People & Teams

Cognitive scientists tell us that we are more productive and happier when our behavior matches our brain's hardwiring-when what we do and why we do it matches the way we have evolved to survive over tens of thousands of years. One problematic behavior humans have is that we are hardwired to instantly decide who we trust. And we generally aren't aware of these decisions-it just happens. Linda Rising explains that this hardwired "trust evaluation" can get in the way of working well with others. Pairing, the daily stand up, and close communication with the customer and others outside the team go a long way to overcome our instant evaluation of others. As Linda helps you gain a better understanding of this mechanism in your behavior and what agile processes can do to help, you are more likely to build better interpersonal relationships.

"Are you done yet?" The answer to this question may sink your career, your team, and your project. If you respond with a "yes," you may be forced to take on additional work you can't handle. If you say "no," you may be branded as someone who can't get things done. Mitch Lacey notes that this innocent question is asked countless times on almost every software project. Establishing an upfront, common understanding of "done" can save teams and businesses countless hours of rework, process-thrash, unclear communication, and hidden work. Mitch describes what a "done list" is, how it adds value, and the value it communicates to stakeholders. Mitch takes you through an exercise on how to establish a common understanding of done and provides an exercise that you can use with your project teams.

In the era of SOA and Web 2.0, as it becomes more and more difficult to accomplish comprehensive testing, Krishna Iyer and Mukesh Mulchandani describe ten non-technical skills that will make you a better tester. The first five are qualities we often look for in testers yet seldom practice scientifically and diligently--collaboration, creativity, experimentation, passion, and alertness. The second five are abilities that are seldom mentioned, yet equally important for testers--connect the dots, challenge the orthodox, picture and predict, prioritize, and leave work at work. Drawing from their experiences of building a testing team for their organization and consulting with global firms in building "testing capability," Krishna and Mukesh show how you and your test team can improve each of these ten non-technical skills. Practice these skills during the session and take back techniques you can use to hone your skills at work.

Are you a frustrated tester or test manager? Are you questioning whether or not a career in testing is for you? Do you wonder why others in your organization seem unenthusiastic about quality? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, this session is for you. Julie Gardiner explores five directives to help testers make a positive impact within their organization and increase professionalism in testing. Remember quality-it's not just time, it's time and quality; it's date and quality; it's functionality and quality. Learn to enjoy testing and have fun-the closest job to yours is blowing up things for the movies. Relish the testing challenge-it's you against the software and sometimes, it seems, the world. Choose your battles-take a stand on issues that are vital and let the small things go. And most importantly, remember that the only real power we have springs from our integrity-don't sell that at any price.