These are the slides taken from a talk I gave at Australian Testing Days 2016 (#ATD2K16).
I’ve been working on the transformation of a traditional, off-shore QA department into an involved and collaborative group of thinking testers.
There are constraints imposed by cultural differences, physical distances and the biggest challenge of all: the practices that the team was hired for, trained in, and previously rewarded for, are now the exact things you want them to stop doing.
This talk will provide some practical tips for changing testers’ hearts and minds in an offshore context.
Talk delivered at Lean Agile Systems Thinking (LAST) Conference in Melbourne, 30 Jun and 1 July 2016.
Collaboration is a key component of agile development, and one of the greatest challenges to that occurs when part of your team is located off-shore. This interactive talk will discuss how to build trust, improve communication and boost the profile of off-shore testers, in order to nurture collaboration across the whole team.
This talk will be of most interest to those working with distributed and/or offshore team members. Bring along your questions, ideas, challenges and stories and let's have a conversation!
Press Release - Parker Bridge - Gold Sponsors of the HRINZ National Conferenc...Lisa Howard
Parker Bridge is a gold sponsor of the 2013 HRINZ National Conference. The annual conference is attended by over 250 HR practitioners and focuses on current workplace issues and long-term trends affecting organizations. This year's theme is "Friction or Flow? Making the boat go faster" and asks if HR is helping create flow in organizations. Parker Bridge supports the HR industry and its contribution to organizations, as shown by its gold sponsorship of the HRINZ conference.
Enactus Clarenville Chamber presentation oct 2012Paul Tilley
The document summarizes the programs and services offered by Enactus Clarenville, a student group at the College of the North Atlantic in Clarenville, Newfoundland. Enactus Clarenville works with local businesses and non-profits to develop entrepreneurial and sustainability projects that contribute to social well-being, deliver financial education, develop entrepreneurial potential, and enhance environmental awareness. They compete regionally and nationally to showcase their projects and the opportunities available in Clarenville. The group invites local businesses to partner with them, support their efforts through talent, time or financial contributions, and hire their alumni to help bridge the college to the community.
This document certifies that Islam Mohamed Soliman Mahmoud has been evaluated and demonstrated experience, knowledge, and performance in project management through defining and overseeing projects and resources. They have been granted the credential of Project Management Professional by the Global Project Management Institute as evidenced by the signatures and seal of the Board of Directors and President. This certification is valid until March 2021.
Building the Dreadnought (£41bn - formally Successor - submarine class)
Adrian Ellis
APM Programme Management SIG Conference 2017,
02 March 17,
Rolls-Royce Learning and Development Centre
Derby
The document discusses how macroenvironmental factors like politics, economics, society and technology (PEST) shape our perceptions of the world. It argues that the current unstable PEST environment has increased feelings of insecurity, uncertainty and alienation among people. At work, these feelings can manifest as behaviors that negatively impact collaboration. The document concludes that leaders need to create a sense of belonging for all in the workplace by emphasizing common humanity, accepting different views, and making people feel valued in order to encourage positive contribution.
Talk delivered at Lean Agile Systems Thinking (LAST) Conference in Melbourne, 30 Jun and 1 July 2016.
Collaboration is a key component of agile development, and one of the greatest challenges to that occurs when part of your team is located off-shore. This interactive talk will discuss how to build trust, improve communication and boost the profile of off-shore testers, in order to nurture collaboration across the whole team.
This talk will be of most interest to those working with distributed and/or offshore team members. Bring along your questions, ideas, challenges and stories and let's have a conversation!
Press Release - Parker Bridge - Gold Sponsors of the HRINZ National Conferenc...Lisa Howard
Parker Bridge is a gold sponsor of the 2013 HRINZ National Conference. The annual conference is attended by over 250 HR practitioners and focuses on current workplace issues and long-term trends affecting organizations. This year's theme is "Friction or Flow? Making the boat go faster" and asks if HR is helping create flow in organizations. Parker Bridge supports the HR industry and its contribution to organizations, as shown by its gold sponsorship of the HRINZ conference.
Enactus Clarenville Chamber presentation oct 2012Paul Tilley
The document summarizes the programs and services offered by Enactus Clarenville, a student group at the College of the North Atlantic in Clarenville, Newfoundland. Enactus Clarenville works with local businesses and non-profits to develop entrepreneurial and sustainability projects that contribute to social well-being, deliver financial education, develop entrepreneurial potential, and enhance environmental awareness. They compete regionally and nationally to showcase their projects and the opportunities available in Clarenville. The group invites local businesses to partner with them, support their efforts through talent, time or financial contributions, and hire their alumni to help bridge the college to the community.
This document certifies that Islam Mohamed Soliman Mahmoud has been evaluated and demonstrated experience, knowledge, and performance in project management through defining and overseeing projects and resources. They have been granted the credential of Project Management Professional by the Global Project Management Institute as evidenced by the signatures and seal of the Board of Directors and President. This certification is valid until March 2021.
Building the Dreadnought (£41bn - formally Successor - submarine class)
Adrian Ellis
APM Programme Management SIG Conference 2017,
02 March 17,
Rolls-Royce Learning and Development Centre
Derby
The document discusses how macroenvironmental factors like politics, economics, society and technology (PEST) shape our perceptions of the world. It argues that the current unstable PEST environment has increased feelings of insecurity, uncertainty and alienation among people. At work, these feelings can manifest as behaviors that negatively impact collaboration. The document concludes that leaders need to create a sense of belonging for all in the workplace by emphasizing common humanity, accepting different views, and making people feel valued in order to encourage positive contribution.
