STARWEST 2009 - Software Testing Conference

PRESENTATIONS

Testing Without Constraints: Service Virtualization

While today's distributed software architectures such as SOA, Software-as-a-Service, and Cloud Computing offer organizations increased agility and new reuse opportunities, they also increase the risk of costly software problems due to constant change and increasing complexity. System testing is constrained by dependency on critical services, systems, and data that may be unavailable or too costly to use.
Rajeev Gupta, iTKO Lisa
The Journey From Chaos to Credibility

Many test organizations believe a new methodology or test automation architecture is necessary to fix problems and make significant improvements in how the business values testing. Molly Mahai proves this assumption wrong as she describes one test team's journey from chaos to credibility. She describes how they overcame the challenges of mistrust between development and test, and management’s skepticism and distrust.
Molly Mahai, Arizona State Retirement System
The Role of the Analyst in Testing

Although many organizations ask their analysts to do double-duty as testers, this presents a number of challenges. Because the majority of defects have their basis in requirements errors and omissions, the authors of those requirements-the analysts-should not be the ones to design tests of their own work. However, Dick Bender believes there is a significant role that analysts, partnering with testers, can play in your projects.
Richard Bender, Bender RBT, Inc.
The Skill of Factoring: Identifying What to Test

When you're given a product to test, a variety of clients to satisfy, and a short deadline to meet, how do you decide specifically what to test and how to test it? One way is to identify the things that might matter to some clients and not to others. In this interactive session, Michael Bolton describes the skill of factoring (not to be confused with refactoring)-ways to identify dimensions of interest relevant to testing.
Michael Bolton, DevelopSense
The Top Testing Challenges - or Opportunities - We Face Today

Some people thrive on challenges, while others struggle with how to deal with them. Handled well, challenges can make us stronger in our passion, drive, and determination. Lloyd Roden describes the challenges we face today in software testing and how we can respond in a positive, constructive manner. One of the challenges Lloyd often sees is identifying and eliminating metrics that lie. While we (hopefully) do not set out to deceive, we must endeavor to employ metrics that have significance, integrity, and operational value.
Lloyd Roden, Grove Consultants
Toward 21st Century Automation for Agile Testing

As more companies move to agile software delivery approaches, new challenges and dynamics are impacting their testing practices. Organizations face many issues when implementing automation, including selecting tools that are usable and flexible, encouraging non-technical and non-testing staff to contribute tests, enabling open-source integration, and promoting test-driven development. Dietmar Strasser shares his experiences tackling these challenges as many organizations shift from traditional test automation to agile.
Dietmar Strasser, Micro Focus
Understanding and Managing Change

Has this happened to you? You try to implement a new software quality improvement program and it ends up failing. And, to make matters worse, you can't figure out why. It may be that your great idea didn't mesh well with your organization’s current culture. Jennifer Bonine shares a toolkit to help you determine which ideas will-and will not-work within your organization.
Jennifer Bonine, Oracle Corporation
Virtualization: The Path to Multiple Efficiencies

Many teams test software on a wide variety of operating system and hardware environment configurations. Traditionally, they use dozens-sometimes hundreds-of machines in their offices and test labs to get the job done. The cost of maintenance of the machines, electrical costs (including power and cooling), and the physical space occupied by the machines all contribute to a budget that can quickly head into the stratosphere.
Alan Page, Microsoft
What Would MacGyver Do?

Remember the old MacGyver TV series? Each week, the hero solved difficult problems by combining his knowledge of applied science with everyday items such as baking soda, paper clips, and chewing gum. Test automation is currently in a rut and needs some of that outside-the-box thinking. When most testers think about automation, they think of regression scenarios and capture/replay tools. However, regression testing is the weakest, most insipid form of automation around!
Harry Robinson, Microsoft
World Quality Report: Trends in Technology, Organization and Outsourcing

Most businesses rely totally on complex computer software applications to run their operations. As one approach to mitigating the risk of costly production failures, many organizations are spending more and more on testing. To understand the trends in software testing and to gauge the impact of these trends on application quality, Capgemini recently conducted a survey of 150 testing organizations and combined the results with test assessment results from more than one-hundred organizations.
Charlie Li, Capgemini

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