Personal Improvement

Concurrent Sessions

W13 Testing for Talent: Leveraging Testing Principles in Building Teams

Joy Toney, ALSAC/St Jude Children's Research Hospital

Wed, 06/24/2015 - 3:00pm

Application development teams today are asked to deliver more with fewer resources. They work together tirelessly under pressure to deliver quality solutions to their stakeholders. Now imagine—just as the delivery team is about to begin its testing cycle, your lead tester suddenly quits. How do you replace a talented contributor within tight time constraints? Just as testing principles enable delivery of better systems, Joy Toney demonstrates how using those same testing principles enables the test manager to select and hire outstanding team members. First, define your testing team’s acceptance criteria for the position. Rethink the application of the validation and verification processes to hiring, while using a combination of static and dynamic testing techniques. Consider using stress, volume, and performance testing to surface your ideal candidate from the pool of possibilities. Discover new ideas and proven techniques for use in your hiring decisions, so you hire the right person for your test team the first time.

T5 The Adventures of a First-Time Test Lead: An Unexpected Journey

Ioan Todoran, Expedia Affiliate Network

Thu, 06/25/2015 - 11:30am

When moving to a new position in your organization, you might not always feel confident—and that’s fine. If you have ever wondered how to change your mindset from “I need to learn from someone more experienced than I” to “I need to train and lead a team,” Ioan Todoran shares what he learned during his time as a first-time test team lead. Ioan shares lessons about recruitment (where and how to look for people), interviewing (forget the boring, interrogatory-style interviews; move toward a more conversational approach), training (how to prepare the new testers for work on a commercial project), and navigating through the daily management duties while keeping the automation work going on your project (stop micromanaging; help, but don't suffocate; learn to offer quick solutions.) Learn how to establish better connections and communication channels with upper management while strengthening the relationships with your clients through an honest and direct approach.

T8 Become an Influential Tester: Learn How to Be Heard

Jane Fraser, Anki, Inc.

Thu, 06/25/2015 - 11:30am

As a tester, are you frustrated that no one listens to you? Are you finding bugs and having them ignored? Are you worried that the development process and product quality aren’t as good as they should be? Jane Fraser shares ways to help you be heard―ways to position yourself as a leader within your organization, ways to increase your influence, and ways to report bugs to get them fixed. In this interactive session, Jane leads you to a better understanding of how to be heard in your organization. Learn how to tailor your defect reports depending on who makes the decisions and their area of focus—customer, budget, or design. These details help you determine how to position your defect for action. Through real life examples, Jane shows you how to become a more influential tester.

T9 Giving and Receiving Feedback: A New Imperative

Omar Bermudez, agilecafe.org

Thu, 06/25/2015 - 1:30pm

Giving and receiving feedback are tough for everyone. Who wants to criticize others or be criticized? Although managers have a duty to give honest feedback to staff and peers, many people resist change or differ on how to change—leading to interpersonal conflicts and impacting deliverables. Omar Bermudez explains several techniques—Giving Positive Feedback, Acid Reflux (when you get that sick feeling), and SARA (Surprise, Anger, Rationalization, Acceptance)—that allow people to give and receive honest feedback to promote incremental improvements. Omar explains how to give accurate feedback to and receive the same from senior team members or direct superiors, a skill critical to career advancement. To increase self-esteem, happiness index, and your power to influence, Omar teaches you how to present feedback to your peers, your boss, or other colleagues in a diplomatic and efficient way. Take away key insights into how to create a healthy organizational culture with clear and constructive feedback.

T12 If You Could Turn Back Time: Coaching New Testers

Christin Wiedemann, Professional Quality Assurance, Ltd.

Richard Lu, Professional Quality Assurance, Ltd.

Thu, 06/25/2015 - 1:30pm

If you could turn back time, what do you wish you had known when you started working as a tester? When you are new to testing, you are faced with daunting challenges. Recent college graduates may find it difficult to apply academic knowledge in practice. It is easy to get discouraged and start questioning whether testing is really for you. Richard Lu and Christin Wiedemann relate their experiences of starting careers as software testers—with no prior testing experience. They share ideas for how senior testers can keep junior testers engaged, and encourage them to learn and step up in their roles. Easy-to-implement suggestions include explaining the company culture, encouraging relationship building, emphasizing communication, discussing the objective and value of testing, and talking about the different meanings of quality. Instead of leaving your team’s new hires to struggle, join this session and learn how to coach new testers to become their best.