Mobile QA Metrics Risks and Automation Presentation By Yuval GolanYuval Golan
This document discusses the challenges of mobile testing and automation. It outlines the complexity of mobile testing due to the large number of devices, operating systems, carriers and resolutions. It also discusses the scope of mobile testing including functionality, usability, load, security and localization. The document recommends automating testing using tools like Perfecto and Jenkins for continuous integration and looping feedback from testing back into the development process. Metrics on app crashes and store ranks are presented and the document concludes with what more can be done, such as increasing test coverage and using tools like Appium.
The document discusses the importance of building good relationships, trust, and a positive working atmosphere within a quality assurance team. It emphasizes understanding teammates, protecting the team, dedicating time to teambuilding activities, and addressing issues collectively rather than individually to reduce stress and improve performance. Maintaining open communication and a good mood can help foster dedication while managing frustrations in a constructive manner.
Software test engineer performance appraisaloliverwood31
This document contains information related to performance evaluation forms and methods for software test engineers. It includes a sample job performance evaluation form with sections for performance planning and review, employee strengths and accomplishments, performance areas needing improvement, and signatures. It also provides examples of performance review phrases for various categories like attitude, creativity, decision making, and problem solving. Finally, it outlines the top 12 methods for performance appraisal, including management by objectives, critical incident method, behaviorally anchored rating scales, and 360 degree feedback. The document aims to provide useful resources for conducting comprehensive performance evaluations of software test engineers.
This document discusses designing an effective test automation strategy. It notes that current testing processes often lack sufficient test coverage and ROI turns negative. It emphasizes defining the proper scope and selecting an automation solution that can cover that scope. The document then introduces iLeap 2.0, an automation platform from Impetus Technologies that integrates open-source frameworks and tools to automate functional, API/web service, and security testing according to best practices. iLeap 2.0 is said to improve test coverage and maximize ROI.
This document discusses performance reviews in an Agile environment. It recommends setting both individual goals that are adapted to being part of an Agile team, as well as shared team goals. The individual goals should focus on areas like involvement in requirements, cross-functional tasks, and expanding knowledge, while team goals focus on deliverables, quality, and continuous improvement. Both individual and team goals should be set collaboratively.
Software QA Metrics Dashboard BenchmarkingJohn Carter
The document summarizes the findings of a benchmark study that captured best practices in software quality metrics and dashboards from 10 technology companies. Key findings include: (1) there is no standard approach but best practices include automated metrics systems, root cause analysis, and normalization; (2) the best companies measure quality beyond defects to include predictability and customer satisfaction; (3) external benchmarks are used to set goals. Recommendations include focusing on important metrics like time to repair, adopting practices like root cause analysis of critical defects, and using automation and targets to track improvements over time.
How to Internationalize Products by fmr Condé Nast Int. PMProduct School
- Understand when you're ready to localise your product and how to avoid acquiring unnecessary tech debt in this area
- Learn how to have a solid localisation set up regardless of your budget and the challenges between mobile-web and native apps
- How to make the copywriter on your team like you (best practices when it comes to localise a product)
Are You Guessing or Learning? Project Management in Chaotic TimesZach Nies
As your market changes or your company reorganizes, it is key to deliver what your customers want today, rather than what you guessed they wanted months ago. Managing your projects in Agile time-boxes with incremental delivery to your customers can give you the freedom and feedback loops to respond quickly to both internal and external changes. This presentation outlines how to adopt Agile development practices to: respond to rapid changes in your marketplace, out-learn the competition, and ensure you're building the right things.
MODERNIZING L&D: PART 2 — LEVEL UP YOUR LEARNING ECOSYSTEM. PRACTICAL HOW-TOS...Human Capital Media
So, you’ve recognized the need to modernize corporate learning. Now what?
Well, we’re not going to lie. This is a big ship to turn. And a quick-and-dirty, rip-and-replace approach won’t cut it. Taking your learning ecosystem to the next level involves getting all your stakeholders on board. Then, building a solid strategy and plan that can be executed over time.
In Part 2 of our Modernizing L&D series, we'll help you translate your renewed vision into right-fit principles and tactics that will deliver meaningful results. Specifically, we'll share:
How to overcome common roadblocks to modernizing L&D practices.
How to apply a modern learning ecosystem framework.
How to design a continuous learning experience.
Enhancing Microsoft Teams For The Digital Workplace - Teams10XRichard Harbridge
Today, many organizations have brought the intranet, or the hub of their digital workplace, into Microsoft Teams via Viva Connections. But what else are organizations doing to further enhance, improve upon, and embrace Teams as a hub for not just teamwork, but corporate communication, social collaboration, networking, and more?
Join Microsoft MVP and 2toLead CTO Richard Harbridge as he shares the unique opportunity Teams apps and solutions provide. Be prepared to explore examples, patterns, and practices for how lines of business in any organization can leverage, extend, and integrate Teams to create business-oriented solutions.
The document discusses using a Toastmasters club to help members build their online presence and skills to strengthen their hiring prospects. It recommends members leverage search engine optimization techniques like optimizing on-page and off-page content, using content and traffic generators, and having patience to build trust with search engines over the long term. Members are encouraged to apply these SEO strategies and common digital tools to their club in order to help members in professional transition.
