STARWEST 2019 - Testing & Quality Leadership Summit | TechWell

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Testing & Quality Leadership Summit

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"Leadership through Innovation"
Thursday, October 3 (evening) and Friday, October 4 (all day)

The business world is changing faster than ever. Dynamic global markets are forcing organizations to adjust to meet ever changing customer demands. Advances in technology are providing both opportunities and challenges for our software product lines. Join in the conversation with your peers as experienced business leaders share ways to manage quality in the face of change. Work with your peers to understand the changing happening around us and how to deliver high quality software in the face of it.

At the 2019 Testing & Quality Leadership Summit, program chair Jeffery Payne brings together senior industry leaders—Melissa Tondi and Ken Johnston—for an interactive exchange of ideas and experiences. Each of these leaders brings a unique perspective on leadership to the table and will provide Summit participants with lessons learned and practical techniques for leading teams, addressing management challenges, and gaining senior management buy-in.

Also, bring your biggest issues and challenges to the Testing & Quality Leadership Summit, where you can draw on the knowledge and experiences of these leaders and your fellow leaders who may have already faced and solved some of your issues. You’ll hear what’s working—and not working—and have the opportunity to share your experiences and successes. The Quality Leadership Summit is a perfect opportunity for you to:

  • Participate in insightful and informative sessions focusing on leadership issues
  • Meet and network with your peers in the industry
  • Join in the “think tank” discussion with industry veterans
  • Develop new ideas and action plans for innovation within your organization

Thursday, October 3

Jeff Payne
Coveros

Reception and Summit Kickoff: As a Leader, What Is Keeping You Up at Night?

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Thursday, October 3, 2019 - 5:30pm to 6:30pm

Kickoff the Testing & Quality Leadership Summit with a reception and some networking.

Friday, October 4

Melissa Tondi
Rainforest QA

The Tester’s Role - Balancing Technical Acumen and User Advocacy

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Friday, October 4, 2019 - 8:30am to 9:45am

Melissa Tondi discusses the changing landscape of the role of testers, the challenges of hiring, and a way to shift the pendulum back to balance technical acumen with a user advocacy role. Melissa leads a thoughtful discussion on what makes a good tester, how test leaders can continue to promote our profession, and how to accentuate the value testers bring to organizations. She identifies factors that caused the test/QA role to become mainstream and how it shifted to become more technically focused. Melissa helps fill in the gaps with a test strategy that incorporates a solid automation...

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Ken Johnston
Microsoft

The Six Biggest Test Leadership Mistakes I Made and Still Thrived

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Friday, October 4, 2019 - 10:00am to 11:00am

Ken Johnston has been testing, leading teams, and shipping software at Microsoft for more than twenty years. He even helped write the book, “How We Test Software at Microsoft.” Join Ken as he shares some of his darkest leadership secrets: the big bug he missed and Bill Gates found, the battles he took on and lost, and how those miss-steps didn’t end his career. In fact, sometimes, out of failure, came the greatest growth for him and his teams. Yes, it is possible to step in “it” and still move forward and be successful.

Jeff Payne
Coveros

Think Tank Discussion Part I, II, III, and Wrap-Up

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Friday, October 4, 2019 - 11:15am to 3:30pm

Join your peers in an engaging and highly interactive discussion about the issues that concern you most. Using answers to the question—"As a Leader, What Is Keeping You Up at Night?"—posed at Thursday’s evening reception, participants will form small groups to work on finding solutions to pressing test management issues. Discussions will review identified issues and barriers to change, and focus on innovative strategies and practical next steps. At the end of the think tank discussion, all feedback will be collected and posted online to encourage further collaboration....

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