New Technologies and Methods in Quality Engineered ... · PDF fileMethods in Quality...

April 30 - May 4, 2012 l Chicago Westin Lombard Yorktown Center

QUEST Organized by: Publication Sponsored by:

New Technologies and Methods in Quality Engineered

Software and Testing

SQS Group Welcomes You to QUEST 2012Today businesses expect implicit software quality. How do we software QA and testing professionals cope with this challenge when business is becoming more complex, technologies such as cloud and mobile are changing the landscape, and still testing needs to be completed faster than ever for better ROI. The answer is by becoming smarter about what we do! Smarts come from new ideas as well as from experience. Since it might take too long for each one of us to think of a new idea, or it might be too costly to gain experience from our mistakes, we come to QUEST!

Welcome to Chicago for the leading conference on Software Quality and Testing -- QUEST 2012! This conference, more than any other I have attended, works both for the business professionals who expect quality in their business applications, and for the software testing and quality professionals who ensure it. How do we make certain both groups play their roles optimally? How do SME’s manage risk? How can testing be more optimized, automated, efficient? Like you, I am excited at the prospect of meeting business and testing professionals from across the globe to exchange notes on what is working and what is not. Certainly, we are here to share our advances in tools, technology, practices and even engagement models for testing, and to benefit from the innovations of others as well.

QUEST will provide you sufficient knowledge and confidence to tackle your quality and testing challenges back at work. It’s unquestionably going to be an exciting 5 days here in the great city of Chicago!

Gireendra “Giri” Kasmalkar CEO, SQS-USA , QUEST 2012 Magazine Sponsor SQS Group: The global leader in independent pure-play testing

Manager’s Workshop

Training & Certification Prep

Full Day Classes

Half Day Tutorials

Keynote Presentations

Panel Discussions

QUEST-at-a-Glance

Session Abstracts

Sponsors and Exhibitors

What’s INSIDE

CHICAGO

CALL 866.724.6013 OR 407.363.1111 EXT 129 TO REGISTER OR WWW.QAIQUEST.ORG/2012

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS & FEATURED ARTICLES

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� Identifying Your Organizations Best Software Practices David Herron, David Consulting Group.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

� ETL Projects Don’t Have To Be So Hard Al Rago and Rob Wozniak, Analytics8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

� Agility with Traceability: Blending Requirements and User Stories Peter Varhol, Seapine Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

� Web Accessibility As Part of Quality Assurance Ray Campbell, TAP Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

� In-the-Wild Testing: The Case for Real-World QA Doron Reuveni, CEO and co-founder of uTest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

� The Three Aspects of Software Quality: Functional, Structural, and Process David Chappell, David Chappell & Associates ~ Sponsored by Microsoft Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31

� Throw-Away Test Automation George Wilson, COO, Original Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

� Maintenance Phase Testing - The Significant Value in Doing it Right! Gireendra Kasmalkar, SQS Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Featured Articles

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The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center�70 Yorktown Center · Lombard, Illinois 60148 · United States · Phone: (630) 719-8000

About the HotelQUEST Chicago 2012 will be held at The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center. Located just 12 miles southwest of O’Hare International Airport in the heart of the Lombard/Oak Brook business and shopping corridor, the Westin provides downtown Chicago style, sophistication, and full-service but with the lower cost and free parking of a Chicago suburban hotel. Each of the luxurious guest rooms and suites features all the comfort and amenities for which Westin has become known.

To accommodate all your travel needs, the hotel offers a fully-equipped business center, Club Lounge, and the new WestinWORKOUT® Gym. In addition to their expansive fitness center, you can unwind with a relaxing swim in the indoor pool.

The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center is designed to be the premier hotel and conference facility in Chicago’s western suburbs. For more information visit: www.Westin.com/Lombard

CHICAGO


HOTEL & CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

Manager’s Solutions Workshop (2 Days)

�� 2-day Manager’s Solutions Workshop with experts leading solutions discussions

Classes & Tutorials (2 Days)

�� 5 full-day skills based classes

�� 10 half-day skills based tutorials

�� 2-day Essentials of Software Testing Course

Certification Opportunities

�� Prep class for Certified Software Tester (CSTE)

�� Prep class for Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA)

�� Full practice tests for CSTE and CSQA

Conference (3 Days)

�� Keynote presentations by industry leaders

�� 60 sessions by leading industry experts and corporate practitioners in concurrent conference tracks

�� 2 expert panel discussions on collaboration and open source

�� 10 extended workshop sessions

�� 1-on-1 expert coaching sessions focused on individual needs

�� 20 special interest roundtable discussions

�� Following QUEST on social media for information sharing

�� 3 featured bonus sessions

Exhibitor EXPO and Theatre (2 Days)

�� 30 exhibits to browse

�� 14 EXPO Talk products/services demonstrations

�� Hands-on testing in Microsoft’s Test Lab

Networking

�� Hundreds of quality professionals to network with

�� Manager’s Solutions Workshop Connection Dinner

�� Welcome reception

�� Attendee Appreciation Evening Event

�� Evening reception with exhibitors

Why QUEST? The QAI Global Institute’s Quality Engineered Software and Testing Conference (QUEST) is a week of classes, tutorials, educational sessions, hands-on workshops, discussion groups, and networking events for IT professionals from around the world. QUEST’s unique learning opportunities address high interest topics and aids IT professionals in increasing their knowledge and skills in this dynamically changing industry.

Why attend QUEST?

» LEARN from industry thought leaders through attending sessions, participating in workshops and discussion groups, and coaching sessions. » ASSESS your practices against those of other companies and organizations as presented by peer managers and practitioners. » APPLY your experience and knowledge to produce solutions during classes, tutorials, and interactive work groups. » CONNECT with fellow practitioners, contribute to the industry, and explore career possibilities. Enjoy four outstanding networking events.