Implementing Confluence in to a global SMELondon APE
Implementing Confluence into a global SME to improve knowledge management, collaboration and documentation across the organization. The summary outlines the current fragmented systems, vision to implement Confluence and related Atlassian tools as a single collaboration platform, lessons learned such as starting small and gaining user adoption over time, and future plans to expand usage of Confluence and Jira across clients and mobile access. Barriers to change such as resistance to new technologies and lack of vision are also addressed.
6 Opportunities for In-House Studios to ExcelNuxeo
Today's in-house agencies and creative production studios impact business objectives beyond just marketing. They are creating content that is driving customer experience through the full, idea-to-shelf-to-performance lifecycle. This expansion and alignment with strategic business objectives positions in-house agencies at the center of innovation, growth, and speed to market.
This webinar outlines six opportunities to position your in-house creative studio for success in this expanded arena. We will explore how to optimize your creative operations and usher in a new foundation that drives efficiency, innovation, and growth.
Creating a Virtual Team For Real Estate ProfessionalsPatty Keller
The document discusses creating a virtual team for real estate. It outlines benefits of a virtual office such as cutting costs, being portable, and hiring the best team from anywhere. It notes that managing a virtual team requires understanding people and collaboration processes more than technology. It emphasizes discovering strengths and weaknesses then focusing, syncing style and systems with communication, file storage and collaboration tools. It recommends bringing the right team into the cloud and establishing clear communication through weekly meetings, action days and social media to create an environment for success.
Slide deck for presentation I gave at the 2014 Association of Theological Schools (ATS) CFO/TTEG conference on Agile/Scrum software development and the use of Agile outside of SW dev.
Harnessing Your Experts’ Knowledge for Sustainable Competitive AdvantageEmerson Exchange
The document discusses an organization's efforts to implement knowledge sharing practices to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. It outlines barriers to knowledge sharing like cognitive challenges and lack of trust. The organization addressed these barriers by starting small with informal tools, celebrating successes, and focusing on culture change. Tactics included knowledge shares, solution circles, and use of communication and sharing technologies. The results were an increased ability to reuse knowledge and identify experts, avoiding duplicated work.
How (can) Scrum and DevOps Walk Together to Build a High-Quality Product Deli...Scrum Day Bandung
Discussion in fishbowl format to find out how Scrum and DevOps should more power-full if we use it together and properly, then validating with data and convergence of CEO Scrum.org and CEO DevOps Institute.
Distributed drupal team not an option, but the realityAnyforSoft
This document discusses the advantages and challenges of distributed teams, using a Drupal team as an example. It outlines that distributed teams are becoming a necessity to access talent globally and reduce costs. Key advantages include a larger talent pool, rare skills, scalability and cost savings. Challenges include less personal involvement, harder retention, and managing processes across locations and time zones. The document provides recommendations for tools like Google Apps, Gitlab and Redmine to facilitate collaboration. It emphasizes addressing cultural, language and communication challenges to build trust within distributed teams.
Mobile QA Metrics Risks and Automation Presentation By Yuval GolanYuval Golan
This document discusses the challenges of mobile testing and automation. It outlines the complexity of mobile testing due to the large number of devices, operating systems, carriers and resolutions. It also discusses the scope of mobile testing including functionality, usability, load, security and localization. The document recommends automating testing using tools like Perfecto and Jenkins for continuous integration and looping feedback from testing back into the development process. Metrics on app crashes and store ranks are presented and the document concludes with what more can be done, such as increasing test coverage and using tools like Appium.
The document discusses the importance of building good relationships, trust, and a positive working atmosphere within a quality assurance team. It emphasizes understanding teammates, protecting the team, dedicating time to teambuilding activities, and addressing issues collectively rather than individually to reduce stress and improve performance. Maintaining open communication and a good mood can help foster dedication while managing frustrations in a constructive manner.
Software test engineer performance appraisaloliverwood31
This document contains information related to performance evaluation forms and methods for software test engineers. It includes a sample job performance evaluation form with sections for performance planning and review, employee strengths and accomplishments, performance areas needing improvement, and signatures. It also provides examples of performance review phrases for various categories like attitude, creativity, decision making, and problem solving. Finally, it outlines the top 12 methods for performance appraisal, including management by objectives, critical incident method, behaviorally anchored rating scales, and 360 degree feedback. The document aims to provide useful resources for conducting comprehensive performance evaluations of software test engineers.
This document discusses designing an effective test automation strategy. It notes that current testing processes often lack sufficient test coverage and ROI turns negative. It emphasizes defining the proper scope and selecting an automation solution that can cover that scope. The document then introduces iLeap 2.0, an automation platform from Impetus Technologies that integrates open-source frameworks and tools to automate functional, API/web service, and security testing according to best practices. iLeap 2.0 is said to improve test coverage and maximize ROI.
This document discusses performance reviews in an Agile environment. It recommends setting both individual goals that are adapted to being part of an Agile team, as well as shared team goals. The individual goals should focus on areas like involvement in requirements, cross-functional tasks, and expanding knowledge, while team goals focus on deliverables, quality, and continuous improvement. Both individual and team goals should be set collaboratively.
Software QA Metrics Dashboard BenchmarkingJohn Carter
The document summarizes the findings of a benchmark study that captured best practices in software quality metrics and dashboards from 10 technology companies. Key findings include: (1) there is no standard approach but best practices include automated metrics systems, root cause analysis, and normalization; (2) the best companies measure quality beyond defects to include predictability and customer satisfaction; (3) external benchmarks are used to set goals. Recommendations include focusing on important metrics like time to repair, adopting practices like root cause analysis of critical defects, and using automation and targets to track improvements over time.
