The Catalyst

Several years ago I found myself pressured by some colleagues to join the executive team of my local software quality association. I had often considered joining as it seemed an excellent venue for networking and getting more involved in the software testing/QA community, but I always had a reason for not joining. I thought, “What do I really have to offer?”, “I am too busy this year”, and simply, “I’m scared!”.

Over the course of a few weeks, suggestions quickly became, “We don’t need to fill the newsletter editor position, because Selena is going to do it.”  My colleagues were not surprised when I finally said I would take the position; they knew me well. The motivation of my colleagues, and learning that other people felt the same way I did, helped me overcome the reservations I had in joining the executive team.

The following year I accepted a nomination to become the president. My reasoning? I was terrified to speak in public. I figured that if I was ever going to present at conferences and provide training courses, I needed to face that fear. I conquered the worst of that fear during the first season by speaking at membership meetings making announcements and introducing monthly speakers. After two years in that role I felt much more confident and stepped down to pursue other opportunities in the testing community.

Association for Software Testing

Following a nomination for an AST Board Member position a couple months ago, I found out at CAST that I was elected to the Board by the membership. I am excited to become more involved in the AST community by helping to grow, support, and provide new opportunities for the organization. While I have a Board Member role, I plan to decide on a particular area of focus after spending a couple months figuring out how I can best add value. I truly believe in the spirit and goals of AST in promoting and supporting the evolution of software testing as an intelligent, creative, and context-driven craft.

This summer I also started co-instructing the BBST Foundations course offered by AST after taking it in the spring (read about my experience). I finished my first co-instruction in July alongside Rebecca Fiedler and Michael Larsen, and am currently co-instructing the August session alongside John McConda, Brett Leonard, Michael Larsen, and Jen McCann. I have learned even more in this role, both from my fellow instructors and the students.

Other Organizations

I support a number of other software testing organizations in a variety of ways, while my time and contributions are volunteer-based. I contribute for a number of reasons, the primary being a desire to contribute to this community on a larger scale to help herald in a new era for software testers around the world (one where intelligence, critical-though, and creativity are expected and recognized).

• Software Test Professionals: They have recently undergone a rebranding to create a community for software test professionals who want to learn, engage, and network. I am speaking and leading a workshop at the upcoming STP Conference in October, have been an interviewee for Matt Heusser’s weekly This Week in Software Testing broadcast, have an article releasing on the STP website this week, and am giving a webinar for STP in September on test management. Again, this is a volunteer-based community, and the majority of my involvement has been non-paid work. I have recently joined a couple of STP Crews, though have yet to see what they are about in practice. A great way to contribute and gain recognition through a variety of avenues.

• Software Testing Club: This is an open-community of software testers. My recent activity has been limited to contributions to their newspaper, The Testing Planet. I have read a lot of really good content, contributed by test practitioners, trainers, and consultants who are truly passionate about software testing. While contributions are not paid for, there is a broad audience of testers who read this publication, and the website content, due to the breadth of the community. Another great way to contribute to the field.

• Waterloo Workshops on Software Testing: A local workshop I started with a colleague this year. It is a peer workshop with an emphasis on mutual learning, sharing hands-on experiences, solving practical problems, and promoting contributions to the field. We aim to build skills in software testing and allow people who are passionate about software testing to network with their peers, and help to move thinking about testing forward. Contact me if you are interested in participating in an upcoming workshop.

• Kitchener-Waterloo Software Quality Association: I continue to offer my support to my local software quality/testing organization, the KWSQA. I promote the organization, present at membership meetings and the yearly conference, and (try) to attend monthly membership meetings. I declined a larger role in the organization this season, due to my other obligations aside from starting up my own business.

What Are You Doing?

How are you supporting the software testing community?

Volunteering takes time and requires following through on committments. BUT it is also extremely rewarding in a number of ways:

• A sense of pride and satisfaction in helping the testing community grow and evolve.
• Networking with like-minded individuals you can call on if you need advice or help.
• Meet and network with people you respect and admire.
• Learn even more about your craft as a result of all of these, which increases your skills, professionalism, and drives your career forward.
• Build recognition for yourself in the industry and propel your career forwards.