QUEST Topics�� Agile�� Application Lifecycle

Management�� Application Security�� Assessments�� Behavior Driven Development�� BI/DW Testing�� Cloud Computing�� Collaboration�� COTS Testing�� Data Quality

�� Exploratory Testing�� Globally Distributed Teams�� High Performance Teams�� Integration Testing�� Lean and Six Sigma�� Measurement�� Mobile�� Model Office and Business

Processes�� Organizational Change

Management�� Performance Testing

�� Process Improvement�� Process Sustainment�� Quality in Project Management�� Regression Testing�� Requirements Exploration and

Elicitation�� Risk-based Testing�� Session-Based Testing�� Social Media�� Test Automation�� Test Data�� Test Design

�� Test Driven Development�� Test Estimation�� Test Management�� Test Strategy and Planning�� Testable Requirements�� Testing In-the-Wild

�� Third Party and Open Source Tools

�� Usability�� Use Cases and User Stories�� User Acceptance Testing�� Web Accessibility

SPONSORS

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QAI GLOBAL INSTITUTE

*Participating entities are as of February 15, 2012. All logos are trademarks of their respective companies and/or organizations.


PARTICIPATING COMPANIES/ORGANIZATIONS

Abbott

Accenture

AgileThought

Allstate

Analytics8

Anixter International

Arsin

Ascert

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

The Boeing Company

Cars.com

Centare

Checkpoint Technologies

Chicago IIBA Chapter

Chicago Quality Assurance Association (CQAA)

Chicago Software Process Improvement Network (C-SPIN)

Corvus International

David Consulting Group

Deloitte Consulting LLP

DeveloperTown

DragonFire Inc.

Ectropics, Inc.

Ernst & Young

Experis

FoxHedge Ltd.

Galmont

Gerdau Ameristeel

GoalGetters

Google

HP Software and Solutions

HomeFinder.com

iCEDQ Soft

IEEE Chicago Section

JPMorgan Chase

Keynotes Concepts, Inc.

Micro Focus

Microsoft

MITRE

Mosaic ATM

Mosaic, Inc.

nAblement

Nationwide

NueVista Group

NVP Software Testing

Orbitz Worldwide

Original Software

Parasoft

PMI Chicagoland

QSM Associates, Inc.

Quality Lifecycle Solutions

Quality Squared

Qualsys Solutions

Redpoint Technologies

Scalar USA

Seapine Software

SOASTA

Social Syntax

Software Test Management, Inc.

SPAN Systems Corporation

SQS Group

TAP Group

Telerik

TestOptimal

ThoughtWorks

Tulkita Technologies Inc.

uTest

Utopia Solutions

Watermark Learning

WellPoint, Inc.

Wipro Technologies

Zenergy Technologies

Sponsors, Exhibitors, & Speakers

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QAI EXCLUSIVE MANAGER’S SOLUTIONS WORKSHOP

The Manager’s Solutions Workshop focuses on the top challenges facing managers in building, testing, and delivering quality software applications and products in today’s fast-paced and demanding environment. This intense and interactive workshop provides a unique opportunity for managers to learn from the QAI Global Institute’s professional staff and industry leaders and to develop solutions with their peers from other companies. Each attendee will have the opportunity to have their specific challenges and concerns addressed during the workshop. An example of some of the challenges that have been addressed in past Manager’s Solutions Workshops include:

� Proving the value of software quality and testing

� Transitioning to Agile

� Defining quality and testing metrics

� Improving the software testing process

� Building quality in throughout the software development process

� Making test automation work

� Establishing a testing center of excellence

� Estimating the testing effort

� Improving requirements

� Building effective teams

Why Attend QAI Global Institute’s studies show that if an IT organization forms an internal team to develop a solution to a current challenge, the cost to the organization can range from $10,000 to $50,000. By attending the Manager’s Solutions Workshop you will get solutions to your work challenges at a fraction of this cost, plus connect with peers who can be contacted for advice in the future.

Workshop Format Prior to the Manager’s Solutions Workshop, participants complete a survey about their current challenges. These challenges are consolidated into a list of potential topics, which are ranked in order of importance to the workshop participants. Four to six challenges become the agenda for the workshop.

Each challenge is introduced to the workshop participants, who then break into small work groups. Using the QAI Global Institute’s problem-solving approach, the work groups define the challenge and develop potential solutions based on their collective experiences and shared knowledge. Each group selects one of their potential solutions and defines “how to” tactics for the solution. Each group presents their proposed best solution which is critiqued by the workshop’s leaders and guest industry experts. Additional time is spent by the guest industry thought leaders to share their solutions and answer specific questions from the workshop participants. All workshop participants are given opportunities throughout the workshop to bring their specific challenge before the group to ask for friendly group advice. Participants will leave the workshop with a series of potential solutions to today’s quality challenges.

Connections Dinner In addition to the two-days interactive workshop, participants will also have the opportunity to attend the Manager’s Connection Dinner. This evening will provide the workshop attendees a chance to discuss the topics and related quality issues in a more relaxed setting, and provides an ideal opportunity for networking with peers and exchanging ideas. Who Should Attend This workshop is designed for managers responsible for building, testing, and delivering quality software applications within their companies or software products for the marketplace.

� CIOs and CTOs

� IT/IS Vice Presidents and Directors

� Quality Managers

� Quality Assurance Managers

� Testing Managers

� Project Managers

Industry Thought Leaders

Testimonies “The Manager’s Workshop is a valuable way to share your lessons learned, current needs, concerns, and challenges. I highly recommend attending and look forward to returning next year.”

“Well chose and well balanced selection of topics presented. A nice diverse group of attendees. Well worth the time. Thanks.”

“An awesome lineup of guest experts! Great venue!”

“I love the excellent practical experience that I can actually implement! Very nice.”

Don’t miss this great opportunity to be part of a select group of managers and industry thought leaders who will aggressively tackle today’s most pressing quality issues!

Manager’s Solutions WorkshopLimited Seats Available ~ April 30 - May 1, 2012

**The Manager’s Solutions Workshop is an entirely independent function of the QUEST Conference. Prior registration is required to attend.**

Shaun Bradshaw Zenergy Technologies

David Dang Zenergy Technologies

Clyneice Chaney Quality Squared

Janet Gregory DragonFire, Inc.

Michael Lawler NueVista Group

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TRAINING & CERTIFICATION PREPARATION

The Certified Software Test Engineer Prep Course is designed specifically to prepare the quality testing professional for the CSTE examination. This is a 2-day course taught by a certified QAI instructor. The course aids the quality testing professional in focusing in on the topics that are important for understanding, thus helping toward the successful completion of the exam. This course is not intended to supplant the need for proper examination preparation. However, it will serve as an excellent review of the CSTE Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK) which consists of the ten skill categories listed below. Sample exam questions are provided throughout the course.