How to Internationalize Products by fmr Condé Nast Int. PMProduct School
- Understand when you're ready to localise your product and how to avoid acquiring unnecessary tech debt in this area
- Learn how to have a solid localisation set up regardless of your budget and the challenges between mobile-web and native apps
- How to make the copywriter on your team like you (best practices when it comes to localise a product)
Are You Guessing or Learning? Project Management in Chaotic TimesZach Nies
As your market changes or your company reorganizes, it is key to deliver what your customers want today, rather than what you guessed they wanted months ago. Managing your projects in Agile time-boxes with incremental delivery to your customers can give you the freedom and feedback loops to respond quickly to both internal and external changes. This presentation outlines how to adopt Agile development practices to: respond to rapid changes in your marketplace, out-learn the competition, and ensure you're building the right things.
MODERNIZING L&D: PART 2 — LEVEL UP YOUR LEARNING ECOSYSTEM. PRACTICAL HOW-TOS...Human Capital Media
So, you’ve recognized the need to modernize corporate learning. Now what?
Well, we’re not going to lie. This is a big ship to turn. And a quick-and-dirty, rip-and-replace approach won’t cut it. Taking your learning ecosystem to the next level involves getting all your stakeholders on board. Then, building a solid strategy and plan that can be executed over time.
In Part 2 of our Modernizing L&D series, we'll help you translate your renewed vision into right-fit principles and tactics that will deliver meaningful results. Specifically, we'll share:
How to overcome common roadblocks to modernizing L&D practices.
How to apply a modern learning ecosystem framework.
How to design a continuous learning experience.
Enhancing Microsoft Teams For The Digital Workplace - Teams10XRichard Harbridge
Today, many organizations have brought the intranet, or the hub of their digital workplace, into Microsoft Teams via Viva Connections. But what else are organizations doing to further enhance, improve upon, and embrace Teams as a hub for not just teamwork, but corporate communication, social collaboration, networking, and more?
Join Microsoft MVP and 2toLead CTO Richard Harbridge as he shares the unique opportunity Teams apps and solutions provide. Be prepared to explore examples, patterns, and practices for how lines of business in any organization can leverage, extend, and integrate Teams to create business-oriented solutions.
The document discusses using a Toastmasters club to help members build their online presence and skills to strengthen their hiring prospects. It recommends members leverage search engine optimization techniques like optimizing on-page and off-page content, using content and traffic generators, and having patience to build trust with search engines over the long term. Members are encouraged to apply these SEO strategies and common digital tools to their club in order to help members in professional transition.
Implementing Confluence in to a global SMELondon APE
Implementing Confluence into a global SME to improve knowledge management, collaboration and documentation across the organization. The summary outlines the current fragmented systems, vision to implement Confluence and related Atlassian tools as a single collaboration platform, lessons learned such as starting small and gaining user adoption over time, and future plans to expand usage of Confluence and Jira across clients and mobile access. Barriers to change such as resistance to new technologies and lack of vision are also addressed.
6 Opportunities for In-House Studios to ExcelNuxeo
Today's in-house agencies and creative production studios impact business objectives beyond just marketing. They are creating content that is driving customer experience through the full, idea-to-shelf-to-performance lifecycle. This expansion and alignment with strategic business objectives positions in-house agencies at the center of innovation, growth, and speed to market.
This webinar outlines six opportunities to position your in-house creative studio for success in this expanded arena. We will explore how to optimize your creative operations and usher in a new foundation that drives efficiency, innovation, and growth.
Creating a Virtual Team For Real Estate ProfessionalsPatty Keller
The document discusses creating a virtual team for real estate. It outlines benefits of a virtual office such as cutting costs, being portable, and hiring the best team from anywhere. It notes that managing a virtual team requires understanding people and collaboration processes more than technology. It emphasizes discovering strengths and weaknesses then focusing, syncing style and systems with communication, file storage and collaboration tools. It recommends bringing the right team into the cloud and establishing clear communication through weekly meetings, action days and social media to create an environment for success.
Slide deck for presentation I gave at the 2014 Association of Theological Schools (ATS) CFO/TTEG conference on Agile/Scrum software development and the use of Agile outside of SW dev.
Harnessing Your Experts’ Knowledge for Sustainable Competitive AdvantageEmerson Exchange
The document discusses an organization's efforts to implement knowledge sharing practices to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. It outlines barriers to knowledge sharing like cognitive challenges and lack of trust. The organization addressed these barriers by starting small with informal tools, celebrating successes, and focusing on culture change. Tactics included knowledge shares, solution circles, and use of communication and sharing technologies. The results were an increased ability to reuse knowledge and identify experts, avoiding duplicated work.
How (can) Scrum and DevOps Walk Together to Build a High-Quality Product Deli...Scrum Day Bandung
Discussion in fishbowl format to find out how Scrum and DevOps should more power-full if we use it together and properly, then validating with data and convergence of CEO Scrum.org and CEO DevOps Institute.
Distributed drupal team not an option, but the realityAnyforSoft
This document discusses the advantages and challenges of distributed teams, using a Drupal team as an example. It outlines that distributed teams are becoming a necessity to access talent globally and reduce costs. Key advantages include a larger talent pool, rare skills, scalability and cost savings. Challenges include less personal involvement, harder retention, and managing processes across locations and time zones. The document provides recommendations for tools like Google Apps, Gitlab and Redmine to facilitate collaboration. It emphasizes addressing cultural, language and communication challenges to build trust within distributed teams.
