The Hidden Testers in Your Organization
The market demands that high-quality software is released at an increasing pace, yet resources remain fixed. How can organizations expand and improve testing under these conditions and help prevent costly and embarrassing bugs in production software? Why not invite internal staff to test-drive preproduction software? Structured testing events engage everyone across the company—sales, legal, day care workers, front desk receptionists—to exercise emerging software and give feedback directly to the development team. The results are incredibly valuable feedback for the development teams, measurable improvements in product quality and cross-divisional communication, and energized employees. Carrie Hughston and Lynneth Lohse will show you how to start this program, including planning effective logistics, prudent recruiting of product teams and their software, tips for running a smooth event, the art of collecting feedback (and bugs!), how to analyze and use the resulting data, and the value of engaging in dialogue with real users. You will also receive a planning template that can help you set up this invaluable event within your own organization.
Carrie, the mastermind behind SAS BetaLabs, is a reformed statistician turned tester with over ten years of experience in software development. At SAS, a trusted analytics powerhouse, she manages a team of testers responsible for the quality of solutions addressing the insurance industry’s regulatory needs. Based on her prior experience in customer-facing roles, Carrie is passionate about engaging users from outside the R&D organization in the testing process in order to gain a fresh perspective, particularly with respect to software usability.
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Lynneth is a project manager at heart and by profession, and one of the lead coordinators for the SAS BetaLabs. She has led software development teams and customer implementations for nearly 30 years, working in every capacity from entry-level data analyst to Chief Operating Officer. As a member of the SAS Software Quality Engineering team, Lynneth advances SAS’ quality culture by facilitating development team retrospectives, promoting quality standards and education, and through primary authorship of the SAS Quality Imperative. BetaLabs are her favorite event because the energy and cross-communication help drive genuine improvements in software quality.