Quality Assurance

Tutorials

MC Getting Started with Risk-Based Testing

Dale Perry, Software Quality Engineering

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

Whether you are new to testing or looking for a better way to organize your test practices, understanding risk is essential to successful testing. Dale Perry describes a general risk-based framework—applicable to any development lifecycle model—to help you make critical testing decisions earlier and with more confidence. Learn how to focus your testing effort, what elements to test, and how to organize test designs and documentation. Review the fundamentals of risk identification, analysis, and the role testing plays in risk mitigation.

MD Introduction to Selenium and WebDriver NEW

Alan Richardson, Compendium Developments

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

Selenium is an open source automation tool for test driving browser-based applications. WebDriver, the newly-introduced API for Selenium against which tests are written in Java, contains classes including ChromeDriver, AndroidDriver, and iPhoneDriver. Sometimes test authors find the API daunting and their initial automation code brittle and poorly structured. In this introduction, Alan Richardson provides hints and tips gained from his years of experience both using WebDriver and helping others improve their use of the tool.

ME What’s Your Leadership IQ? NEW

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.

MI A Dozen Keys to Agile Testing Maturity

Bob Galen, Velocity Partners

Mary Thorn, ChannelAdvisor

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

You’ve “gone agile” and have been relatively successful. So, how do you know how well your team is really doing? And how do you continuously improve your practices? When things get rocky, how do you handle the challenges without reverting to old habits? You realize that the path to high-performance agile testing isn’t easy or quick. It also helps to have a guide. So consider this workshop your guide to ongoing, improved, and sustained high-performance. Join Bob Galen and Mary Thorn as they share lessons from their most successful agile testing transitions.

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).

Keynotes

K1 Quality Principles for Today’s “Glueware”—Testing Web Services, Libraries, and Frameworks

Julie Gardiner, Redmind

Wed, 10/15/2014 - 8:30am

In the past, developers knew every line of code in their applications. They designed it, wrote it, tested it, and controlled it. Today’s applications are far different. Rather than written, they are often assembled―from program language libraries, third-party frameworks, encapsulated web services, and even entire external systems—and glued together with small amounts of code. Before your organization committed to using these external pieces of software, were testers part of the evaluation process? Was the software thoroughly tested before betting your organization’s success on it?

K3 Lightning Strikes the Keynotes

Lee Copeland, Software Quality Engineering

Wed, 10/15/2014 - 4:30pm

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.

Concurrent Sessions

W5 Growing into Leadership

Peter Walen, Gordon Food Service

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

Pete Walen is not going to tell you how to be a good test manager. Instead, Pete shares ideas on becoming a true leader. While some managers certainly are leaders, testers of all varieties and experience levels can become leaders. Developing technical leadership skills, regardless of job title, involves overcoming our own uncertainties, self-doubts, and perceptions. Learning to foster relationships while perfecting our craft is a challenge for everyone, particularly when others look to us to be an expert—even when we don’t feel like one.

T3 A Path through the Jungle: Validating a Test Automation System for the FDA

Chris Crapo, Boston Scientific Neuromodulation

David Nelson, Boston Scientific Neuromodulation

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

Test automation is difficult to get right. Working under FDA regulation presents its own challenges. Combining the two is a scary proposition because the FDA requires—and will scrutinize—the validation of any test automation used. Despite this, working in a regulated environment only magnifies the value of test automation. Aware that automation is a driver of quality and consistency, the FDA welcomes automated tests as part of an audit submission. The key to success is demonstrating quality in a way that the FDA recognizes.