The document provides 10 tips for best practices in managing virtual teams using web tools. It recommends establishing clear standards and communication routines, selecting the right collaboration tools, and finding ways for team members to socially interact and share ideas online. It also emphasizes celebrating accomplishments, creating transparency, enabling ongoing learning, and considering the diversity of team members when selecting tools. The overall goal is to effectively manage remote teams through a mix of traditional and new web-based technologies.
The Double Check - Leveraging Microsoft Best Practices for Information Govern...Heather Newman
“Rogue IT” decisions within your team or organization can diminish your Office 365 governance and processes. Heather takes you through research on why “Rogue IT” happens and shares resources for planning and executing an end user adoption and governance strategy that will transform how your team uses Office 365.
ACCELERATING EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING & YOUR HYBRID WORKPLACE WITH MICROSOFT 365Richard Harbridge
As organizations begin to adjust for a post-pandemic world, many are looking to prepare for and manage the explosive growth expected in the months and years ahead. From skills development and digital excellence to process automation and connecting employees to the resources they need at the right time, the challenges ahead are considerable. Organizations are looking to better leverage Microsoft 365 and their digital workplace investments to support this talent growth by accelerating employee onboarding and digital excellence around hybrid workplace practices for flexible work and remote work.
Join Richard Harbridge, a Microsoft MVP and internationally recognized expert on Microsoft 365 and the Digital Workplace, as he explores how the world of digital work has changed, how the way we work together has changed, and how SharePoint, Teams, Yammer, and more can be used to improve the onboarding and hybrid work experience.
1. The document discusses how technology can be leveraged for collaboration but often fails to deliver on promises of knowledge sharing due to cultural and process issues.
2. It provides examples of technologies that can enable collaboration such as web conferencing and outlines roles for collaboratories in areas like distance education and employee management.
3. Successful virtual teams require strong communication, clear goals, trust, and occasional in-person meetings to overcome challenges of invisibility and isolation that technology-enabled distance can create.
VTEC Training is a technology training center located in Portland, Maine that has been providing computer software training and consulting solutions for over 25 years. Their hands-on, instructor-led courses are designed to create an engaging learning experience through real-life examples and exercises. They offer training in various in-demand technologies like Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, CompTIA, and more to help individuals and organizations meet their technical and professional needs. VTEC Training also provides customized private training that can be tailored to the specific needs of organizations.
Füsun Wehrmann discussed her experience working with distributed teams over 10 years at various companies. She emphasized the importance of understanding local cultures, having local leadership, and clear communication. While starting small and iterating is important, a minimum of 10 people is needed for success at each remote location. The key to success is providing autonomy, clear goals and processes, effective technology, and patience during the initial phases of setting up a distributed organization.
No matter how utopian your agile working environment, if you're building a commercial product, at some stage you will be asked the inevitable question - When will it be done? This talk will provide you with tools and techniques to use when you hear your manager say "We just need to get better at estimating".
If you have ever wished for a crystal ball to help you predict the team's future, this talk is for you!
This document summarizes Michele Playfair's involvement with CS in Schools, a program that teaches teachers how to teach coding to students. The summary is:
Michele saw a post about CS in Schools on LinkedIn and decided to volunteer when a spot opened up. As a former IT teacher, she was a good fit to teach coding classes for 10 weeks while the regular teacher learned. CS in Schools provides all materials and supports teaching coding using Python online. Their goal is to help more teachers learn coding so they can teach the subject, since it is now required in schools but few teachers feel qualified. The program is still piloting but aims to expand nationwide and globally over time.
This presentation was delivered at the Makati Testers Meetup hosted by Sandstone Technology on 4 August 2016.
The information in this presentation and some of the slides are taken directly from James Bach & Michael Bolton’s Rapid Software Testing (RST) class and the notes from that class (which are publicly available from satisfice.com).
This presentation is intended to provide an overview of some ideas presented in that class, I am not claiming any ownership of these ideas.
Cucumber is a tasty and healthy snack that provides hydration and nutrients. While testing is important, the primary role of testers is not just executing tests but also improving quality. A company's culture can have a big influence on its approach to quality assurance practices.
Odoo ERP software
Odoo ERP software, a leading open-source software for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and business management, has recently launched its latest version, Odoo 17 Community Edition. This update introduces a range of new features and enhancements designed to streamline business operations and support growth.
The Odoo Community serves as a cost-free edition within the Odoo suite of ERP systems. Tailored to accommodate the standard needs of business operations, it provides a robust platform suitable for organisations of different sizes and business sectors. Within the Odoo Community Edition, users can access a variety of essential features and services essential for managing day-to-day tasks efficiently.
This blog presents a detailed overview of the features available within the Odoo 17 Community edition, and the differences between Odoo 17 community and enterprise editions, aiming to equip you with the necessary information to make an informed decision about its suitability for your business.
UI5con 2024 - Keynote: Latest News about UI5 and it’s EcosystemPeter Muessig
Learn about the latest innovations in and around OpenUI5/SAPUI5: UI5 Tooling, UI5 linter, UI5 Web Components, Web Components Integration, UI5 2.x, UI5 GenAI.
Recording:
https://www.youtube.com/live/MSdGLG2zLy8?si=INxBHTqkwHhxV5Ta&t=0
Need for Speed: Removing speed bumps from your Symfony projects ⚡️Łukasz Chruściel
No one wants their application to drag like a car stuck in the slow lane! Yet it’s all too common to encounter bumpy, pothole-filled solutions that slow the speed of any application. Symfony apps are not an exception.
