Are the “old ways” always the “best ways” to test? Julian Harty shares his thought-provoking ideas on when traditional testing is-and is not-appropriate and poses alternatives for us to consider. For example, what might happen if we choose not to test a product at all? Perhaps the benefits of earlier delivery would outweigh the cost and delay that testing imposes. If a key goal of testing is to provide answers to quality-related questions about a product, are there alternative information sources for answers-say, from live experiments in production? How do you know whether your testing approach is really efficient and effective, especially if you already consider yourself a testing expert? Can your testing knowledge and experience blind you to alternative strategies? One option is to put yourself to the test. For instance, you could more objectively evaluate your skills by working on a crowd-sourced test project.

For years, MONOPOLY® has entertained countless people with the fictional thrill of what it might be like to make a killing in real estate-or to lose your shirt. As Rob Sabourin explains, the board game is similar to the real-world experience of running a software test project. Rob guides you through some of MONOPOLY's powerful lessons and strategies relating to test planning, risk management, technical debt, context-driven test strategies, contingencies, and decision making. In MONOPOLY, winning players consistently select, adapt, and apply strategies. Skilled testers adapt on the fly to their discoveries, applying heuristics and risk models to consistently deliver value. Winning at MONOPOLY, just like successful testing, is all about people: relationships, negotiation, and communication. To succeed in testing or MONOPOLY, you've got to be ready for whatever drawbacks or opportunities Chance happens to throw your way.

Three recent and contrasting trends in software development and IT-agile methods, increasing infrastructure complexity, and the requirement to align more closely with business stakeholders-are reshaping testing’s role. As a test manager or tester, you need to develop new knowledge and skills to remain relevant-and employed. In this eye-opening session, Isabel Evans describes the new expertise you must acquire and explores the aptitude, self-motivation, and hard work required to constantly renew your knowledge and skills. With a little inspiration, a bit of luck, and perseverance, you can grow to become a great tester and remain a vital part of your test and development team. The challenges of our changing world demand a renewal of technical expertise and continuous attention to your social, communication, and business skills.

One of the gravest misconceptions about the agile methodologies isn’t about documentation, teamwork, quality, or productivity. It’s about the role of leadership and management in the adoption and sustained operation of agile practices. In no place is this more visible than in statements such as “We don’t need no stinking test managers … we’re agile.” Bob Galen explores this common misconception and shares his experiences of the proper role of leadership and management within agile test teams. He explains the concept of “servant leadership” and illustrates its practice with healthy and unhealthy examples he’s observed in the real world. Bob examines the relationship among the whole-team quality focus of agile, the test practices that agility demands, and the role of a test leader-whether as a manager or an individual contributor.