There are many opportunities to assist with, and contribute to any of these organizations and many others. Let go of your excuses and fear and take your first step in helping the software testing industry gain the respect it deserves. Whether you can pitch in a few hours, or several days, over the course of a year, any organization will be glad to have you on board as volunteers are in short supply.

Contact me for questions about, or even a desire to volunteer for, any of the organizations I mentioned. You can even contact me if you can’t find a local organization you would like to contribute to – I may be able to locate something suitable, or connect you with someone else who can.

I challenge you to step up your game!

The Software Test Professionals Conference is quickly coming up Oct 19-21.

Have you registered yet?

If so, I look forward to seeing you there!

If not, what are you waiting for?!

Read on for 5 reasons to attend:

1) You are a Software Test Professional – if so, you need to be there! This conference is all about people like you who want to learn, improve themselves, connect with like-minded people, and grow themselves professionally. If any of these apply to you, sign up now!

• You are a tester, a manager of test teams, a project test lead, a programmer who tests, someone who manages beta testers or usability testers, or someone just interested in increasing the value of testing.
• You spend time improving your skill sets (or want to), and believe that continuous learning and challenging yourself is a necessary part of your job.
• You want to increase the value of testing in your organization.
• You are not interested in being a robot who blindly does what you are told, but finds ways to improve the way you do your own work so you can do your best work possible.  You also encourage this in others, by leading by example.

2) Learn by Doing, Not Listening in the Hands-On Testing Techniques Lab. The best way to learn new skills is to practice them hands-on while you are learning them. Come and challenge yourself with new methods in a safe environment with instructors and other students. This is a rare opportunity at any conference, so be sure to take advantage of the opportunity (and bring your laptop!).

3) Attend My Sessions & Talk With Me! There are many other great presenters to check out as well – but I know you’ll want to attend mine. ?

My pre-conference workshop, Test Management Clinic, will help you explore and learn techniques for solving real-life test management challenges. You may even leave with appropriate solutions to challenges you are currently experiencing. Register ASAP to reserve your seat now!

My session Explore Beyond the Obvious in the Hands-On Testing Techniques Lab will allow you to try different testing approaches to dig deeper into seemingly simple applications, and learn new information about products you test.

The panel I am speaking on about Reducing the Cost of Testing will help you gain ideas in reducing test costs, understand tradeoffs in doing so, and learn how to talk about testing costs with management in a reasoned, articulate manner.

4) Improve Your Career via the multitude of opportunities awaiting you. Network with people who are driving changes in the industry and understand their strategies so you can too. Connect with people around the globe who can help you with some of your challenges, and vice-versa. Learn leadership strategies to champion initiatives and changes in your workplace. Improve your skills in working with management, and making testing a valuable part of the organization.

5) STP Conference is in Las Vegas! Seriously, how much fun will that be? If you ever needed an excuse to get yourself to Vegas, this is it. Imagine – spending days learning to your hearts content and talking with fellow test professionals, then enjoying evenings in the fun of Las Vegas while connecting with fabulous testers from around the globe.

Register Now – The Early Bird Deadline ends this Friday August 20, which provides a $500 savings off the conference package.

See you in Vegas!

A bold statement? … Perhaps.

If you have ever attended CAST though, I am sure you would agree with me. If you haven’t, check out my earlier post on Why I Attend CAST to learn why.

Exploratory Test Automation

This year I started with a full day workshop by Harry Robinson on Exploratory Test Automation. He challenged the prevalent notion that test automation means running the exact same set of scripts every time. The same idea is still rather prevalent when it comes to manual testing, but exploratory testing is starting to make inroads in the testing industry to change that. You may be surprised to learn that similar principles can be applied to test automation too.

The basics: Challenge automation assumptions, vary inputs, vary paths through a program, automated tests <> human-driven tests.

Watch for an upcoming blog post expanding on this.

I have been fortunate in guiding teams in applying basic exploratory-like automation techniques, but appreciated the stories and experiences that Harry shared. They were interesting challenges to hear about.

Though I was not able to attend, Cem Kaner and Doug Hoffman also did a track session on the same topic, which I heard was also quite good.

Conversation Starters

After a rushed dinner, I spent Monday evening chatting with a number of other people about Mentorship and Consulting.  I had volunteered to be on a ‘panel’ for each of these and ended up being double-booked. Pleasantly, both turned into informal chat sessions, which allowed all participants and panel members to hang out and learn from each other.

