Conference Presentations

Leveraging Software Resources

The Critical Chain approach to project management is being applied on more and more software development projects to achieve significant benefits in quality of life, lead time, and productivity. Rob Newbold provides an overview of the Critical Chain approach as it applies to software development. Where is time and energy typically wasted? How can we focus attention on those areas where improvement will do the most good? Learn the specific leverage points typically addressed through Critical Chain Project Management in order to achieve real, lasting results.

Rob Newbold, ProChain Solutions, Inc.
What to Do When the Right Person Doesn't Come Along

Finding just the right technical person remains a challenge. Waiting for just the right person to come along, or hiring someone with inadequate skills, can often result in late or high-defect projects. A project will most likely fail if you have not hired the appropriate staff. Learn when to wait when hiring for a position, and when to change what people will do.

Johanna Rothman, Rothman Consulting Group, Inc.
Career Path Activities for Test Professionals

Ever wonder how some people seem to find the time to always do that "little extra" to benefit their careers? Have you ever thought about writing an article, speaking at a conference, or even teaching a course, but didn't know where to begin? There are lots of ways to jump-start your career through professional development activities that benefit both you and your employer. Learn how your participation in these activities can enhance your career and market your company. Journey with the instructor and find the inspiration (and energy) to maintain a diversity of activities that'll make your professional mark. Find out how easy it is to get started and where to obtain more information about updating your skills, sharing your knowledge, and helping others within our profession.

Eric Patel, RapidSQA
Movin' On Up: Making the Transition from Test Lead to Manager

Want to be a test lead? Ready to take on the responsibilities of test management? Making the transition to a lead, then a management position, takes more than just guts- it takes preparation. This presentation illuminates some of the technical aspects you'll encounter when transitioning to test lead or test manager, including: organizing and managing the testing; working with the project manager and the rest of the project team; and deciding how, when, and what to invest in your test infrastructure. You'll also explore some of the nontechnical aspects such as coaching and mentoring, giving feedback, and providing work direction.

Johanna Rothman, Rothman Consulting Group
IS and IT Benchmarking: Current Status

Are you having trouble making a business case for benchmarking at your organization? Mark Czarnecki delivers his benchmarking expertise in a presentation designed to help participants impact their corporate culture as well as their benchmarking abilities. He reviews the current status of information systems and technology benchmarking, and he explains current benchmarking theory. The presentation also covers generalized database sources for benchmarking.

Mark Czarnecki, The Benchmarking Network, Inc.
Get Real! Creating Realistic, Actionable Project Schedules

The preparation of a realistic, practical project schedule is an essential management function for obtaining stakeholder commitment, setting expectations, and communicating within the team and organization what is achievable. Doing this preparation well is another challenge-one that must be conquered. Rex Black helps participants see the bigger project scheduling picture by focusing on issues such as constituent tasks, the underlying dependencies between them, and the risks attached to the completion of those tasks.

Rex Black, Rex Black Consulting Services, Inc.
Establishing Best Testing Practices in Your Organization

The path to best testing practices begins with communication. By building relationships with a product's key players-developers, analysts, and end users-your test team can achieve a higher level of both quality and customer satisfaction. Discover the link between effective communication and implementing critical step-by-step test processes such as test conditions, test case design, test data construction, and reporting.

Michelle Lynn Baldwin, Booz, Allen & Hamilton
Put Your Power to Work!

Power is the ability to create value. If you want to create more value in your organization, you must learn to tap the abundant resources of power. The four most abundant power sources are 1) your own inner resources; 2) the physical world; 3) interacting with another person; and 4) working in teams to achieve a shared purpose. Winner of Best Presentation at SM 2001, Dale Emery returns to help you learn to harness your own power resources-for your benefit and the benefit of others.

Dale Emery, Sun Microsystems
The Need for Speed: Filling the Empty Chair

The paper provides an analysis of challenges that engineering and human resources managers face when attempting to recruit new staff. Successful staffing of a software engineering organization in an intensely competitive market is described in terms of the key elements of the staffing process and proven strategies that help to stay ahead of the competition.

Anntoinette Gurvin, General Dynamics Information Systems

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