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Leadership

Tutorials

MF What’s Your Leadership IQ? NEW
Jennifer Bonine, tap|QA, Inc.
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 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.

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TD Test Management for Busy People NEW
Lloyd Roden, Lloyd Roden Consultancy
Tue, 05/06/2014 - 8:30am

In today's fast-paced IT world we are often told to deliver higher quality systems to our customers under challenging time schedules, with fewer resources, and reduced budgets. As test managers and team leaders, we must become more effective and efficient with the resources we are given. We should begin questioning whether all those testing processes really must be executed and whether all that documentation should be produced, or whether some, if not all, can be streamlined. Are test plans really important? Are detailed scripts really useful? How can we create highly productive teams?

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TJ Congruent Coaching: An Interactive Exploration NEW
Johanna Rothman, Rothman Consulting Group, Inc.
Tue, 05/06/2014 - 8:30am

We have opportunities to coach people all the time. Much of what we see as coaching is actually undercover training. Real coaching is richer—offering support while explaining options. In this interactive session, Johanna Rothman invites you to explore how to coach, regardless of your position in the organization. Teaching is just one option for coaching. You have many other options, depending on your coaching stance. You may select a counselor’s stance if you are managing up or a partner’s stance if you are a peer.

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TO The Dirty Little Secret of Business NEW
Andy Kaufman, Institute for Leadership Excellence and Development, Inc.
Tue, 05/06/2014 - 1:00pm

Regardless of your role in the software lifecycle, challenges and roadblocks will stand in your way. How can you deal with difficult people who are obstacles to your ability to deliver? How can you influence someone to act on your priorities even when you don’t have organizational authority? How can you find time to network when you’re overwhelmed with day-to-day work? Andy Kaufman shares “The Dirty Little Secret of Business.” You won’t learn this secret in school, yet it is critical to your success. The secret is simple—it’s all about relationships.

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TQ Getting Your Message Across: Communications Skills for Testers NEW
Thomas McCoy, Australian Department of Social Services
Tue, 05/06/2014 - 1:00pm

Communication is at the heart of our profession. No matter how advanced our testing capabilities are, if we can’t convey our concerns in ways that connect with key members of the project team, our contribution is likely to be ignored. Because we act solely in an advisory capacity, rather than being in command, our power to exert influence is almost entirely based on our communication skills. With people deluged with emails and suffering information overload, it is more important than ever that we craft succinct and effective messages, using a range of communication modalities.

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Concurrent Sessions

W7 The Golden Rules for Managing Large Testing Initiatives
Krishna Murthy, Tata Consultancy Services
Wed, 05/07/2014 - 1:45pm

Large technology transformations and undertakings are challenging because they cut across multiple systems and domains of technology and solutions. They involve multiple organizations—from corporate to operations—making communication and collaboration challenging. This complication is amplified when the IT organization in these large enterprises engages multiple vendors. Krishna Murthy shares his experience on how to tackle such situations with customized amalgamations of the best traditional and agile program management practices―Golden Rules of Engagement.

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Keynotes

K5 The Art of Testing Transformation: Blending Technology with Cutting-Edge Processes
Jennifer Bonine, tap|QA, Inc.
Thu, 05/08/2014 - 4:15pm

Technologies, testing processes, and the role of the tester have evolved significantly over the past several years. As testing professionals, it is critical that we evaluate and evolve ourselves to continue to add tangible value to our organizations. In your work, are  you focused on the trivial or on real "game changers"? Jennifer Bonine describes critical elements that, like a skilled painter, help you artfully blend people, process, and technology into a masterpiece, woven together to create a synergistic relationship that adds value to your organization.

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