1. Software Testing Principles and Concepts2. Building the Test Environment 3. Managing the Test Project 4. Test Planning 5. Executing the Test Plan

6. Test Status, Analysis, and Reporting 7. User Acceptance Testing 8. Testing Software Developed by Outside Organizations 9. Testing Software Controls and the Adequacy of Security Procedures 10. Testing New Technologies

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��The Certified Software Quality Analyst Prep Course is designed specifically to prepare the quality assurance professional for the CSQA examination. This is a 2-day course taught by a certified QAI instructor. The course assists the quality assurance professional in focusing on the topics that are important for understanding, thus helping toward the successful completion of the exam. This course is not intended to supplant the need for proper examination preparation. However, it will serve as an excellent review of the CSQA Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK) which consists of the ten skill categories listed below. Sample exam questions are provided throughout the course.

1. Quality Principles and Concepts 2. Quality Leadership 3. Quality Baselines (Assessments and Models) 4. Quality Assurance 5. Quality Planning

6. Define, Build, Implement, and Improve Work Processes 7. Quality Control Practices 8. Metrics and Measurement 9. Internal Control and Security 10. Outsourcing, COTS, and Contracting Quality

Essentials of Software Testing Monday & Tuesday, April 30 - May 1

Certified Software Tester (CSTE) Prep Course Monday & Tuesday, April 30 - May 1

Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA) Prep Course Monday & Tuesday, April 30 - May 1

CSTE and CSQA Practice Examinations Friday, May 4

CCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEE FFFFIIIIIIIIICCCCCCERTIFICATIONSSSSS eeeeeeeeSoftware

Have you thought about becoming certified but wondered how your current knowledge and skills compare to the Common Bodies of Knowledge for CSTE and CSQA?

With your registration to the 3-day conference, you can take a complimentary full practice examination for the Certified Software Test Engineer (CSTE) or the Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA). The practice examinations will be held on Friday and will begin immediately after the Keynote Speaker presentation. The two multiple choice sections of the examinations will be graded on-site when you turn in your completed exam, so that you will receive an immediate assessment of your skills. The essay sections will be evaluated after the conference by Software Certifications and feedback will be provided to you.

CSTE Certified Software Tester

This two day course introduces and explains the fundamental principles and practices of software testing based on the body of knowledge for the software testing professional. A combination of lecture, interactive discussion, classroom exercises and discussions are used to build an understanding of the testing process and its relationship to the overall software project. The training will cover, in great detail, the key components of testing including the test strategy, test plan and test cases. Real-world examples and specific techniques for test case design are discussed including equivalency classes, dependency analysis, and combinatorial analysis. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the different types of testing with emphasis on how to plan and execute regression testing. Students will complete the course with realistic, specific action items that can be implemented quickly to improve their overall testing process.

Course Objectives:

1. Identify critical testing tasks for each testing lifecycle phase2. Determine critical success factors for a project and how to

prioritize them3. Perform risk analysis based on impact, likelihood, and other

factors

4. Better develop a detailed test plan on how to measure its effectiveness

5. Identify different types of test coverage6. Plan and execute thorough regression testing

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NETWORKING EVENTS

Manager’s Workshop Connection Dinner

Monday, April 30th ~ 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Sponsored by

Reserved for the attendees of the Manager’s Solutions Workshop, this dinner event provides an opportunity to continue discussions from the workshop and connect with your peers, the QAI faculty, and subject matter experts in a more informal setting. This evening outing is an ideal forum for networking as well as sharing and exchanging ideas and experiences. Welcome Reception

Tuesday, May 1st ~ 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Sponsored by

QAI and uTest welcomes all its guests to QUEST with a reception shortly after the conclusion of Tuesday’s program. Appetizers and drinks will be served while you are encouraged to meet and engage with fellow conference attendees. Guests will have a chance to participate in contests, and locals will be available to provide information about the Chicago area. Take this opportunity to get to know the people who will be sharing your QUEST experience in the coming days! Attendee Appreciation Evening Event

Wednesday, May 2nd ~ 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

Sponsored by

Join QAI, Microsoft, and your fellow attendees for a night of laughter in Chicago! The evening will begin with dinner, followed by a visit to the world’s premier comedy club/theatre and school of improvisation - The Second City. Specializing in sketch comedy and improv, the Second City has been delighting audiences for over 50 years. Comedy shows are held seven nights a week, and consist of short scenes, songs, and improvised comedy sketches. The Second City was the training ground for a host of famous alumni including John Belushi, Mike Myers, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, and over 500 more. This is an RSVP event that requires prior registration. EXPO Reception

Thursday, May 3rd ~ 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM Sponsored by EXPO Exhibitors

The closing event of the Exhibitors EXPO is a reception open to all conference attendees. Meet with the exhibitors and network with fellow conference attendees during this Thursday evening social event. Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. The highlight of the event includes exhibitors raffling off their prizes, and surprise entertainment.

Opportunities to Connect

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FEATURED ARTICLE

Identifying Your Organizations Best Software Practices By David Herron, David Consulting Group

We often read articles about software development best practices. Sometimes these articles entertain us with first-person stories about how a particular development practice or a software development tool helped to save the day on an important product release or systems implementation. Other times, these best practices articles are informing the reader about some tool, technique or process that warrants a ‘best practices’ label because it can improve your organizations productivity and quality. But what is truly a software development best practice?

I don’t know of any industry standard or certification that is used to qualify something as a best practice; nor are there any rules or guidelines that help us to classify something as a best practice. So how do we know if something is a best practice? What gives a practice or a process that special distinction of being the ‘best’?

Let’s look at three fairly standard quality related practices and processes that are typically referred to as a best practice. The first one that comes to mind is the practice of conducting a formal review. This involves the reviewing of artifacts such as requirements documents and design specifications. The benefit of a formal review is to create a deliverable that is accurate and free of errors and omissions. I doubt there will be much debate among the readership that formal reviews are a quality best practice.

The second practice that is often mentioned in the best practices category is requirements definition. Namely, a rigorous, definable and repeatable process that enables analysts to effectively extract requirements from a customer or end user. There are numerous methods for defining requirements, and so this best practice isn’t labeling a specific process, like a well defined formal design review process, but it is addressing the practice of requirements definition.

