People & Teams

Conference Presentations

Virtual Test Management: Rapid Testing Over Multiple Time Zones

With the ever-changing challenges of testing, here comes the latest one: managing multiple test locations. More and more companies are spreading testing organizations throughout the country and the world. Based on real-life experiences of the speakers, learn the mistakes to avoid and the lessons learned in managing multiple sites. Discover how the Virtual Test Manager can manage a dispersed test organization without having to always be physically present.
Jim Bampos, VeriTest and Eric Patel, Nokia
Collaboration Between Development and Testing Personnel is a Key to Success

Applications are often designed and developed with little regard for testing. Functional and Load/Configuration testing needs to be a collaborative effort between the development and testing groups for a project to be most successful. Everyone needs to "own" some of the testing responsibility. Learn how to accomplish an ongoing collaboration between application architects, designers, developers, and QA/testing personnel to identify and resolve problems (defects) in an efficient and timely manner.
Tom Igielski, Upstream Solutions, Inc
A Short Course in Managing Expectations

Have you ever delivered exactly what your customers said they wanted, and still they were dissatisfied? This session uses a case study of one such experience as the basis for introducing information, tools, and guidelines to help you better manage expectations. Naomi Karten addresses issues such as how to build a strong foundation, avoid conflicting interpretations, implement effective feedback-gathering processes, and understand the other party's perspective.
Naomi Karten, Karten Associates
Teams, Governance, and the Evolution of Social Systems

While there are good reasons to use teams for software projects, there are also many well-documented challenges and pitfalls. One of the most important decisions for any team is the governance model they choose to abide by. By examining how social systems evolve and the different types of decision-making models they use, we can successfully modify our team approach, especially when work-like software development-is technical and creative in nature. This presentation shows you how to use this context to apply these social structure principles to extract maximal benefits from your team.
Russell Roundtree, Landmark Graphics
Speaking to Your Management: What Do You Do When They Do Not Listen

This presentation explains some of the language barriers and experience barriers between management and quality assurance professionals.
Ed Weller, Software Technology Transition
Software Improvement Feedback Loops: How to Develop a Learning Organization

Over the past twenty-five years, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) at NASA/GSFC has studied mechanisms for improving the software process and product. During this time, a set of processes has evolved: the Goal/Question/Metric Paradigm; the Quality Improvement Paradigm; and the Experience Factory Organization. These processes are based on the needs for measurement and feedback loops, from project to process and project to project, creating a learning organization for building software competencies. In this presentation, Victor Basili discusses these processes, how they evolved, the lessons learned, and the effects of their application in the SEL.
Victor Basili, Software Engineering Laboratory
Thinking About People, Process, and Product: A Principle that Works at Work

All projects involve the three P's: people, process, and product. People includes everyone who influences the project. Process is the steps taken to produce and maintain software. Product is the final outcome of the project. To keep these three in harmony, you must observe who is trying to do what to deliver what. Usually, two of the three P's are mandated, and the third one is chosen appropriately. Although this is common sense, it is not common practice. Dwayne Phillips discusses the issues and challenges that affect us all on every project. Learn about the ideas and questions to consider to help you work through these issues.
Dwayne Phillips, U.S. Department of Defense
A Force for Change-Using Resistance Positively

When we try to improve our organizations, we inevitably encounter resistance. This presentation describes how to turn resistance into a resource. Whatever else it may be, resistance is information about the people we are asking to change; about the environment in which the change will happen; about the changes we recommend; and ultimately, about ourselves. Learn ways to tap into that information to turn resistance into a resource for creating lasting improvement.
Dale Emery, Sun Microsystems
Launching a Web Development Team

Based on a real-life case study, learn how one Fortune 500 manufacturing company-with four development groups in two locations-created a flexible and cost-efficient Web development solution to meet the needs of an expanding business. Explore the development problems-and solutions-encountered on a project of this scope, including issues with geographically dispersed development.
Thomas Vlasic, John Deere Co.
Organization: The Forgotten Dimension

Explore the software project manager's actual, perceived, and desired position in an organization. Learn how the differences in these three views-coupled with the understanding of roles, responsibility, authority, and accountability-may be more important to a manager's success than the method used to manage the project. Discover techniques that leverage "difficult" organizational structures and cultures to enable the free flow of information that is critical to process improvement and project performance.
Mark Servello, Change Bridge, Inc.

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