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Enabling Business Agility by Transforming QA Track 1: 11:00 - 12:00 To remain competitive in today’s business environment, it is essential that your critical applications are supported by rapid, cost-effective, and defect-free software. Businesses today are looking at the IT and QA functions as drivers of change in enabling business agility. IT organizations need to realign themselves to create this agility by establishing a synergy between the business, IT, and QA teams. This is possible only when every entity in this ecosystem discovers ways to achieve operational excellence by reducing the cost of operations, increasing the speed of transition, and improving the quality of delivery. Inventing newer approaches to computing and quality assurance and adopting industry best processes and metrics can help your organization excel in delivery. In this presentation, Priya will explain how successful QA organizations are leveraging best-in-class practices and techniques to enable business agility. You will learn easy and adoptable ways to make your QA organization more effective, efficient, and agile. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Collaborative Problem Resolution through Effective Communication Track 2: 11:00 - 12:00 Emotionally, it can be a touch and go situation in a test group. The stress of schedules, budget crunches, pressure to "get the numbers up!", and constant talking about "problems" is always a part of the landscape. A tester needs to know how to communicate effectively within this environment. A team of managers, developers, and testers need to know how to collaborate well to resolve issues efficiently. What are the fundamentals of a successful collaborative environment? What are the factors that impact effective communication? This session will answer these questions and show you how to prioritize and deal with disruptive elements. Several case studies will be presented giving you tangible examples of how to manage communications and collaboration within a project team environment. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Requirements and the Role of Testers Track 3: 11:00 - 12:00 Testers need to know what the requirements are in order to confirm that the system meets those specific specifications. Yet, too often, testers receive requirements that are late and inadequate. Thus, how to get timely, testable requirements is increasingly becoming a tester’s major concern. To solve this problem, some testers attempt to define and document the requirements themselves. However, since testers may be neither skilled in nor positioned for this task, they may still end up with inadequate requirements definitions and now they have diverted time from their primary testing responsibilities. This interactive session reveals seldom recognized issues that may impact or even defeat the tester’s requirements gathering efforts and suggests more appropriate ways that testers can contribute effectively to getting the clear and accurate requirements essential to their work. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Effective Test Planning: Scope, Estimates, and Schedule Track 4: 11:00 - 12:00 Most test managers and leads regularly find themselves in the unenviable position of having to deliver a “test plan” explaining what will be tested, how long it will take, and how many people and resources will be required. Unfortunately, they are expected to deliver this plan based on very limited information. To assist in alleviating some of the torment that comes with this activity Shaun Bradshaw will present a shortened version of his half-day class on test planning. Shaun’s presentation will briefly explain useful and proven methods for identifying the testing scope, assessing risks that may impact testing, prioritizing test activities, and estimating resources. These are techniques that can be used immediately to derive valid test plans for your own organization. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Smart Ways to Reduce Regression Testing Cycle Times Track 5: 11:00 - 12:00 “The testing team takes forever to test a simple release. The implementation date is not going to change, what can they do to in the time that’s left?” This complaint is commonly heard in the meeting rooms of development projects, especially those that are iterative in nature. To solve this dilemma, some organizations compromise quality and eventually increase maintenance costs. Others end up investing in test automation, only to realize that there is no significant improvement. In his presentation, Shiva reveals the strategies, techniques, and tools that can be adopted to establish optimum regression test beds. He will discuss the science behind risk based testing that helps to identify defect free and defect prone zones, thus ensuring adequate test coverage without reaching the point of diminishing returns. Tips that guarantee a return on investment from automation will be discussed, as well as detailed information on techniques such as visual test design for business coverage, isolation & decoupling strategies, and the follow-the-sun model. Process Improvement in a Multi-Model World Track 1: 9:45 - 10:45 Model based process improvement typically has centered on a single model or framework as the lynch pin to control software process improvement within an organization. The use of a model or framework is an excellent means of reducing random activity. Unfortunately, one model does not cover the whole organization. Process improvement has matured to a point where the span of control must be extended, which suggests the use of more than one model, CMMI, ISO, ITIL and Business Process Re-engineering to name a few. In this session, Thomas will discuss how to manage process improvement in a complex, multi-model environment. Join Thomas to discuss what drives change, how you can chart change in an organization that must accommodate multiple models, and a process to plot the course of change holistically. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inspiring Passion in Testing Teams Track 2: 9:45 - 10:45 Some of the most successful and highly regarded test teams are comprised of individuals passionate about their role and committed to performing at their best. Unfortunately however, testing is sometimes viewed as a less than fulfilling role, requiring little or no skill, and individuals enter the role underwhelmed and unaware of the positive and rewarding challenge it can bring. So, how can individuals be inspired to be passionate about their role as testers? As managers, leaders, and colleagues committed to the success and excellence of the software testing industry, we play an important role in inspiring others. How do we generate this inspiration in others? How do we maintain our own passion and motivate ourselves to continue to grow and stretch our definitions of excellence? This session will share how passion has its own energy, one that is observable and transferable, and how this energy can influence others to follow us in our pursuit to enhance the profession of software testing. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What Constitutes the Value of Testing in Quality Software Delivery? Track 3: 9:45 - 10:45 High quality is a competitive advantage. Think of brands that are perceived to have high quality, Mercedes Benz, Gucci, or Ritz Carlton. The same is true for software development, high quality systems lead to competitive advantage companies. Too often, however, companies do not think about quality holistically. Instead, they try to “test-in” quality at the end of the development lifecycle. There is a better way to deliver. Rather, view quality holistically through centralizing quality-related activities and improving overall testing maturity. Join Bernd as he discusses how software testing relates to the complete software delivery life cycle and quality assurance. Bernd will reveal how high maturity software testing operations lead to high quality, increased productivity, and cost efficiency as well as how centralizing software testing yields higher ROI and increased operational excellence. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Pitfalls of Automation and How to Avoid Them Track 4: 9:45 - 10:45 Organizations take on the challenge of test automation for a variety of reasons, but the overriding factor is always to realize a return on investment and, it is a significant investment. If the organization cannot save or earn more money using automation tools, then they should not be using the tools. After all, why make the investment? Objectives toward the goal of realizing an R.O.I. often include a faster testing process, better software though more validation, fewer resources required, and reduction in human error. Why then do so many organizations fall victim to the same common pitfalls? Why is it that so many automation solutions become “shelf-ware?” Is it the automation software or the resources? Or is it, perhaps, the lack of a planned automation methodology and approach? Bob will address all of these challenges and explain how organizations can tackle them head-on! About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Automated Exploratory Testing Track 5: 9:45 - 10:45 Automated exploratory testing (AET) is about getting the best of both worlds. It is a method that integrates test automation with the exploratory testing approach. When combined correctly, automated testing and exploratory testing complement one another significantly boosting productivity. When you integrate the keyword driven testing approach (KDT) with session based ET (SBET), you enjoy the efficiency of automation combined with simultaneous learning, test design, and test execution. In this session, Yaron will introduce the AET methodology and demonstrate how to implement it in your day to day testing work. AET can increase your testing efficiency by allowing you to focus on the core testing activities and reducing the need for activities such as set up, pre and post steps, and gathering results. The result is a fast and accurate test execution phase. Managing Quality the Cost Effective Way Track 1: 1:00 - 2:00 Quality Management programs often fail because they are viewed as a cumbersome, time consuming, expensive activity which is often impractical in a rapidly changing business environment. In this session, Deepika will present a real time business scenario demonstrating how simple, effective, and innovative techniques can be leveraged to improve efficiency, reliability, and most importantly, to achieve business benefits. Deepika will discuss simple quality controls included as part of quality programs that can bring about strategic value to organizations. She will explain the importance of having management map quality goals to their business goals before embarking on a quality management program. Join Deepika and learn how to define quality dimensions, how to control quality in a cost effective manner, and how we can use tools to drive quality. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Server Monitoring: The Casablanca Method for Performance Measurement Track 2: 1:00 - 2:00 There are two main objectives when performing load testing, what happens to your application under load and what happens to your back end servers under load. It's easy to observe the first objective, but understanding the second can be a little trickier. Server monitoring tools capture such a wide variety of metrics that it is difficult to determine which of those metrics are truly meaningful. The actor Claude Rains solved this problem in the film Casablanca when his character announces "Round up the usual suspects." That's exactly where your server monitoring should begin. Servers use finite resources when running applications. When the resources run short, server performance suffers. The "usual suspects" include CPU, Memory, and Disk. Join Joey as he uses real world examples to show you how to measure the effect of load on these components. Discover how a single metric can tell you when a server is becoming so bogged down that it is no longer performing efficiently. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Application Technical Quality Measurement: Truth from the Source Track 3: 1:00 - 2:00 Lack of visibility into the technical health of critical applications creates business and financial risks that include application outages, security breaches, degraded performance, data corruption, and excessive ownership costs. The challenge of controlling internal quality is exacerbated by the multiple languages and technologies that are integrated into modern business applications whose different tiers include the user interface, business logic, and data management as well as interactions with legacy and enterprise resource systems. Consequently, non-functional defects that frequently go undetected by functional testing create some of the greatest quality problems. Manual reviews are employed to weed out some of these non-functional defects; however they are time consuming, inefficient, and are not comprehensive. Jay will discuss the importance of incorporating automated application quality analysis to measure the quality of multi-tier applications across their component technologies and languages to identify pathological interactions and violations of coding standards. You will hear how to leverage internal benchmarking insights to mitigate risks, control costs, and improve productivity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Optimizing Modular Test Automation Track 4: 1:00 - 2:00 Many companies have recognized the value of test automation frameworks. Appropriate test automation frameworks maximize ROI on automation tools and minimize script maintenance. One of the most common frameworks is the modular test automation approach. This approach uses the same concept as software development, building components or modules shared within an application. For test automation, the modular approach decomposes the application under test into functions or modules. The functions or modules are linked together to form automated test cases. While this approach encourages reusability and maintainability, there are many challenges that must be considered and addressed at the start of a project. In his presentation, David will address the components, benefits and challenges of a modular test automation approach. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ensuring Application Security throughout the SDLC Track 5: 1:00 - 2:00 In this climate, it's not a matter of if your applications will be subjected to an attack; it's a matter of when. Web site security and compliance should be a top priority for organizations intent on protecting sensitive company, customer and employee data, on meeting regulatory and corporate compliance requirements, and on defending against the high cost of a data breach. Web sites and their applications are high-focus targets for hackers because they provide a direct route to corporate or personal data. This session will begin with a brief overview of some of the most common attacks hackers are using, such as Cross-Site Scripting and SQL Injection. We will also discuss best practices an organization can follow to address security flaws earlier in the software development lifecycle. Finally, we will review the importance of white box and black box testing approaches and tools available to ensure the quality and security of applications. Enabling Change Within Your Organization Track 2: 9:45 - 10:45 After you have spent some time planning your improvement effort, it is time to make those plans a reality. Implementing your plan, however, may feel overwhelming. In this session, Neil will describe techniques for deploying new practices across the organization. These techniques address the problems of resistance, unwieldy solutions, and slow deployment. Join Neil as he discusses applying selling strategies to deploy new practices, increasing the speed of deployment, understanding and addressing resistance, reducing the risk of failure, and delaying policy document creation and edicts until each solution has been practiced and well tested. Learn to be a change leader in your organization, selling in the way people want to be sold, focusing on results, and dealing with resistance. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RBT2: Requirements-Based (and Risk-Based) Testing Track 3: 9:45 - 10:45 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deploying Virtual Lab Automation in Cloud Environments Track 4: 9:45 - 10:45 Development and test labs in software engineering organizations continuously demand computing, storage, and networking infrastructure upgrades and support. To address the challenges in providing these resources, IT administrators have moved toward lab server consolidation powered by virtualization from vendors like Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware. This lab consolidation is usually accompanied by a management layer called virtual lab automation (VLA). Together, this enables the lab to operate as a private, on-premise cloud. Many VLA technologies and products can now leverage public cloud infrastructures such as Amazon Web Services. This session will review virtual labs enabled in private, public, and hybrid clouds as well as how these virtual labs help the software engineering process of development, build, and test. Ravi will also discuss key areas of consideration for organizations adopting or evaluating this approach including security, the business model benefits of the public cloud infrastructure, operational flexibility, user access models, and compliance. About the speaker... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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