The third and last best practice that we can include here with little debate is code inspections. This typically refers to the Fagan type of formal code inspection process that has a well defined process with defined roles and responsibilities. So here we have a best practice that is aligned with a specific process.

So how do we know that these are the ‘best’ among the many development processes and practices? Well, for one, we have been told over and over again that this is the case and often times these success stories are substantiated with qualifying and quantifying evidence. In other words, they have made a positive difference in the life of a software development project.

And here is our first big clue as to why something may be called or labeled a best practice. Because it works. Because it can be quantified and can be proven to be successful. Case in point – have you ever worked in a software development shop that has initiated a process improvement strategy to include reviews and inspections (an agreed upon best practice) only to see that program not well defined and therefore not properly executed. And then sooner or later the practice falls by the wayside

for one reason or another? I am sure you have. It is an all too common occurrence. So was it not a best practice? So is it now not a best practice? Of course not; it simply was not executed effectively and therefore it did not provide the ‘best’ results for that particular organization.

The point here is that a best practice such as code inspection or design reviews or requirements definition is only as good as its execution. And the success of that execution is somewhat depending upon measuring the process and the results. Measures don’t make the process work better but they will provide information along that way that monitor compliance to a process, that measure the output of the process and that evaluate the impact on the organization; thereby ensuring the effectiveness and long term use of the best practice. And also ensuring a return on the investment made in implementing the particular best practices strategy.

A brief look at some of the measures that are associated with the above named best practices include process compliance, defect density, effective removal rates and functional sizing.

Process compliance is the basic practice of creating a formal mechanism to monitor and report compliance to a particular process. It does not provide insight as to the effectiveness or efficiency of the process but it does provide management with a view into the behaviors of the software development teams.

Defect density is often used to quantify and evaluate the number of defects attributed to a particular piece of software, systems application or software product. It is calculated by dividing the total number of defects found by the functionality delivered (measured in function points). The measure can be used to assess the overall quality of the software and also to predict the potential need for ongoing support.

The effective defect removal rate is used to measure the rate of defect removal throughout that lifecycle. The calculation involves calculating the number of defects removed at each phase of a lifecycle divided by the total number of defects discovered. This activity occurs at the various phases of a lifecycle. So for a waterfall lifecyle, you may have defect rates attributable to your requirements phase, your design phase, your coding phase, etc. This proves to be a very powerful quality measurement tool that provides insight as to the effectiveness of your quality practices. Figure 1 is an example of measuring defect removal effectiveness.

Another way to apply measurement and quality best practices is to conduct an internal assessment. This involves collecting quantitative data relating to productivity and quality indicators for a selection of projects and at the same time collecting qualitative data about the development practices used on those same projects.

An analysis of the collected data will help an organization to identify what development practices are the most and least productive. Noted below is the result of just such an analysis.

The first chart displays an evaluation of the current state for selected projects. The categories represent various lifecycle and project management phases. The second table provides a composite view of the resulting performance levels.

The next step would be to create an improvement plan for those practice areas which are not performing at a best practices level.

I have touched on just a few of the quality processes that we have come to think of as best practices. In addition, methods and standards such as ISO, CMMI and ITIL may all be talked about as best practices, but they will only be a best practice in your shop if they are well defined, properly executed and, most importantly, measured for success.

Figure 1

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FULL-DAY CLASSES

Monday, April 30, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

AGILE Transitioning to Agile TestingJanet Gregory, DragonFire, Inc. Abstract: Projects using agile methods for software development are becoming more common. One of the greatest challenges project teams face in this environment is getting the testers up to speed. There are many books and articles for developers on the subject, but few for testers or the QA Team. How then, do testers learn what their role should be? What skills does the agile tester need? What changes does a QA team need to make in order to be successful in the new agile world? Janet will explain the new role of an agile tester and some of the skills needed to make them successful. Agile testers need to change their mindset from one of “How can I break this software?” to one of “How can I help the team deliver really good software?” Learn how this shift in thinking can help your team make the transition. Interactive exercises and discussions will be included to reinforce the learning.

Course Objective: This class is for any tester who is struggling to understand their role on an agile team. Functional managers and other members of an agile team, developers, iteration managers, product owners, who want to know how to get all their stories, including all testing tasks, “done” by the end of each iteration, will also find value in this class. Attendees will learn:

� The role of an agile tester in a typical two-week iteration � How testers contribute during release and iteration planning � What a tester’s activities are during an iteration � What value a tester can add during an iteration � The tester’s role in a successful release including the end game, UAT, packaging, and documentation

REQUIREMENTS The Audacity of Quality RequirementsBob Prentiss, Watermark Learning Abstract: Let’s face it; our businesses are becoming more and more complex each day with ever-changing technology, mergers, acquisitions, and the demands of a business striving for the highest quality products. In this context, quality is difficult to achieve without first developing high quality requirements on the projects that will help drive business value. The problem? It takes courage, tenacity, and even audacity to develop high quality requirements that are easily recognizable, clear, testable, and meet the business need. This class will provide interactive exercises, workshops, and lecture that will help you discover, develop, and deliver solid, high-quality requirements.

Course Objective: This one-day, interactive, exercise-driven course is for anyone who needs insight and practical application in discovering, developing, writing, documenting, and maintaining high quality requirements. Attendees will learn:

� How to define business problems and objectives that help to control scope, foundational for high-quality requirements

� How to help the business articulate their needs and desires driving higher quality requirements � How to increase project success by learning to write high-quality requirements � How to reduce rework by discovering high-quality requirements the first time � How to document high-quality requirements by defining criteria to measure requirements � How to validate high-quality requirements

PROCESS Build and Sustain Value Based ProcessesGail Borotto, GoalGetters Abstract: This one-day course walks through the life cycle of process development and definition, improvement, maintenance, and follow-up for continuous improvement. Gail will discuss what activities are needed at each phase and what roles are of primary importance to ensuring that the processes are adding value to the organization. This course is a combination of lecture, discussion of examples and tools, and hands on exercises in topics such as planning that aligns organizational goals and objectives with process results. The class examines business and system development related processes and references techniques commonly useful for any process improvement effort including LEAN Six Sigma, capability and maturity model approaches, and industry best practices.