In this talk, I will take you for a spin around the performance racetrack. We’ll explore common pitfalls - those hidden potholes on your application that can cause unexpected slowdowns. Learn how to spot these performance bumps early, and more importantly, how to navigate around them to keep your application running at top speed.
We will focus in particular on tuning your engine at the application level, making the right adjustments to ensure that your system responds like a well-oiled, high-performance race car.
Zoom is a comprehensive platform designed to connect individuals and teams efficiently. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Zoom has become a go-to solution for virtual communication and collaboration. It offers a range of tools, including virtual meetings, team chat, VoIP phone systems, online whiteboards, and AI companions, to streamline workflows and enhance productivity.
E-commerce Application Development Company.pdfHornet Dynamics
Your business can reach new heights with our assistance as we design solutions that are specifically appropriate for your goals and vision. Our eCommerce application solutions can digitally coordinate all retail operations processes to meet the demands of the marketplace while maintaining business continuity.
GraphSummit Paris - The art of the possible with Graph TechnologyNeo4j
Sudhir Hasbe, Chief Product Officer, Neo4j
Join us as we explore breakthrough innovations enabled by interconnected data and AI. Discover firsthand how organizations use relationships in data to uncover contextual insights and solve our most pressing challenges – from optimizing supply chains, detecting fraud, and improving customer experiences to accelerating drug discoveries.
Introducing Crescat - Event Management Software for Venues, Festivals and Eve...Crescat
Crescat is industry-trusted event management software, built by event professionals for event professionals. Founded in 2017, we have three key products tailored for the live event industry.
Crescat Event for concert promoters and event agencies. Crescat Venue for music venues, conference centers, wedding venues, concert halls and more. And Crescat Festival for festivals, conferences and complex events.
With a wide range of popular features such as event scheduling, shift management, volunteer and crew coordination, artist booking and much more, Crescat is designed for customisation and ease-of-use.
Over 125,000 events have been planned in Crescat and with hundreds of customers of all shapes and sizes, from boutique event agencies through to international concert promoters, Crescat is rigged for success. What's more, we highly value feedback from our users and we are constantly improving our software with updates, new features and improvements.
If you plan events, run a venue or produce festivals and you're looking for ways to make your life easier, then we have a solution for you. Try our software for free or schedule a no-obligation demo with one of our product specialists today at crescat.io
Hand Rolled Applicative User ValidationCode KataPhilip Schwarz
Could you use a simple piece of Scala validation code (granted, a very simplistic one too!) that you can rewrite, now and again, to refresh your basic understanding of Applicative operators <*>, <*, *>?
The goal is not to write perfect code showcasing validation, but rather, to provide a small, rough-and ready exercise to reinforce your muscle-memory.
Despite its grandiose-sounding title, this deck consists of just three slides showing the Scala 3 code to be rewritten whenever the details of the operators begin to fade away.
The code is my rough and ready translation of a Haskell user-validation program found in a book called Finding Success (and Failure) in Haskell - Fall in love with applicative functors.
DDS Security Version 1.2 was adopted in 2024. This revision strengthens support for long runnings systems adding new cryptographic algorithms, certificate revocation, and hardness against DoS attacks.
WhatsApp offers simple, reliable, and private messaging and calling services for free worldwide. With end-to-end encryption, your personal messages and calls are secure, ensuring only you and the recipient can access them. Enjoy voice and video calls to stay connected with loved ones or colleagues. Express yourself using stickers, GIFs, or by sharing moments on Status. WhatsApp Business enables global customer outreach, facilitating sales growth and relationship building through showcasing products and services. Stay connected effortlessly with group chats for planning outings with friends or staying updated on family conversations.
Transform Your Communication with Cloud-Based IVR SolutionsTheSMSPoint
Discover the power of Cloud-Based IVR Solutions to streamline communication processes. Embrace scalability and cost-efficiency while enhancing customer experiences with features like automated call routing and voice recognition. Accessible from anywhere, these solutions integrate seamlessly with existing systems, providing real-time analytics for continuous improvement. Revolutionize your communication strategy today with Cloud-Based IVR Solutions. Learn more at: https://thesmspoint.com/channel/cloud-telephony
E-Invoicing Implementation: A Step-by-Step Guide for Saudi Arabian CompaniesQuickdice ERP
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I started on this journey less than a year ago when I took on the role of “Senior QA Manager”... Yes I know, we can’t assure quality... That’s a battle for another time
Having had my last experience with “formal testing” back in the old mainframe days (hard to believe I know)...
One of the first things I discovered was...
Traditional, factory style testing with its static templates and reusable scripts worked well back in the days of waterfall projects and green screens.
But consider testing of a mobile app in an agile project. With a mobile device, the number of scenarios to consider is vast. The device can have concurrent and conflicting apps running. There is network connectivity to consider. There are many different gestures that can be performed on top of merely entering data. On top of this, you have to be able to release your software fast
How can the same approach, using the same methodology, and the same templates, be used to test BOTH of these systems? We don’t expect developers to build apps using the same techniques and technology as we did back in the green screen days. Yet adherence to such archaic processes in testing is enshrined as “BEST PRACTICE”. It makes no sense.
So with all that in mind, you decide it’s time to break out of the 1980’s testing paradigm and try something that can better cope with the demands of today’s software.
