Most fairy tales start out with a scary premise and move to a happy ending. Lately, we have heard lots of scary stories about the future of testing. As machine learning and artificial intelligence continue to gain prominence, we see even more concerns about the tester’s career. With the help of a famous animation team, Janna and Jennifer will take you through a wild animated journey from what it was like in the early days of software to where we are today. We’ll explore the evolution of the testing profession, as well as what it will become in the future. As this story moves from...
STARWEST 2018 - Keynotes
Wednesday, October 3
The Life of a Tester, from Once Upon a Time to Happily Ever After
PreviewWednesday, October 3, 2018 - 8:30am to 9:45am
Testing Outside of the Box
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 - 10:00am to 11:00am
The cognitive skills of testing are being threatened by two major forces: the assumption that automation can replace all other forms of testing, and the acceptance of lower quality by consumers. You might be feeling like you’re living on an eroding island, but there is a way to adapt and even thrive using your testing skills. Your project still needs to have someone who will question assumptions, examine design, create experiments, analyze data, and report meaningful metrics. It needs your social skill to connect teams who work in silos, bring customer insights to light, and track risks...
Lightning Strikes the Keynotes
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 - 4:15pm to 5:15pm
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. Some of the best-known experts in testing will step up to the podium and give you their best shot of lightning. Get multiple keynote presentations for the price of one—and...
Thursday, October 4
Be the Lord of Your OWN Rings: How to Build Your OWN Insider Testing Program
Thursday, October 4, 2018 - 8:30am to 9:45am
Many testers just don't plain get listened to. Management doesn’t seem to listen despite you having a really good idea on how to reduce costs without reducing quality. How can a well-meaning tester act as an agent of change and change your corporate landscape? Dona is the Lord of the Rings at Microsoft where she co-creates the future of Windows with 10M + #WindowsInsiders all over the world. They are one of the biggest fan and influencer programs in the tech industry—one that helps shape the future of Microsoft technology every single day. She will guide you on how to create a fan and...
Testing Your Tests: Securing Confidence In Your Automation
Thursday, October 4, 2018 - 4:15pm to 5:15pm
The growth of automation testing in today’s software development organizations is changing the way we test applications. Software development practices have matured over the last thirty years to include all forms of testing in order to verify software quality. In the last ten years, there has been a huge spike in the adoption of automated tests, effectively replacing some manual testing practices and supplementing traditional testing activities. Many parts of the software development industry, however, are wary of replacing manual testing with automated testing. Not only is there often a...