The Mentorship talk focused on the qualities and behaviours of good mentors and/or coaches, and things to consider if you wanted to become a mentor.  The Consulting talk focused on the building blocks in deciding to become a consultant, what to do before you make the leap, and how to get through those first couple of years. Good discussions all around.

Art of Visualization

Wednesday afternoon I presented, ‘The Art of Visualization’, discussing how visual modeling techniques help improve effectiveness in testing, and allow testers to add more value to stakeholders. I shared examples of how visual models like flowcharts, mindmaps, informal whiteboard diagrams, and use case diagrams are valuable tools for customer requirements, software designs, test strategies, and problem resolution. Learn more via my presentation slides, and supporting paper.

I particularly enjoyed the discussion that occurred during the latter portion of my session. Participants questioned some ideas, shared their own experiences, and even drafted a list of tools that can be used to enable the use of visual models. Thanks to all who attended!

Watch for an upcoming blog post on this.

Communication Chameleons

Wednesday afternoon I also presented, “Communication Chameleons”, discussing the importance of testers being able to speak effectively to different types of stakeholders. I shared a story about a coworker who did this rather well and held the respect (and ear) of everyone he worked with, from customer support, to programmers, through to the executive team. The presentation finished up summarizing important parts of communication as testers, such as active listening, engagement, adaptive behaviours, and information radiation. Learn more via my presentation slides, and supporting paper.

The discussion that followed was engaging as attendees shared their own communication experiences, recommendations, and insights. I thank everyone who attended for their contributions.

Unplanned Activities

It used to be that when I went to a conference I planned out all the sessions I was going to attend and the evening activities I would partake in. A couple of years ago I broke that habit, and learned to ‘take it as it comes’. My conference experiences are now never what I expected, yet seem to provide me with exactly what I needed.

Case in point: While I had thought to attend sessions on Tuesday, I ended up spending most of the day talking with different testers. The discussions were quite wonderful (both the people, and the topics) and covered a variety of testing, software, and other various topics.

On the various thread: One person I spoke to was like fate intervening – they had a teenage son with Asperger’s Syndrome (high functioning autism), while I suspect that my son may as well. We spent time comparing stories, and they offered helpful advice. In another fate-like intervention, I had a conversation with someone about experiences with chronic pain (from which I suffer) and pain management strategies. I now have new approaches to look into that I had not investigated before. I did not expect those experiences at CAST!

Note: Evening activities are a must!

At CAST this year, the Rebel Alliance hosted a sponsored event (with several independents kicking in sponsorship funds) with drinks and snacks. There was a strong turn out with many conference attendees partaking in the goods and enjoying conversations.

Otherwise, while going out with folks for dinner and drinks is exhausting every night, I strongly recommend it. It is well worth the effort, as you will have conversations you would never have at the conference otherwise.

Games nights are also strongly encouraged!  Wednesday evening saw a sizable number of people playing interesting strategy games. While I’m a board-game fanatic, I didn’t get to participate as I needed to get out to eat dinner. I did buy one of the games on my way home though, and look forward to playing it soon.

Through the rest of the conference I was pleased to spend time talking with so many friendly, intelligent, thoughtful, and insightful testers. I hung with old friends, met people I had only met online through BBST or Twitter, as well as people who knew me and my blog (how cool!), and many others I met for the first time. I can’t possibly list everyone, so you will have to trust me in that the calibre of people who attend CAST is top-notch.

Thanks to everyone I met and spoke with, I appreciate you for the pleasure of your company, time and insights.

Next Year

CAST 2011 will be held in Seattle, Washington.

This is sure to be another amazing conference!  The Conference Chair, Jonathan Bach, and the Program Chair, James Bach, already have some great ideas that I am excited to see occur. Be sure to book the date as soon as it is announced.

If you would like to be involved as a volunteer, be sure to contact AST, Jon, or James, or myself (I’ll hook you up) asap.  We can always use more help!

I hope to see you at CAST next year … and bring some friends along too!