Course Objective: The primary objectives of this class are to demonstrate how processes support the organization, changing as the organization changes to meet goals and objectives. The full life cycle of a process is described to help you understand if the process is still useful or if it should be adjusted or eliminated. Process work and improvement is not just for the initial benefits but also for the long term. This course will also identify common business and system processes that should be reviewed to ensure performance. Attendees will learn:

� The life cycle of a process � How to define the performance of a process � How to know when a process needs to be changed � What types of organizational changes influence a change in the process � How to use process improvement techniques to check the process � Process auditing practices and how to read process data � When leaders should be involved in process improvement

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FULL-DAY CLASSES

Monday, April 30, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

TEST DESIGN Designing and Executing the Most Crucial Test CasesTimothy Korson, PhD, Qualsys Solutions Abstract: This very practical course addresses the question of how to optimize the use of limited time and resources during the test design and execution process. Generally, during the test design, more test cases are identified than is feasible or necessary to execute. In this course, Tim will instruct you on how to use risk analysis along with other test set reduction techniques to determine the most crucial test cases to execute. You will learn how to effectively test the whole product, not just the parts, in a method that is easily traceable to the requirements document.

Course Objective: The primary objective of this class is to teach the techniques necessary to effectively determine what is essential to test. You will understand how to effectively test the whole product, not just the parts, in a method that is easily traceable to the requirements document. Attendees will learn:

� How strategic test execution fits into the overall test process � How to use risk-based selection techniques for test design � How to use risk criteria to calculate the allocation of test effort to program components � How to apply a number of standard test set reduction techniques � How to understand the strategic trade-offs among the various approaches to testing � How to use coverage and complexity metrics to focus test effort

TEST AUTOMATION Five Common Test Automation ApproachesDavid Dang, Zenergy Technologies Abstract: This one-day course focuses on the major factors that test automation engineers must consider before determining a test automation approach. A combination of lecture, classroom exercises, and experiential techniques provide attendees with a strategy to select an approach that is best suited for their test automation objectives. The five commonly used test automation methods will be covered, record and playback, data-driven, modular, keyword, and database-driven. Additionally, the pros and cons of each technique will be detailed and the factors that impact the selection and implementation of the test automation approach will be outlined.

Course Objective: The primary objective of this class is to instruct test automation architects, senior automation engineers, and test managers on the commonly used test automation approaches employed by many companies to implement test automation. Attendees will learn:

� The test automation approach/framework definition � The factors that impact the design and selection of a test automation approach � The five commonly used test automation approaches � The pros and cons of each approach � The associated pitfalls � The required ongoing build out and maintenance

VancouverJuly, 2012

TorontoNovember, 2012

Learn more at www.qaiTesTrek.org

Manager’s SolutionsThis intense and interactive two-day workshop provides an oppor-tunity for managers to leverage group problem solving skills and industry expert knowledge in developing pragmatic solutions.

Testing SymposiumTwo days of presentations and workshops given by industry lead-ers that focus on best practices and proven methods for software testing in today’s diverse software delivery platforms.

Join QAI Canada for Unique “Two-for-Two” Symposium on Today’s Challenges and Emerging Trends in Software Testing

TesTrek’s format provides the quickest path to learn testing practices, solve your challenges, and keep up-to-date with software testing trends by combin-ing two-day workshops and a two-day symposium. 2012 offers two opportuni-ties to participate in this exciting event!

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HALF-DAY TUTORIALS

Tuesday, May 1, 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

ESTIMATION Estimation Clinic: Methods, Maturity, and MoneyPatricia A. Eglin, David Consulting Group The Estimation Clinic is designed to facilitate a change conversation equipping software leaders and practitioners with practical concepts and ideas regarding a change to their current estimation culture, process, and results. A variety of estimation and sizing methods are available, however, choosing the appropriate set depends on your level of estimation maturity and your estimation improvement end goal. In this tutorial, you will review the current methods of estimation available followed by a self-assessment of Estimation Maturity for your organization. Without a financial business incentive, though, change is difficult if not impossible. And so, the session will also include a financial analysis of how much money can be saved and reinvested with better estimation results.

� Understand a variety of estimation methods and how to choose the appropriate set � Discover your level of Estimation Maturity � Develop a reinvestment model from better estimation savings

ASSESSMENTTest Assessments: Practical Steps to Assessing the Maturity of Your Organization

Mike Ennis, Accenture As Test Leads make the transition to Test Manager, quickly assessing the maturity of an organization’s software testing is a critical skill. What is the scope of the assessment? What standard do you use to measure testing? Based on the findings of the assessment, what testing process improvements are going to give your team the biggest return on investment? These are just some of the key questions to answer when planning, conducting, and taking action on the results of a testing assessment. In this tutorial, you will learn about the assessment process and gain the skills to conduct your own mini test assessment.

� Learn how to leverage the Test Maturity Model to conduct an assessment � Gain insight to an assessment process and practices � Use assessment findings to build and prioritize an improvement plan

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGEQuality Assurance and Organizational Change: What’s in it for me and them?

Jeanette Bordelon, Ernst & Young All too often we find ourselves caught in the “project squeeze,” the time between creation and production. This is the time when upstream delays have taken away precious time to provide for quality testing. What can we do? While quality assurance isn’t included early on in planning; we do have ideas that might help to create a quality product and process. Perhaps others don’t understand our discipline or value our input. Perhaps we don’t always understand the best way to communicate with others. Come to this highly participative tutorial and learn how to get your voice heard to influence others for positive change.

� Understand the process of change using the ADKAR© Change Model � Learn how to overcome your own internal resistance to change � Discover tools and techniques to influence change in others

RISK-BASED TESTING Risk Based Testing Analysis and StrategyClyneice Chaney, Quality Squared The Gartner Group has estimated that “Companies spend upwards of 30% of their annual IS budgets and 60% of their annual software development budget on software testing.” If testing can become more efficient by designing the minimum number of required tests with 100% functional coverage, then development ROI will substantially increase. Can risk based test management provide a solution to this problem? Since it isn’t cost effective to test exhaustively, testing must be proactively planned. The basis for that can be testing more thoroughly those areas that are projected to be riskier or to cause greater harm. This tutorial focuses on identifying and prioritizing risks, and developing the right test strategy designed to provide the optimal coverage. Clyneice will also cover using common bug catalogs and typical errors to identify potential failures as well as the tracking and reporting of defects based on the risk test strategy.