The idea of Context-Driven Testing was first put up by Cem Kaner, James Bach, Brian Marick and Bret Pettichord in their book “Lessons Learned in Software Testing” in 2001.
I’m not going to talk too much about Context-Driven Testing, there’s many people here who know a lot more about it than I do, if you don’t know much about it check out context-driven-testing.com where you can find the 7 “basic principles” along with the following summary –
Ultimately, context-driven testing is about doing the best we can with what we get. Rather than trying to apply “best practices,” we accept that very different practices (even different definitions of common testing terms) will work best under different circumstances.
I like to think that this approach demands that testers be skilled practitioners who, like a master craftsman, are able to produce and use the required tool for the job.
So what might a context-driven tester look like...
I think of Felix the Cat!
Whenever he gets in a fix
He reaches into his bag of .... heuristics
What if your testers have been set up as a traditional offshore team, isolated in their test factory?
My team is in Manila and there’s our pyramid setup with the larger group of lower cost junior staff who execute the step-by-step tests that were written by more senior staff . Everyone has been hired, trained and previously rewarded for this factory test approach. It’s what their friends at other offshore companies do too. They’re used to it. They’re good at it. It’s what they know.
About 9 months ago I first started reading up about Context Driven testing and all the other options it opens up like Exploratory testing, Session based testing, Risk based testing, visual mapping, agile testing... I thought - this will eliminate the giant piles of over-detailed scripting documentation, remove the tedium of being a 'testing monkey’ for those executing the scripts... Instead people will be free to think and learn and use their own judgement!
I was so excited, I felt like:
I thought I would try a “soft launch” approach so I ordered “Lessons Learned in Software Testing” and Elisabeth Hendrickson’s “Exploratory Testing” and a few other relevant books and started a little library in the office. I forwarded on a few articles to the team and made a few suggestions here and there... And the overall response was....
Meh.
One example – I sent an email on “when should we go to the effort of entering a bug in JIRA” suggesting that we should determine if there are alternate courses of action depending on context. For example, if you’re sitting next to a developer and you get on well with them and it seems like a small thing that could be easily fixed, you might try talking to them first. But basically, use your judgement and make a call on it based on your context.
I got a reply asking “... do we have a related mandatory QA guideline or process implementation regarding this matter?"
My goal is to have a team that's confident in applying a context-driven approach to testing. But how to get there?
I started thinking about the best way to set up this kind of change and came up with three factors – Culture, Communication and Coaching.
But underneath it all.... This is what it’s all about.
When you are working with an offshore team – “Cultural Differences” is something that everyone is aware of but probably don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about in detail. - different language, customs, whatever... - expectation even if unwritten, that the offshore staff will be expected to adjust to onshore rather than the other way around.
- Started on some research of the differences between Filipino and Australian cultures
- Danger in discussing others’ culture – observations not intended as any criticism but information for me to use on how to adjust my approach.
Harvard Business Review article (https://hbr.org/2015/12/getting-to-si-ja-oui-hai-and-da) on cross-cultural negotiation
Guessing that Australia is between US and UK
According to this the Philippines ranks very high on avoiding confrontation.
Some have pointed out that the US author has used her culture as the frame of reference here – is that a problem? All these things will be relative...
From their website: “The hofstede centre offers valuable tools to help you visualize cultural differences and their impact... The model of national culture consists of six dimensions. The cultural dimensions represent independent preferences for one state of affairs over another that distinguish countries (rather than individuals) from each other. ” There’s other tools such as one to work out your own personal preferences relative to your or another country.
HOFSTEDE 6-D MODEL – Australia vs Philippines. Focusing on the biggest differences in the relevant areas of Power Distance & Individualism.
Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.
Philippines is hierarchical society, this is acceptable and normal. Australia has a less formal hierarchy, more consultative.
Individualism - the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members.
Philippines is a collectivist society - close long-term commitment to the member 'group', loyalty is paramount, employer/employee relationships are perceived like family links.
Australia is individualist – people look after themselves. In business, employees are expected to be self-reliant and display initiative.
- This leads on to how trust is formed in different cultures
- Putting the countries on this list in the Hofstede model there is a definite correlation between high individualism on the left and low to the right
cognitive – based on intellectual factors, respect for “someone who knows their stuff”
affective – based on relationships built by shared experiences, emotional closeness, empathy
in cultures such as Australia that rely on cognitive trust, many of the relationships and activities that would build affective trust are seen as ‘unprofessional’
Many of the countries that we offshore to from within Australia would fall towards the affective side of the spectrum –
this effectively is a barrier to trust!
Compared research with what I have observed or heard from my team where I thought these characteristics might affect the adoption of CDT.
Themes like following instructions, doing what you’re told without making trouble.
Let's face it along with lowered costs of course this is why companies chose to offshore software testing particularly... if you think of the factory method of checking where it's important to be able to follow directions precisely, do as you're told quickly and efficiently and with great attention to detail be able to mechanically reproduce results.
But if good context-driven testing is about asking questions, self-directed learning, critical thinking and being able to challenge each other... Need to be aware of potential resistance and use TRUST to help the transition...
It’s pretty universally acknowledged that one of the major difficulties in working remotely across countries is communication.
Time differences
Language barriers
Cultural differences
Technology challenges (bad phone line, internet bandwidth)
Challenges around informal conversations
Quite a well-known and generally agreed observation
Note the PERSISTENCE REQUIRED
COMMUNICATION TAKES EFFORT!!!
