, and cheaper? Shelley Rueger shares how you can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your test process using a third-party test service. She provides guidance on how to determine if your product is a good candidate for testing services, how to select the right vendor, and how to avoid common pitfalls. Shelley discusses her team's experience as they made the transition from in-house testing to using external testing services. She addresses questions including: When should you outsource testing?

T1 “Rainmaking” for Test Managers

Julie Gardiner, Redmind

Thu, 10/16/2014 - 9:45am

The dictionary defines a rainmaker as “an executive (or lawyer) in the unsentimental world of business with an exceptional ability to attract clients, use political connections, increase profits, etc.” Simply put, a rainmaker is someone who gets things done. Is this relevant to testing? Absolutely! It is too easy to get stuck in the status quo and to avoid trying something new because everything works well as it is. But what we do can always be made better.

T8 Career and Organizational Development Within a Software Testing Environment

Nate Shapiro, Blizzard Entertainment

Thu, 10/16/2014 - 11:15am

Being a software tester has its own unique set of challenges. To help testers overcome these challenges, it is vital to set up a system where employees have available a number of development opportunities, including on-the-job mentorship, coaching, classroom training, and a defined career path. Nate Shapiro outlines how the quality assurance department at Blizzard Entertainment is investing in its employees by implementing a program to help create and sustain long-term careers in software testing.