� Learn product risk identification and analysis techniques � Practice risk test strategy design and development � Discover techniques for execution and tracking of a risk based test

MOBILE TESTING Mobile Testing Tools 101David Dang, Zenergy Technologies The expansion of mobile devices has created enormous opportunities for companies to leverage this movement to increase sales, market products, and collaborate remotely. With the explosion in usage, there are increasing needs to perform QA and testing on mobile websites and applications to minimize defect risks and reduce the turnaround time to production. However, this is a challenging task considering the number of devices, multiple OS platforms, and OS versions. To manage the sheer volume of variations, companies must determine how to best incorporate both manual and automation testing into their mobile initiatives. Join David to become familiar with the challenges of mobile testing and learn how to establish viable mobile testing strategies, both manual and automated.

� Understand the challenges of testing mobile websites and applications � Learn the factors to consider when designing manual and automated testing strategies � Explore common testing tools and testing frameworks

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HALF-DAY TUTORIALS

Tuesday, May 1, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM

MEASUREMENT Metrics Showdown: Agile vs. WaterfallShaun Bradshaw and Bob Galen, Zenergy Technologies Metrics are powerful tools but often situation dependent. Insightful metrics for a waterfall approach may not be productive in an agile scenario and vice versa. In this workshop, QA and testing experts Shaun Bradshaw and Bob Galen delve into the value and pitfalls of various metrics in alternate SDLC’s. They will explore project-level, software development, and software testing metrics thru the lens of traditional and agile methodologies discussing the differences and similarities, strengths and weaknesses, and what to track and not. The showdown? Bob and Shaun, while respecting each other’s experience, rarely utilize the same metrics. So, be prepared to learn and to be entertained as these two metrics titans go head-to-head.

� Appreciate the value of metrics and how to utilize them in alternative development methodologies � Understand the differences and similarities between metrics for agile versus traditional waterfall methodologies � Be aware of potential metric pitfalls as well as what to track and what not to track

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT Driving Out Waste with Lean and Six Sigma PracticesMegan Sumrell, Mosaic ATM Most organizations carry waste in their processes and procedures. However, identifying this waste and purging it can be challenging to do. There are several proven tools and techniques used by the Six Sigma and Lean communities that are quick and effective and can be applied to any organization to eliminate this problem. In this half day tutorial, Megan will walk through typical examples of waste and how best practices taken from Lean Software techniques and Six Sigma can be applied to reduce both the associated cycle time and costs. You will then apply these techniques in several hands-on exercises. At the end of this tutorial, you will leave with proven methods to employ in your own organization and start eliminating the waste.

� Learn to apply proven techniques to identify, prioritize, and drive out waste � Understand how to track progress and report metrics on waste reduction � Recognize key pitfalls to avoid when driving out waste

QUALITY FOCUSED PROJECT MANAGEMENTIncreasing the Quality of the Product in a Project Focused Environment

James Vaughan, Ectropics, Inc. and Cindy Glaser, HomeFinder.com According to the Project Management Institute, quality is one of the nine knowledge areas of project management. While quality is to be defined as a part of project scope, there is typically more emphasis on the product itself versus its quality. Creating a focus on quality may be difficult when driven more by time and cost than by quality. This tutorial will focus on this topic from two perspectives, that of the project manager and that of the quality manager. Each position is driven by governing organizations that, through their certifications, directly inform the requirements of the positions. However, translating these definitions in to the real world may be a challenge and it is only from the integration of these two perspectives that a constructive focus on quality can be attained. So, whether you are a project manager or quality manager, you are invited to participate in an exploration of increasing quality in a project focused environment.

� Understand the project manger’s role and perspective � Understanding of the quality manager’s role and perspective � Learn to integrate the two roles to create an environment that focuses on quality

SESSION-BASED TESTING Session Based Test ManagementMichael Kelly, DeveloperTown Session-based test management (SBTM) is a technique for managing exploratory testing. Two of the major criticisms of exploratory testing are that it’s hard to make progress visible, and it’s hard to know what kind of coverage you might have after exploratory testing has been completed. Session-based test management is one answer to those problems, since it provides a metric for measuring progress (sessions) and takes coverage into account. In this tutorial, Mike will lead you though a look at the basics of SBTM. With an emphasis on hands-on exercises, you will work through examples of the various work products required and you will simulate running projects using this methodology.

� Develop a working knowledge of managing the exploratory testing process using SBTM � Gain experience building and using the various work products of SBTM � Learn tips for dealing with the challenges of managing the exploratory testing process

REGRESSION TESTING Infusing Quality Through Strategic Regression TestingMichael Lawler, NueVista Group We have seen many changes over the years including testing methods and new technologies but regression testing is a constant. It has long had the challenges of being easily forgotten, poorly planned, or omitted due to time constraints. With ever-increasing demands and conflicts of time-to-market against quality, it is critical to find a way to incorporate some level of regression testing into the software development effort. Utilizing exercises designed to provide practical experience with the regression testing effort, you will come to understand how to define various strategies for planning regression testing in ways that can improve the results of your software design, development, and deployment effort.

� Understand key regression testing issues and an effective regression testing process � Learn strategies to select tests from an existing test bed and identify new tests under time constraints

ETL Projects Don’t Have To Be So Hard By Al Rago and Rob Wozniak, Analytics8

Project stakeholders are consistently baffled that implementing ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) on a typical Business Intelligence (BI) initiative consumes most of the project’s resources. Most BI project stakeholders tend to think of ETL as plumbing: it happens behind the scenes and is as simple as moving data from source to target. However, ETL is more than just plumbing. It has the power to correct data errors and transform raw data into information that can be readily consumed by business users. In The Data Warehouse ETL Toolkit, Ralph Kimball and Joe Caserta state that the ETL portion consumes upwards of 70% of all resources required to build a data warehouse. Our experience confirms that the ETL portion consumes the lion’s share of project resources, is difficult to estimate the effort involved, and is often a point of friction between developers and project managers. So what can be done to ensure the success of ETL projects?