I remember a lot about the training I received when I started my job, from the old out-dated cheesy training video’s, to the shadowing I did with existing employees at the customer counter. I also remember smelling like grease all the time, no matter how much I showered. But I digress…

This was back in the early 90′s when the classic McDonald’s characters were still around, though waning in appearances. Back then, at least in the restaurant that I worked in, most employee’s worked hard to deliver value (a.k.a. food) to the customers. I sure did! I was getting paid to work, and work I did. We still had fun while on the job, but never at the expense of the customer experience.

I quickly moved up the ranks from the main in-store counter, to the food delivery window in drive-thru, to the high pressure first drive-thru window (I was the multi-tasking queen!), and to new-hire trainer. I even revised the outdated training program to be more relevant, effective, and context appropriate.

Note: I am not an advocate for McDonald’s, own no stock in the company, and would never ever step foot in one again if I can help it, due to a variety of reasons not relevant to these postings or this particular weblog.

That said, I had many experiences and learned a lot during the three or so years I worked there, many of which I carry with me in my work today. Believe it or not, many of these lessons are readily transferrable to other companies, and to software development (which includes testing).

What I had intended to be a single blog post has somehow taken a mind of it’s own and evolved into a number of blog posts into a full-fledged series. As this was not expected, I am curious to see how these are received.

I hope you will follow along with me! Subsequent posts in this series will be added as links from this entry as they are published.

First stop, Lesson #1: Customers Are Key

Having been a black box software tester for a few years already, I still knew there was a lot I could learn from this course specifically. Hands-on courses with exercises requiring active observation, critical thinking, and collaboration with peers were in short supply back then. I relished the opportunity to challenge myself and to learn, so I was hooked.

Oh, and it was free. That made it easy to get approval from my manager to take the course (ha! Free = no approval necessary!).

Unfortunately, I consistently had obligations that kept me away from the course. Excuses? No. That’s just how it was.  Starting and raising a family while moving up the ranks in responsibility at work took priority.

Fast-forward five years.

The Black-Box Software Testing Foundations course was moved to be offered and taught through the Association for Software Testing. Cem is actively involved with the AST, as are many other bright, active, and thinking testers who do a lot to contribute to, and further, the craft of software testing.The BBST Foundations course is offered for free to all AST members. There are subsequent courses offered as well, with a nominal fee for both members and non-members.

All course material is still available on the Center for Software Testing Education & Research website, so you can take it on your own time, though you won’t benefit from the peer and instructor interactions (which are a BIG piece of the learning throughout the course).

In March I finally found the time to register for the May 2010 offering of the BBST Foundations course, as I had a lighter workload than usual in May. I admit that I was somewhat nervous as I had not actively applied my skills at a “doer” level in quite some time, due to numerous roles at management, project/program management, and other similar, levels.

Without giving away pertinent course details that will require course instructors/designers to have to devise new materials to evaluate student comprehension, I can say that I enjoyed the BBST Foundations course immensely.

Reflections on BBST Foundations

The course was advertised to be about 8 hours of work, per week. While that seemed like a fair amount, I was quite surprised to find myself spending 20-25 hours on course work per week. It was well worth it though.

Highlights of my experiences during the BBST Foundations course include:

• Online course experience. I found this difficult at first, as I prefer to work with people in person to observe body language, and to form bonds. It is more challenging to do via email and forum posts, but possible with a concerted effort. This experience gave me hope for future online learning experiences. The course designers encouraged a lot of peer interaction to promote and facilitate learning, which did wonders for everyone’s learning.

• I met phenomenal testers, both new to the field, and many years experienced; both instructors, and students; located here in Canada, North America, Europe, and Asia. I appreciate the learning I obtained and experienced with all of them.

• I learned, a lot! Having been in the software field for 10 years, I wondered how much I would learn from an introductory black box software testing course. I discovered that there was a lot to learn still. Without providing specific details, I can tell you that whether you are new to testing, a small number of years in, or a decade or more, this course will get you thinking critically, and from different perspectives.

• I still don’t like multiple choice tests. Yes, there are multiple choice quizzes in the course. These are intended to help you think critically while reading text to correctly understand intent and respond with the appropriate answer. Sometimes only small nuances make the difference between a correct and incorrect answer. I have never been very good at multiple choice, and discovered I still am not. That said, the exercises certainly helped me slow down and try to think the through questions using different approaches.

