Personal Improvement

Tutorials

MA A Rapid Introduction to Rapid Software Testing

Michael Bolton, DevelopSense

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 8:30am

You're under tight time pressure and have barely enough information to proceed with testing. How do you test quickly and inexpensively, yet still produce informative, credible, and accountable results? Rapid Software Testing, adopted by context-driven testers worldwide, offers a field-proven answer to this all-too-common dilemma. In this one-day sampler of the approach, Michael Bolton introduces you to the skills and practice of Rapid Software Testing through stories, discussions, and "minds-on" exercises that simulate important aspects of real testing problems.

MB The Challenges of BIG Testing: Automation, Virtualization, Outsourcing, and More SOLD OUT

Hans Buwalda, LogiGear

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 8:30am

Large-scale and complex testing projects can stress the testing and automation practices we have learned through the years, resulting in less than optimal outcomes. However, a number of innovative ideas and concepts are emerging to better support industrial-strength testing for big projects. Hans Buwalda shares his experiences and strategies he's developed for organizing and managing testing on large projects. Learn how to design tests specifically for automation, including how to incorporate keyword testing and other techniques.

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.

MM Apply Emotional Intelligence to Your Testing SOLD OUT NEW

Thomas McCoy, Australian Department of Social Services

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 1:00pm

As test managers and test professionals we can have an enormous emotional impact on others. We're constantly dealing with fragile egos, highly charged situations, and pressured people playing a high-stakes game under conditions of massive uncertainty. We're often the bearers of bad news and are sometimes perceived as critics, activating people's primal fear of being judged. Emotional intelligence (EI), the concept popularized by Harvard psychologist and science writer Daniel Goleman, has much to offer test managers and testers.

MN Testing with Limited, Vague, and Missing Requirements SOLD OUT NEW

Lloyd Roden, Lloyd Roden Consultancy

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 1:00pm

Requirements are essential for the success of projects―or are they? As testers, we often demand concrete requirements, specified and documented in minute detail. However, does the business really know what they want early in the project? Can they actually produce such a document? Is it acceptable to test with limited or vague requirements? Lloyd Roden challenges your most basic beliefs, explaining how detailed requirements can damage and hinder the progress of testing.

TC Critical Thinking for Software Testers

James Bach, Satisfice, Inc.

Tue, 05/06/2014 - 8:30am

Critical thinking is the kind of thinking that specifically looks for problems and mistakes. Regular people don't do a lot of it. However, if you want to be a great tester, you need to be a great critical thinker. Critically thinking testers save projects from dangerous assumptions and ultimately from disasters. The good news is that critical thinking is not just innate intelligence or a talent—it's a learnable and improvable skill you can master.

TE Innovation Thinking: Evolve and Expand Your Capabilities NEW

Jennifer Bonine, tap|QA, Inc.

Tue, 05/06/2014 - 8:30am

Innovation is a word tossed around frequently 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).

TN What's the Problem? A Workshop in Identifying, Clarifying, and Solving NEW

Michael Bolton, DevelopSense

Tue, 05/06/2014 - 1:00pm

Most of the time, as testers, our primary responsibility is to find problems. But, have we paused to consider what a “problem” is? In this interactive, hands-on workshop, Michael Bolton leads delegates in examining and mapping out ideas about problems. What constitutes a problem? How do we recognize one? What are the factors or dimensions of a problem?

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.

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.

TS Influence and Authority: Use Your Personal Power to Get Things Done NEW

Johanna Rothman, Rothman Consulting Group, Inc.

Tue, 05/06/2014 - 1:00pm

How often have you been in a situation where you could see the solution and yet did not have the authority to make a change? You tried persuasion; you tried selling your ideas; you might have even tried friendly manipulation to get your way. And nothing worked. Here’s a new plan. We can learn to develop and use personal power and influence to effect positive changes in our companies.

Keynotes

K1 Principles Before Practices: Transform Your Testing by Understanding Key Concepts

Randy Rice, Rice Consulting Services, Inc.

Wed, 05/07/2014 - 8:30am

It’s one thing to be exposed to new techniques from conferences and training courses, but it’s quite another thing to apply them in real life. A major reason is that people tend to focus on learning the technique without first grasping the underlying principles. Basic testing principles, such as the pesticide paradox of software defects and defect clustering, have been known for many years. Other principles, such as “Test automation is not automatic” and “Not every software failure is a defect,” are learned by experience.

K2 Testing in the Age of Distraction: Flow, Focus, and Defocus in Testing

Zeger Van Hese, Z-sharp

Wed, 05/07/2014 - 10:00am

We live in interesting times. Knowledge is available at our fingertips, no matter where we are. Social networks enable communication around the world. However, along with these marvels of the information age come weapons of mass distraction. With so many things competing for our attention—and so little time to focus on real work—it’s a wonder we get anything done at all. What does this mean for testers? A common belief is that only focused concentration leads to productive work—and conversely, that distraction causes procrastination and stifles creativity.

K3 Lightning Strikes the Keynotes

Lee Copeland, Software Quality Engineering

Wed, 05/07/2014 - 4:15pm

Throughout the years, Lightning Talks have been a popular part of the STAR conferences. If you’re not familiar with the concept, Lightning Talks consists of a series of five-minute talks by different speakers within one presentation period. Lightning Talks are the opportunity for speakers to deliver their single biggest bang-for-the-buck idea in a rapid-fire presentation. And now, lightning has struck the STAR 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.

Concurrent Sessions

W5 Twelve Tips for Becoming a More Professional Tester

Joel Montvelisky, PractiTest

Wed, 05/07/2014 - 11:30am

Many testers feel that their organizations do not treat them with the same level of professionalism and respect that their development peers receive. Testers attribute this to the fact that testing is a relatively “new” profession, that few universities grant a formal degree in software testing, and all sorts of other external factors—things beyond their control. But, to be perceived as professionals, we need to start by becoming more professional.

W11 Succeeding as an Ethnic or Minority Tester

Yousef Harfi, Medavie Blue Cross

Wed, 05/07/2014 - 1:45pm

No one wishes to see himself as different or treat other people differently because of his uniqueness. Unfortunately, we are frequently judged and our skills presumed based on our ethnicity, beliefs, politics, appearance, lifestyle, gender, or sexual orientation. Our professional success and our projects’ success can be derailed because of lack of understanding, stereotyping, or fear. Our professional environment includes us all―brown, black, white, tall, short, male, female, straight, gay, extroverts, and introverts.

W17 The Impact of Cognitive Biases on Test and Project Teams

Thomas Cagley, The David Consulting Group

Wed, 05/07/2014 - 3:00pm

Teams are a fundamental part of the way we all work. Understanding the ins and outs of team decision making makes us better employees, better co-workers, and even better people. As developers and testers, we continuously make decisions. Most decisions are based on how the decision maker perceives the information at hand. That perception is driven by many factors including cognitive biases—the mental shortcuts we use that lead us to simplify, make quick decisions, and ultimately mess up when we’re trying to attack new problems.