The Crux of the Problem

Poor data quality is the biggest contributor to delays in the ETL portion of the project. Inevitably, all of the data problems that have been lurking in source systems are exposed to the light of day when an ETL system is built. Common culprits are business rules not supported by the data, missing or incomplete data, and source data structures that do not comply with designs. While facing the reality of source data, quality is often an important and unexpected benefit of data warehousing; these kinds of discoveries are often made well into the development phase of the project with deadlines looming and no time left for revisiting requirements and design, let alone revising development.

The complex problems peculiar to ETL suggest that there is no “silver bullet” to these types of projects; there is no “one-size fits all” solution. Analytics8 recommends a series of best practices for limiting the impact of the unexpected, below is a sampling of the best practices we recommend:

Manage the Project in Iterative Cycles

The most effective way to manage an ETL project is to deliver manageable chunks of value in iterative cycles. The elements of each cycle include business assessment, design, development, testing, and release. The scope of effort for each cycle needs to be both meaningful and manageable, yet not so large as to attempt to deliver the entire data warehouse in a single release. The iterative approach limits the impact of unanticipated data quality issues and provides a means for establishing trust and credibility among the project stakeholders by successful delivery of the discrete components in each iteration.

Data Profiling

Data profiling is the process of verifying business rules and data integrity. It must begin during requirements gathering so rules for handling data anomalies can be presented to the users in a readable format. For example, there may be records of retail transactions in the source system without a retail location or store specified. In this case the users may want the record filtered out, defaulted to a generic ‘not-specified’ location, or assigned to a specific location. This style of surveying the quality of the data in the underlying source systems and validating it against requirements and business rules is essential for preventing problems downstream in the BI stack. Active data profiling needs to be an ongoing part of all requirements gathering and design phases and while data profiling is a complicated process,there are tools available to automate the process and reduce the overall time and effort associated with this activity.

Automating Data Validation

Testing an ETL process means confirming that it did what it was designed to do. If a job was constructed to load a month’s worth of transactions from a point-of-sale system, it needs to confirm that a month of data was loaded.

Building an automated regression test bed for validating ETL involves one of two proven methods. The first way is to create a QA database of expected results and comparing those expected results to the Target data in the warehouse under development. The second method uses pairs of queries against both source and target to make sure data has been extracted, transformed and loaded successfully. Both methods are equally effective and the scale of the operation and the complexity of the ETL determine which method is right for the situation.

Hundreds of hours can be saved by identifying ETL errors, missing requirements, and more at this stage of the data warehouse development project. Automated data validation regression tests allow for higher test coverage, faster release cycles, and better data quality in your production systems. Automated testing enables large numbers of BI and DW systems to be supported by a single QA team.

Tool Selection

We recommend using an ETL tool for all development. The alternative is hand-coding SQL scripts or executables in a high-level programming language. Using a tool reduces development time and eases ongoing maintenance. Furthermore, tool based solutions make it easy to collect and publish metadata- how many rows were loaded, how many rejected, etc.

In conclusion, while ETL projects are complex, it is possible to complete them with success. Implementing ETL-specific requirements gathering and design best practices, in conjunction with an iterative project life-cycle, thoughtful data profiling and ETL tool use, offers the best chance for delivering a value-rich BI implementation without ETL-inspired budget and timeline overruns.

To read our full whitepaper about ensuring the success of ETL projects, visit our website: www.Analytics8.com.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

8:30 AM – 9:25 AM

8:30 AM – 9:25 AM

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KEYNOTES

Continuous FeedbackBrian Harry, Technical Fellow, Microsoft Corporation The pressure to increase transparency, reduce waste, and improve the flow of value is more intense than ever. Therefore, it is essential to understand the two ultimate measures of agility and continuous flow. First, how long does it take from an idea entering the product backlog to the availability of working software in the user’s hands? In standard Lean terminology, this is Cycle Time. Secondly, how long does it take from the discovery of a problem in production to the availability of fixed working software in the user’s hands? This is commonly called Mean Time to Repair. Testing is central to these measures and to the success or failure of any organization seeking to deliver lasting customer value. A modern testing approach can be a great enabler of flow, transparency, and the reduction of waste. Come hear Brian discuss these critical software development issues.

Brian Harry is a Microsoft Technical Fellow. He built the Visual Studio Team Foundation Server development team and is currently the Product Unit Manager. Previously, Brian worked at start up DaVinci Systems developing electronic mail software. In 1992, Brian left DaVinci Systems with two others to create One Tree Software, a startup company that developed and sold SourceSafe, the product that is now Microsoft Visual SourceSafe. After joining Microsoft, Brian worked in the Tools and Databases division. In 1996, he and others began working on the problem of improving the approachability of API for the developer. This project grew into the .NET Framework. Brian served as the Development Manager for the Common Language Runtime and then as the Product Unit Manager.

W E D N E S D A Y

What Next? The Future of Software Testing in 2012 and BeyondNick Pointon, International Director and COO, SQS Group The IT industry is changing. The Cloud, agile methodologies, mobile computing, offshoring, and virtualization all promise to have a significant impact how software is delivered. And, as IT delivery changes, software testers need to adapt to continue to provide value and to enhance their roles and careers. In this keynote presentation, Nick draws on his personal experience of the testing industry in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia to dissect recent research from Gartner, Ovum and others on software testing. He will highlight the impact globalization and new technologies are having on the software testing industry and discuss what this means for the North American and international software tester. He will outline how North American software testing professionals can prepare themselves for the future, adapt to changes, and succeed in an increasingly globalized and commoditized market.

Nick Pointon is a software testing entrepreneur and executive with over 18 years of experience in the industry. He is Head of Offshore Testing for SQS, the world’s largest software testing consultancy. He manages over 700 testers based in India and Egypt who are testing projects worldwide. In 1998, Nick founded Cresta, a software testing consultancy based in the United Kingdom. Nick grew Cresta to be market-leader in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa until its acquisition by SQS in 2006. At that time, Nick joined SQS as the UK Consultancy Director and, in 2008, moved to India to acquire and manage SQS’s Indian offshore test centre.