• The assignments were incredibly valuable to explore the concepts of oracles and heuristics. For whatever reason, I have often struggled with the terms ‘oracle’ and ‘heuristic’, despite that I can use them appropriately in context. Regardless, the exercises really nailed home these terms and improved my application of them in practice.

• The exam has a study guide, which is a series of questions that you are able to attempt and discuss with fellow students. What an idea! Imagine: Time to think through questions and improve upon answers based on peer comments before the actual exam. This really helped me better understand the questions and provide more context-appropriate answers.

So, a lot of work?

Absolutely.

Well worth it?

Yes.

I love to learn, and apply learned skills, to add more value to a business (and subsequently), more value to my immediate organization. I found this BBST Foundations course to be challenging, educational, and appropriately balanced in introductory concepts and applications.

I highly recommend the BBST Foundations course to all levels and experiences of software tests (heck, even non-software testers).

Be sure to sign up for upcoming BBST course offerings on the AST website.

.. and hey, I passed the BBST Foundations course! Yay!

My first experience at the Conference of the Association for Software Testing (CAST) was in Toronto in July 2008.

I heard about CAST from a colleague who attended the conference the previous year in Seattle, and was hooked on what he said about it. Determined to go to the next one regardless of the location, my bank account was pleased when Toronto was confirmed (which is a mere one hour drive for me).  It was time to see what all the buzz was about.

While attending a pre-conference tutorial on the first day, I quickly felt and understood what my colleague was referring to.  It felt like a homecoming, with all my favourite testing relatives in attendance.  Many long-lost cousins, relatives I didn’t know I had, and even close family members who I often stayed in touch with. Relatively speaking, of course.  :)

Over the course of the conference, I found many things to love about CAST:

The attendees. People from around the world attended.  Everyone I met was excited, passionate, interactive, intent on helping one another, and all around friendly.  This may come as a surprise to those who know me, but I have often struggled to meet and talk with new people in large group settings.  It did not take long for me to jump in though!  And did I mention?  These people were smart and interesting!  The quality of the people that attend CAST are bar-none.

The session formats. One cool thing about CAST is that sessions are structured so that 2/3 of the time is alloted for the speaker to do their thing, and the other 1/3 is for attendees to ask questions.  The coolest part is how the question period is done.  It is moderated so discussion topics become threads that are followed through to completion before another topic is started.  You use different coloured cards to signal your intent to speak up, and a very talented moderator will add you to the appropriate place in the queue.  This makes for very interactive sessions.

The speakers. AST does a phenomenal job of selecting the speakers for the conference, providing a variety of presentation formats and topics.  You might find traditional presentations with powerpoint slides, a session with musical props, an interactive experiential exercise, or even some improv. Topics range from the technical, techniques, soft-skills, management focus, and even life experiences tied to testing. There is something for everyone’s tastes.

The organizers. Organizing a conference is hard work, and the folks that step up to do CAST do a great job. I have been fortunate to get to know many of the organizers for the last two conferences, and the upcoming one, fairly well. Every one of them is brilliant, down-to-earth, great to talk and debate with, fun to hang out with, and inspirational in what you can achieve when you set your mind to it. I applaud their contributions to the testing community.

The connections. I made a lot of wonderful connections with people, learned a lot during the sessions, and in conversations outside the sessions.  Many people I met at my first CAST in 2008 have become colleagues I communicate with throughout the year, and many of those, good friends too.  How cool is it to have a network of colleagues and friends in your line of work who live around the world?

I enjoyed my first CAST experience so much that I committed to attending the next one.

It was enticing to know it was in Colorado Springs, but better yet, to know that another reunion would occur in a year.  I ended up submitting a proposal and presenting at CAST 2009 (well, I facilitated an interactive session that was a lot of fun).  My experiences there were just as wonderful, as I solidified relationships, formed new ones, learned from colleagues, and just plain had fun.

Now CAST 2010 beckons in the town of Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 2-4, 2010.

CAST has become one of my must-attend conferences of any year, so I was pleased when I heard it was in Michigan.  A mere 5 hour drive from home, I could carpool with others and save on flight costs.  I am pleased to share that I am speaking at CAST this year, not for just one session, but two! I’m not sure what the organizers were thinking when they made that decision, but I’m happy to take it.  :)  Check out all the sessions here.

So, am I going to see you at CAST this year?