Face to face – travel *both* ways
Video, try always on video so that you can just discuss things immediately without needing to schedule a meeting
Conference calls – work on ways to improve these
Chat – it’s not just about the tool, but how you use it
It’s so common to have things discussed and decided in a ‘hallway meeting’. Regardless of whether its an onshore or offshore hallway, it’s absolutely critical to either stop the impromptu meeting until you can call in the others (either by phone, wandering over to the always-on video monitor, whatever) or else you MUST inform them afterwards of what you talked about and whether any decisions were made, and encourage their feedback. Yes this may seem like a lot of effort but it will be repaid in spades when everyone is on the same page and knows what’s going on. Not only will this result in improved quality but better morale as the whole team will feel more valued when they’re included or at least informed.
This is what we miss out on when working remote from team-mates.
There can be feelings of guilt if you use chat message, or a even part of a phone call for non-work related topics
but we wouldn’t hesitate to do that in face to face conversation
why not just ‘check in’ with the team, or at least have some introductory chat?
This is part of building trust!
Because of the ‘guilt factor’ there may be a need to specifically encourage this!
You can have a non-work ‘channel’ in Slack or a chatroom or such but this doesn’t replace the need to have real conversations
“Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break”
If you have access to a webcam and video link, why not actually schedule breaks at the same time
Not for a work meeting, just a social chat over coffee or a meal
Sharing a meal is a great way to get to know people
It will be weird at first!! But work at it!!
There’s a lot of resources out there to help with remote communication, one of my recent favourites is COLLABORATIONSUPERPOWERS.COM
What else can we try??
I’ve embraced the “unprofessional” idea of being FACEBOOK friends with many of my team mates from our Manila office. The Philippines being the SELFIE capital of the world (and Gene there on the left, our in-house Selfie guru) there are always plenty of photos to celebrate the good times (and even the not so good times can be good times... The shot on the left was taken on a Saturday afternoon when we were all in there working to meet a deadline!)
If you know what’s going on in the lives of your team, you have more to talk about
Any change especially a big change like what I’m asking, needs guidance.
People won’t “just do it” even if logically, you can’t see any reason why this should be the case.
Nor will the best results be achieved by MANDATING them, especially when the very nature of what we want to introduce is to try and encourage people to think for themselves and take responsibility for their own professional actions, rather than just following authority.
Here’s one of our teams showing off their “chicken goggles”
Why workshop in a safe place?
Because you’re asking people to do uncomfortable things
You don’t just do your new moves on stage without rehearsal or try the new play in a big game without practice!
You need to be aware of cultural impacts that may increase the FEAR of FAILURE
Change is hard and it takes time.
Trying to effect a change across distance is HARDER and takes LONGER
Be patient and persistent. THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET.
And this will include assumed “skills” that aren’t directly related to your testing goals! Things like how to think critically, how collaborate, to deliver bad news, how to disagree or say NO.
The assumption that all professionals will be able to learn things on their own, won’t hold. Recall the individualism gap – in Australia, employees are expected to be self-reliant and display initiative. In other countries, not so much. In Australia the education system these days focuses on collaborative learning techniques, in many other countries rote learning is still the norm.
Start off by EXPECTING to have to teach, and make “how to learn” one of your topics
Some ideas...
This is simply “Learning by Doing” as you practice skills such as
Delivering bad news to a PM
Saying NO
“Using the standup to make your testing visible” (Katrina Clokie) – being more specific about what you did
This format also invites others to critique your work and provide feedback which in itself is valuable
Blue – Manages the process
White – Facts
Red – Feelings
Yellow – Benefits, Positives
Black – Cautions, Negatives
Green – Creativity
You can literally get people to wear a hat while you’re discussing a topic. This gives people “permission” to be whatever the hat says, and this makes the environment even safer for them to practice expressing a viewpoint that they may normally shy away from. Also the act of wearing the hat makes it a bit silly so the fear of failure may be lessened.
Getting people in the team to speak up is always a problem but for some reason most people in the Philippines have no problem with getting up and singing... So surely this activity is custom made!!
Three ways I know of to play, each involves improvisation with an unknown slide deck:
One person presents, the slides advance automatically (say after 30 seconds)
One person presents, they advance the slides manually and get extra kudos for finishing the deck within a time limit eg 6 minutes
Relay – the slides advance automatically and people in a group take turns standing up to present a slide.
One of the great things about this game is that it’s almost impossible to be good at it, so everyone’s on the same level. It also gets your creative ideas and improv skills going, quite a few people including Michael Bolton have noted the useful similarities between testing and improv skills.
So having investigated the cultural context, worked on improving communication and started a coaching plan...
where are we in the great Journey of Transformation towards a team of thinking testers who are confident to break out of their factory mould and try a smarter approach?
After 6 months....
I’m starting to see people step outside their comfort zone – speaking up more in meetings, offering feedback to others, volunteering to do internal cross-training presentations, taking initiative without asking for permission
Travel both ways – including testers onsite using BDD collaboration which has been very successful
Meetings are more like knowledge sharing and less like ‘reporting to the superior officer’
Overall level of confidence seems to be increasing – someone told me when I was wrong
Starting to get more feedback about ideas when I post articles, more enthusiasm about trying new things
Employee engagement survey results are significantly higher than last year
Have had employees who previously quit come back again
I think that the groundwork has been laid to change our testing practices...
Though I need to recognise that these things won’t change as fast as I want them to, my team is now better prepared for my next round of workshops where I’ll be sharing what I learned in the Rapid Software Testing class!
THANK YOU