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Managing Software Quality Throughout the Lifecycle Track 1: 9:45 - 10:45 "How do you know that you've found the last defect in system test? You never find the first one." It has been more than 20 years since IBM's Dr. Harlan Mills provided this personal insight into quality management and testing. Yet, the software industry still relies heavily on testing to improve the quality of its product. Dr. Mills' message was simple, if you want a quality product out of test; you have to put a quality product into test. This presentation will address this concept introducing lifecycle quality management principles, methods, and metrics that have been proven effective on software development and enhancement projects in many domains and settings. Starting with software project planning, Jim will describe metrics and benchmarks that can be used to evaluate plans, software components, and software processes to economically manage quality throughout the lifecycle. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Testing in the Enterprise Using Scrum Track 2: 9:45 - 10:45 Scrum has become one of the most used Agile Methodologies for scaling agility toward larger projects and teams with its hierarchical Scrum-of-Scrums model. However, there are challenges within the approach. One of the more critical problems is guiding the testing effort as project size and complexity increases, particularly for enterprise level projects. In this presentation, Bob will show you how to face some of these scaled testing challenges including handling legacy and non-green field projects, managing distributed testing, integration testing of large-scale systems, coordinating with multiple product owners, and successfully marrying traditional testing expectations and techniques with those of the agile teams. Additionally, you'll explore strategies for traditional testers to successfully integrate their skills and experience into their agile teams to make a high quality impact. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reusable Test Designs: Leverage Your Test Case Effort Track 3: 9:45 - 10:45 Would you like to be an instant testing expert, able to start testing effectively in new situations without delay? And would you like to spend more of your time running tests and less of your time creating the tests? Reusable test designs are a little-known but powerful test planning/design tool that make it possible for you to run more effective test cases in less time. This presentation shows you how to apply a systematic structured Proactive approach that first enables you to design much more thorough tests than traditional methods. Then, you'll discover how to convert your test designs into reusable test designs that you can apply instantly in new situations. You'll develop several reusable test designs and be ready to add more to your toolkit back on the job. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agile Estimation Using Functional Metrics Track 4: 9:45 - 10:45 Estimation is a lightning rod for conflicts between agile and process driven methodologies. However, times are changing and agile is maturing. Part of the process of maturation is the incorporation of best practices from other methods and frameworks. In this presentation, Tom will explain how functional metrics allow you to incorporate additional process discipline into the estimation processes typically used by agile teams. Join Tom and review current approaches to agile estimation, learn an approach to incorporate functional metrics into agile estimation, and understand why process discipline in estimation is important to gauge improvement. This process can be used to estimate whole projects or specific components. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Regression Testing Regresses Track 5: 9:45 - 10:45 As organizations aspire to enter the world of the cloud in addition to embarking upon virtualization, all the while remaining rooted in their "alive-and-well" legacy technology, new models of support and maintenance are emerging. This is creating the need for new regression testing models, frameworks and processes that address the challenges around maintenance and reusability, better application of test automation, and more mature metrics to measure success. In this presentation, Christopher will focus on the challenges that organizations face both in defining the right regression testing strategy and implementing that strategy without impacting their ongoing release schedules. He will discuss best practices around strategy and tactical implementation as well as the newest regression testing methods that organizations are employing along with creative measures to gauge success. The evolution in test automation tool sets that support regression testing will also be covered. Finally, Christopher will review a case study of an organization that has managed to actively adapt their regression test strategy to better support their technical transformation. About the speaker... Optimizing Your Testing Center of Excellence Track 1: 1:00 - 2:00 Testing Centers of Excellence are becoming more and more common today. However, do you know how to take your TCoE from average to world-class? In this session, James will discuss the winning formula for taking your TCoE to the next level. Understand how to sell and grow an enterprise TCoE. To "up your game," it is important to remain relevant to the business and show ongoing value and efficiency savings. Learn to examine the business aspects related to running a TCoE and how to best optimize operations. James will discuss the value levers and cost savings that can be measured by the TCoE. He will talk about the 'extra' non-testing activities required to be implemented to motivate staff, and empower rapid growth and maturity. Finally, he will reveal how to remain competitive and relevant to the organization to meet changing business priorities. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let Go of the Reins: Management in an Agile Organization Track 2: 1:00 - 2:00 Your organization has gone agile, and you are a test manager. You'll find that there is little, if any, information about how a test manager fits into an agile organization. Some people may even tell you that your role is obsolete! The good news is that a truly agile, empowered, self-directed, collaborative, and silo-eradicated organization takes a long time to form, which means that many agile organizations benefit in having managers as they evolve. To thrive as an agile manager though, your role and responsibilities need to change as the organization does. You must learn to be a coach, removing obstacles and promoting communication. Attend this session to learn how to develop as your organization goes agile and how to ensure you consistently add value for your company. You will leave with insights, techniques, and approaches you can readily apply when you return to work, so that you thrive as an agile manager. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Modernizing QA: The Relentless Pursuit of Business Alignment Track 3: 1:00 - 2:00 Your business is built on software. It is critical that you deliver. The reality is, however, that 68% of software projects struggle. They are late, over-budget, or result in missed expectations. Sadly, 40% of development effort spend is typically wasted on rework. Why is this tolerated? Quality practices are partly to blame. Business expectations are often overlooked, resulting in development and test plans that are out of alignment with business needs. Change is often poorly managed, impeding your business agility. Testing comes late in the lifecycle; often vital tests are sacrificed in the rush to go live. The net effect is that millions of dollars are wasted developing software that's simply not fit. It's time to move beyond this outdated practice. Join us as we discuss emerging concepts and benefits of a modernized QA approach managing quality from the inception of the project, instead of at the end of the lifecycle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Managing with Metrics: The Saga of a Test Effort Track 4: 1:00 - 2:00 Some consider test metrics a thorn in the side of software development and testing, but when used properly, they provide valuable insights into what occurs during projects and what strategic and tactical adjustments must be made on a daily basis. This presentation describes how a small set of test metrics were used to successfully manage a major test acceptance effort at the conclusion of a two and half year ERP implementation. Attendees will learn how key metrics drove test management decisions and how these same metrics can benefit their organizations. In relaying the story, Shaun will lead a discussion of the background, planning, effort, and results, all from the point of view of what the metrics revealed and how the management of the entire project effort was altered as a result. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Performance Engineering: Strategy, and Delivery Track 5: 1:00 - 2:00 With complex environments and distributed system structures it is very difficult to proactively predict and diagnose performance issues. Most organizations purchase performance tools with an understanding that they will pinpoint all the potential problems. But, in reality, a performance tool is just a medium to push the desired load. The real solution to this problem is the strategy and processes surrounding the area of performance. In his presentation, Shekhar will provide information on how performance testing should be driven to achieve maximum maturity and ROI in shortest amount of time. He will explain a step by step approach for organizations to adapt performance methodology and toolsets, and to standardize and improve their existing performance strategy and delivery. Finally, Shekhar will discuss how the development of centralized expertise in an organization can save money by managing performance initiatives in a truly cost effective manner. It's the People It's Always the People Track 1: 9:45 - 10:45 Why do we insist on calling people "resources?" If software projects were a factory, people would be fungible, interchangeable resources just like desks and computers. But software is creative work. That means we need to manage people as if they are human, not as tasks or resources. Join Johanna and learn how to find the right people by recognizing candidates who fit your culture. Understand how to hire using team consensus and how to prevent one person from holding your hiring process hostage. Johanna will explain what makes a team great, interpersonal skills. Great managers model those skills and value them by rewarding people who use those skills to help the team succeed. Explore how to empower the team, including protecting it from bad influences, making sure the team has what they need, and helping people learn to be accountable to each other, not to their manager. People, working in teams, make projects succeed. Learn how you can help them. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 25 Most Dangerous Application Security Weaknesses Track 2: 9:45 - 10:45 Robert's talk will focus on the 2010 update to the SANS/CWE list of the Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Errors, which is the "minimal due-care standard" for developing secure applications in many large enterprises. It is used by the State of New York and The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation to mandate what application security must be addressed in procurement contracts. The Top 25 CWE list can and should be a basis for creating automated tests and testing tools. Common themes in each of the 25 errors can be used to craft lessons to apply to future development activities. Applying techniques mentioned throughout the 25 issues can aid development and testing teams to create more secure software and reduce downstream effects on companies and customers alike. No matter your project role, your mandate is clear, safeguard your applications and make sure your team has avoided the Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Errors. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transforming Outsourcing Relationships Track 3: 9:45 - 10:45 When testing functions are outsourced, the various partners and stakeholders often perceive success differently. Typically, the outsource provider believes its performance is good, testers in the development organization are ambivalent, and the parent business is unhappy. In this presentation, Yann will discuss common engagement challenges often resulting from inadequate governance models where measurements drive unwanted behavior. He will cover ways of turning around such engagements, creating value generating partnerships for all stakeholders. Yann will explain how to set up governance models to ensure no gaps between expected and actual service levels and outcomes. Finally, he will outline what is shaping up to be the next generation of governance model as outsourcing matures and organizations seek innovation and value-add from their outsourcing partner. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Best Practices for Testing Mobile Applications Track 4: 9:45 - 10:45 With the emergence of the smart phone mobile application era, a whole new set of challenges are converging on existing test teams. Along with access to unlimited information comes a dilemma in determining how best to test the thousands of applications across the many devices, networks, carriers, and languages they support. In this presentation, Mike will guide you to an understanding of the key methods for tackling this issue. You will learn the major differences between testing mobile applications versus web applications and why mobile testing is so challenging. You will leave this session with important techniques for customizing your own mobile testing strategy. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gaining Control of Your Test Data Track 5: 9:45 - 10:45 As a software testing professional, developing and managing your test data as soon as possible within your project lifecycle will improve the quality of your product and lower the cost of producing that product. Why? Well managed and effective test data will ensure you overcome failures and setbacks caused by data that is ineffective for your testing. Join Stephanie as she uses real world project examples to show you the impact of poor data choices. She will review the fundamental issues affecting the ability to make good data choices and help you understand how to choose the right data in the right amounts ensuring robust coverage. She will address data integrity issues and discuss how to handle test data complexity including how to create and maintain effective data. Finally, she will cover automation of the test data management process. About the speakers... Making a Difference as a Change Agent Track 1: 1:00 - 2:00 Most attempts at organizational change fail since the old culture is so strong that it generally overcomes the new initiative. Not to mention that the very thought of adding the burden of change is often just too much…it's the last straw. Often the change agent, the person trying to drive or facilitate the change, gets 'destroyed' in the process. These results are not inevitable, however. There are some proven, practical practices you can apply whether trying to change a process or move some portion of the organization in a different direction. Learn successful techniques, deadly sins, and how to avoid making classic mistakes. Learn to take a strategic, rather than tactical, approach to change as you develop and deploy a plan. Learn why introspection, changing yourself, and a little bit of humor are key ingredients to getting change to overcome the odds and stick. Walk away with the resources you need to make a difference. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Requirements Go, So Goes the Project Track 2: 1:00 - 2:00 Nowhere is the opportunity greater or the cost of a project more likely to be impacted than at the beginning, when requirements are gathered, refined, and translated into specifications. This area is well-recognized as the point at which costly and damaging defects are introduced. Unfortunately, when the subject of requirements arises, it is usually met with a shrug and some statement to the effect that requirements are always a problem. This session attacks the giant shrug in three ways: through discussion of facts and figures that can "sell" the need for better requirements formulation, through a mapping of classical requirements categories to CMMI terms for a better understanding of how CMMI applies, and through a discussion of the important elements of sound requirements engineering. Charlene will also discuss the rights of the customer and the analyst gathering the requirements. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Incorporating Unit Level Automation with Traditional Regression Testing Track 3: 1:00 - 2:00 Quality assurance groups have recognized the need to implement regression test automation to effectively and efficiently test applications. Most of the test automation tools used by QA are full-feature tools that require licensing fees. On the other hand, development groups need a lightweight test automation tool to help them expedite unit testing. Most of these lightweight test automation tools come with their own programming language or are open-source. Meeting both these needs with an integrated solution will provide benefits to both groups. The challenge then is to identify solutions to bridge test automation between the needs of the development group and the QA group. In his presentation, David will address two potential solutions to this problem. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 10 Tech Trends: How They are Altering the Testing Landscape Track 4: 1:00 - 2:00 New and emerging technologies like mobile apps, 4G, cloud computing, HTML5, and NoSQL are making big headlines. These technological innovations are allowing sensitive data to be accessed through the web and on mobile devices more than ever before. With so much critical data flowing to smartphones and tablets, there is immense pressure to ensure that apps are reliable, scalable, private, and secure. This evolution, or in some cases, revolution of technologies and user behavior dramatically impacts those who are responsible for developing and testing applications. The ways web and mobile apps are designed, developed and delivered are changing dramatically, and therefore the ways these apps are being tested are being taxed and stretched to the breaking point. Using real-world examples, Doron Reuveni identifies the top ten technology trends that have transformed the software industry and outlines what these new technologies mean for web and mobile testers. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Integrating Exploratory Testing with Discipline Testing Track 5: 1:00 - 2:00 Traditional approaches to testing are organized around the distinct phases of test planning, test design, and test execution performed as sequential activities. Exploratory testing is the interleaving of test planning, test design, and test execution in real time taking learning into account. In exploratory testing, the results of one test case often influence the design of the next test case. Exploratory testing is designed to minimize overhead spent on detailed test planning and design so as to maximize the time that responsible, intelligent, well trained, and engaged test professionals spend actually testing a system. However, exploratory testing is not ad hoc. A set of exploratory tests can be planned and designed. Coverage data can be reported. Join Tim and see how projects are best served by an appropriate blend of scripted and exploratory testing, as well as by having the right mix of manual and automated testing. About the speaker... The Application of Lean IT Principles to Testing Track 1: 9:45 - 10:45 Organizations today are rapidly changing their project delivery models, focusing on increasing speed to market to manage regulatory changes as well as to support new products and services. This has necessitated the need for a refined thinking of IT deployments and has resulted in Lean IT, a concept centered on improving efficiencies and reducing waste within IT organizations and processes. This session will examine how Lean IT is being applied in different industries. Phil and Michael will focus particularly on the application of Lean IT principles to testing including testing early, risk based testing, metrics and management, tools and automation, and focusing on the primary value stream. They will walk you through leading practices in Lean IT testing, the mindset shift required, and a real life case study of Lean IT. About the speakers... Michael Van Boven is a Senior Manager in Deloitte's Technology Practice and has over nine years of experience in managing large, complex system integration engagements and over six years of testing focused experience.Michael's testing experience includes conducting testing assessments, designing test strategies, managing end to end complex test program efforts, and establishing comprehensive Testing Centers of Excellence (COE) for large clients in the telecommunications/media, financial services, and utilities industries.Outside of current client and project delivery commitments, Michael is also serving as the operational lead for Deloitte's Global Testing Practice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tackling Agile Testing with Global and Distributed Teams Track 2: 9:45 - 10:45 Agile methodologies are popular as they promise a faster life cycle and product realization. Testing in an agile environment is a challenging task, however, and adapting traditional methodologies and approaches to agile processes is not easy. One of the most important keys to success of any agile project is close collaboration between functional teams. This is especially true for testing teams as they are required to be embedded tightly into the scrum cycles. Darshan's presentation will discuss well defined test protocols and procedures that closely integrate testing within agile cycles and provide the flexibility of engaging virtual and global teams. He will also discuss changing roles, responsibilities, communication models, process, and operating framework for testing within an agile world. From this talk, you will gain a clear understanding of testing techniques required for different agile methods and be able to create a framework for successfully tackling agile testing projects with global teams. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Virtuology: Testing in a Time Machine Track 3: 9:45 - 10:45 What if you could go back in time to the exact moment when a bug occurred? Or, even better, just before it occurred, yet empowered with the knowledge that the bug exists and the ability to continue testing different scenarios. This presentation is not about the known efficiencies virtualization and cloud computing bring to QA and testing. It is about "Virtuology" - using virtualization tools & methodologies to transform the way we test. Recent advances in virtualization technology have created the ability to record and replay complete testing sessions. This includes everything from OS and application conditions to network traffic and the actual lines of code leading to those hard to reproduce bugs. You now have a time machine that enables testers and developers to see precisely what went wrong with the software, including the ability to rewind, pause, and fast forward. Regardless the testing methodologies you practice, virtuology can significantly improve your testing process. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Software Quality Assurance: A Critical Look at the State of the Art Track 4: 9:45 - 10:45 Software Quality Assurance, as a profession, has been in existence for about 50 years. In this talk, Steve will look back at the history and evolution of the profession over the past five decades. You'll see how SQA was born from the concept of Independent Verification and Validation. Steve will discuss some examples of software quality issues first raised at the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference where the term "software engineering" was coined. Oddly enough, companies today, some 40 years later, are struggling with some of the same quality concerns raised back in 1968. Then, Steve will look ahead to the future to see how the profession is likely to change and what these changes may mean to those of us who are SQA practitioners. You'll hear about methods such as assurance cases, virtual test labs, and other cutting edge SQA techniques that will add more value to the work SQA professionals perform now and into the future. About the speaker... Improving Business Results with CMMI for Services and Development Track 1: 11:00 - 12:00 Both the CMMI for Services and the CMMI for Development are reference models for process improvement meant to enhance the business performance of organizations. CMMI-SVC is the newer model and, in early use, is producing promising results reported as increased income and capacity to deliver. Among the surprises in CMMI-SVC is its use in development settings. CMMI-DEV has a longer history and recent data shows the quality and business results that capable organizations get, such as defect reduction, on-time performance, and decreased costs. Many organizations perform both development and service missions, and these two modes together cover the entire mission landscape. With the new versions of both models published in October of 2010, ties among business goals, performance, and process improvement are even stronger. In this session, the lead author of CMMI-SVC will overview both models, compare them, describe the quality results already achieved by some organizations, and discuss best practices to accelerate improvement. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Testing as a Service: Tomorrow’s Answer to the Quality & Flexibility Challenge Track 2: 11:00 - 12:00 As business agility becomes more of a predictor of an organization’s success, the way the quality is delivered has to adapt to the faster pace. Applications today are rendered to run on a multiplicity of new platforms, such as mobile and virtual environments. Validating functional and non-functional aspects of these applications on a wide range of devices requires a variety of tools, which makes testing more complex and costly. Testing as a Service (TaaS), a new cloud-based delivery model, can help businesses address these challenges more effectively. With the TaaS model, businesses can test their applications on any desired platform and while using their testing tool of choice, thus ensuring higher levels of software quality without having to license the software, procure or provision new hardware and hire people. TaaS is governed by principles of service componentization and managed service delivery and thus offers the highest levels of flexibility and cost optimization. In this session you will explore ways to create an on-demand virtual testing platform. About the speaker... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parallel Data Testing: The Next Frontier of Quality Assurance Track 3: 11:00 - 12:00 Several methods exist for functional and performance testing (F&PT) of software systems and processes. However, fewer options are available to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of the data itself. Unlike F&PT, data testing cannot be performed prior to the data conversion or movement. Post conversion data testing is costly due to the time and effort it takes to correct an issue and retest new results. Therefore, Parallel Data Testing (PDT) is the most efficient and effective approach to ensure quality. This presentation will cover PDT concepts and framework, common PDT controls in addition to a case study where you can participate in a facilitated discussion of the appropriate PDT required for the case. About the speakers... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Practical Approach to Determining Application Deployment Readiness Track 4: 11:00 - 12:00 When do you ship an application under development? The question seems simple; you ship it when it's complete. But, that begs the question of what it means to be complete. There are many possible definitions of complete and it is critical that teams and users agree on a definition before any work is done. However, leading up to deployment, the team may have to make difficult decisions on tradeoffs necessary to ensure the application meets users' needs. In this presentation, Peter will provide practical examples of different approaches to determining when an application is ready to ship. He will also discuss how to create objective measures of completeness and how to collect data and track progress toward that end. He will explain how testers and quality professionals should work with application stakeholders to contribute to both the definition and measurement that determines if an application is fit for its intended purpose. About the speaker... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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