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Wednesday, October 15, 2014 - 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Personal Excellence
W17

Speak Like a Test Manager

Ever feel like your manager, development manager, product manager, product owner, or (you fill in the blank) is not listening to you or your team? Are you struggling to make an impact with your messages? Are you “pushing a wet rope uphill” in championing product quality? Are you talking, but no one is listening? Mike Sowers shares practical examples of how to more effectively speak like a test manager and offers concrete advice based on his experiences in the technology, financial, transportation, and professional services sectors. Mike discusses communication and relationship styles that work—and some that have failed—and shares key principles (e.g., seeking to understand), approaches (e.g., using facts), and attributes (e.g., being proactive) to help you grow and prosper as a test manager. Leave with practical ideas to boost your communications skills and influence to become a trusted advisor to your team and your management.

Mike Sowers, Software Quality Engineering

Mike Sowers has more than twenty-five years of practical experience as a global quality and test leader of internationally distributed test teams across multiple industries. Mike is a senior consultant, skilled in working with both large and small organizations to improve their software development, testing, and delivery approaches. He has worked with companies including Fidelity Investments, PepsiCo, FedEx, Southwest Airlines, Wells Fargo, ADP, and Lockheed to improve software quality, reduce time to market, and decrease costs.

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