In large outsourced projects, the contractual aspects of testing are often poorly defined even though testing may be half the overall project cost. Why is this? Test activities may be split between the development organization, customer, and test outsourcing partners. When things go wrong, the test process and the contractual obligations relating to testing will come under close scrutiny. Unfortunately, many projects get their contracts wrong with regard to testing. In Paul Gerrard's experience, few organizations’ contract and legal experts know how to structure a contractual testing schedule that is fair, unambiguous, explicit, and comprehensive. As testers, we may need to help our own “experts.” Paul describes the critical aspects of a contract that must be included to ensure supplier obligations for testing are documented and will be met.

With quite a few successful agile implementations under his belt, Hubert Smits guides you through the steps for implementing Scrum in an organization. Scrum implementation grows from a single team working on a pilot project, to multiple development programs running in parallel-all with Scrum as the underlying methodology. Hubert explains how to train and motivate your pilot teams and replace your project requirements documents with a backlog. He outlines the roles of architect, business analyst, and tester in a Scrum-led project. Learn what happens when multiple teams have to work together and how dependencies between teams are discovered and managed. Find out how change management becomes an integral part of the project and discover new management tools that you can use in an agile project.

Scrum is the most popular agile project management method today. Hubert Smits illustrates the basics of this method based on his experiences in implementing Scrum in many organizations. He explains the concepts of Scrum to software developers, development managers, and CIOs who are adopting-or thinking about adopting-Scrum in their organizations. After discussing the position of Scrum within the agile world and comparing it to methods like Extreme Programming and Lean Software Development, Hubert takes you through the full Scrum methodology and explains the meanings and practical implementations of Product Backlog, Sprint Planning, Product Increments, and Retrospectives. Join Hubert for a highly interactive discussion of this important project

Jean Tabaka offers straightforward advice on how agile teams can mature and learn to scale up to larger and larger projects. The three steps of her approach emphasize a path based on principles of Lean Thinking--Flow, Pull, and Innovate. Flow is about creating smooth delivery of value. Pull is the way teams pull ready items for delivery, and the business pulls ready, tested, and valuable features into productive use. Innovate is about how the organization drives improvements rather than merely responding to issues. For each of the three steps, Jean outlines practices for growth and identifies pitfalls to avoid and roadblocks to navigate around. You can apply the disciplines discussed in this class to a single co-located team, a team of teams, or an entire organization eager to take advantage of both agile and lean approaches. Join Jean and learn to achieve the greatest innovations with a much lower risk of failure.