What are you waiting for?!

Isn’t learning and collaboration important for your professional and personal growth?

Get yourself signed up ASAP, because the early bird deadline ends tomorrow!

You are going to love your experience at CAST!

I look forward to meeting you there!

- Selena

• Work out a deal with your boss so you can show its value within X amount of time after returning.
• See if the conference organizers could use your help in exchange for a discount. Disclaimer:  I don’t know if this is feasible for CAST, but I have done that for other conferences I really wanted to go to.
• Ask for training time off.  So, pay for the conference & travel, but don’t lose vacation time.
• Attend anyway.  Yes, paying out of pocket sucks, and so does using vacation time.  My learning and growth are more important to me though, so I cut back on other expenses and save up to attend things that are good for me.
• Trust me, this conference is that good.

Attend CAST 2010

The 5th annual Conference of the Association for Software Testing

August 2-4, 2010, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

“Skills in Testing”

About CAST

CAST reflects the AST’s core mission: to build community amongst scholars, practitioners, and students for the advancement of the practice of software testing. In 2010, CAST aims to leverage peer collaboration to build an enhanced understanding of how various skills influence tester effectiveness.

CAST offers a unique opportunity to learn and confer with others that simply isn’t found at other conferences. Each scheduled session allocates time for facilitated “open season” discussions that encourage participants to question and challenge the presentation. What takes place in the hallways, at receptions, and during meals and lightning talks truly sets CAST apart; for many attendees, the greatest value is derived from the opportunity to discuss and delve into the topics that matter to them.

Space is limited Register Today!

More information and Registration: www.CAST2010.org

Full Conference Pricing (non-member)
$630 by May 15th, 2010 ($280 savings)

We can’t wait to see you in Grand Rapids!

Until last month, I have been employed as a full-time employee for the last 10 years, dabbling in presenting and facilitating workshops, and actively coaching and mentoring a variety of employees across organizations.

So, what does this mean?

I am finally starting my own business!

I have dreamed about doing this for years – 9 years to be exact.  I was in my first year of employment when I started envisioning working for myself, alongside all-star type colleagues that I respected and trusted.  I knew way back then that being an employee was a “short-term” gig for me.

I have learned that I am better suited for the shorter-term engagements of contracting, consulting, and training.  When starting a new opportunity, I dive in head first, learning everything I can, and finding ways to add value to the project and the organization as quickly as possible.  I also say what needs to be said for the best interest of the project and organization, and find the most appropriate ways to do so without stepping on (too many) toes.  For any married people reading this, I get something akin to the ’7 Year Itch’.  In my roles, it’s more like a ’6-9 Month Itch’. When I start getting bored, it’s because I’ve added all the value I can for the people involved at that particular point in time.  Then it’s time to move on.

The cool thing for me now is that I get to focus on all the things I do best, for a variety of people and organizations.  That means I can spread my knowledge and skills to a broader audience, rather than being limited to one company.  Yeah!

So what exactly will I be offering?

Consulting Software Tester: I am personally available to do software testing & related activities, and am able to add value quickly.  I am also available to consult for software testing & QA organizations to help them quickly improve operations, manage testing projects/programs, and coach team members and departments as required.  I work closely with employees to facilitate their growth and improved skill sets, so they can continue working more effectively and efficiently after I have left.

Agile Coach: I work with agile teams to help them improve as a team to become even higher-performing than they are now.  I am passionate about facilitating and fostering team growth and success.  I am also available to work with middle and senior management, as well as start-to-end of a project, to help the entire organization streamline & improve operations to achieve business value faster.

Experiential Trainer: I strongly believe in the gains that experiential learning provides to workshop participants. I offer standard and customized training experiences that are facilitated to focus on learning-by-doing, where  participants will be able to apply what they learned back at work right away.

Now I need your help!

It is time for me to register a business name that is memorable, yet embodies all of what I am offering to help people, teams, and organizations operate at their best.

I need your help!

Comment on this post (or send me via sdelesie(at)gmail.com, twitter: sdelesie) with your ideas for a great business name that will fit for me.  Read my About Me and Presentations pages for more information that may be helpful in this exercise.

Thanks in advance for your help!

PS. If I select your suggestion for my business name, I will send you a copy of one of my favourite testing or agile books from my personal collection.