T H U R S D A Y

8:30 AM – 9:25 AM

Silent Alarm: Creating a Refuse-to-Snooze AttitudeJohn Blumberg, Keynotes Concepts, Inc. Beyond a presentation, John’s session is a wake-up call! It engages the paradoxical insights of the alarming things that happen in our lives with the subtle, and often very silent, lessons that surface in the midst of these events. John’s presentation is a powerful call-to-action to bring meaningful change to the depth of our relationships, the motives of our mind, and the way we choose to look at our journey at work. It is about bringing substance to our sometimes surface-level lives in the way we lead and in the legacy we leave behind. Silent Alarm is about creating a refuse-to-snooze attitude in every step of our journey and in every season of our life. Once heard, you will never want to hit the snooze button again!

John Blumberg started his career as a CPA at Arthur Andersen. After four years, he shifted his focus from numbers to people spending 14 years in human resources and recruiting, including worldwide recruiting responsibilities for Andersen. In 1996, he decided to follow his dream into the world of professional speaking. Today, as a professional speaker, John has been featured in keynotes and workshops in 10 countries. His presentations most often focus on working with organizations who want to develop leaders of substance and cultures of genuine service. He is the author of Silent Alarm, a parable of hope for busy professionals. Now with over 35,000 copies in print, it has been endorsed by leadership gurus such as Ken Blanchard. John’s newest book is Good to the Core: Building Value through Values.

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BONUS SESSIONS, ROUNDTABLES, & COACHING

Special Interests Roundtables Wednesday & Thursday during LunchConference attendees have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. During lunch, select tables will be designated to a specific topic to help facilitate interest group roundtable discussions. Look for the topic signs at these specially designated tables and join in the group discussion over lunch. This is also an excellent opportunity to connect with others who share your topic of interest and add them to your network of professional contacts. All you need to bring to the table are your questions and your experience.

No prior sign-up is required, but seating will be based on a first come - first serve basis.

Coaching Sessions Wednesday & Thursday based on availabilityHave you ever heard an interesting idea or solution in a conference presentation and would have liked to discuss it further with the speaker, but, when you tried to talk to the speaker immediately at the end of the presentation, you found that the conference schedule just didn’t allow enough time?

Included with the QUEST conference experience is the opportunity for you to meet one-on-one with conference speakers or the professional QAI instructors in an informal setting to discuss how to turn ideas into solutions that address your specific needs. Speakers will be available for free coaching sessions on the day of their conference presentation. Sign-up during the conference is required to reserve your coaching session.

BONUS SESSION Slicing Product Backlog Items: A Vital Scrum SkillWednesday, May 2, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM Tim Korson, PhD, QualSys Solutions In this practical session, you will learn how to apply scenario based testing skills to slice Scrum product backlog items into appropriately sized pieces ready for the Sprint Planning Meeting. Product owners often define stories that are too big to develop or test within a sprint. A team member with scenario based testing skills can help the product owner slice features into small sprint-sized items that can easily be developed and tested within a sprint. This is a crucial skill that many Scrum teams lack. In this session, Tim will demonstrate the technique; and then have participants apply the method on their own producing appropriately sliced and sized items along with a set off acceptance criteria that will be needed to determine when the team is done with the item. Join Tim to learn this vital Scrum skill.

BONUS SESSION They’re Playing Our SongThursday, May 3, 7:45 AM – 8:15 AM Elizabeth Glaser, PhD and Joyce Sattovia, The Boeing Company Let’s begin the day on a positive “note”. Take this opportunity to participate in this interactive session that will have you creating harmony and feeling like you are part of an orchestra. And you’ll have fun doing it. We can think of our organizations as orchestras, where people who make different sounds come together in a collective symphony that leaves its mark on the organization. Find out how to make beautiful music in your organization and to appreciate the sounds that others make. By focusing on what is right about the organizational music we hear, learn how to move from weakness to strength, from problems to opportunities, from the negative to the positive, all the while creating excitement and energy within.

BONUS SESSIONAn Enterprise View of Social Media, Collaboration, Jetpacks, and Ray Guns

Friday, May 4, 7:45 AM – 8:15 AM Todd Nilson, Social Syntax For many business professionals, social media only extends as far as professional networking on LinkedIn and keeping track of friends and family on Facebook. But, social media is a rich category consisting of a broad array of tools that have been leveraged for enterprise users. These tools are in varying states of maturity and can be much more valuable than any science fiction future with ray guns, jetpacks, and trips to the moon! In this session, Todd will present a framework for understanding the many categories of social media tools, the difference between Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 social media applications, how they are being leveraged by large enterprises to foster greater productivity and collaboration, and how these new and powerful tools will continue to impact the immediate future.

Agile methodologies are designed to employ user stories instead of requirements to define an application’s features. User stories provide a context that regimented requirements don’t, enabling developers and testers to better understand how features will be used by the intended application users.

But application development is still largely driven by requirements, mainly because of existing development practices. Many organizations that contract for custom applications, either with their own IT group or with an external application provider, use requirements as the vehicle for defining the relationship with the development team.

Further, there are still reasons to continue using requirements. Some projects are controlled by legal or regulatory statutes, which have a long history with requirements. That doesn’t mean it’s necessary to use requirements, but there is a bias toward requirements in many long-accepted development processes. Many teams and customers understand how to write, manage, and build software to requirements.

And that’s not to say that user stories are perfect, either. User stories are great for providing context about how features are going to be used, but they can be ambiguous or incomplete in defining the features themselves. User stories also can’t easily be structured to define non-functional requirements, such as maintainability or security.

So, many Agile teams find that they have to work with both user stories and requirements. These teams have to figure out a way to combine requirements and user stories within the context of the same project. How should each be used in building and testing applications?

Project teams often struggle with how much agility they can build into established processes. User stories give teams greater flexibility in designing and implementing features, but can be more difficult to measure because they tend to be less precise. Teams with strong processes would like to combine the flexibility of user stories with the precision and manageability of traditional requirements.

Requirements Are the Agreement, User Stories the Direction

Can requirements and user stories coexist? The answer is an emphatic yes. However, for them to coexist successfully, teams need to structure their project to take the best advantage of both. Here’s one way of doing so.

First, use requirements as the agreement between the team and the application users. Requirements are structured and objective, and can form the definition of the relationship between the team and its users about exactly what will be implemented. Requirements can also define non-functional aspects of the application, such as security and maintainability, that might otherwise be missed.

At the same time, user stories can build a context around requirements to help developers and testers understand how required features will be used. User stories can be managed in conjunction with requirements without a lot of additional overhead, as long as they use different ways of representing the same features. This could mean that each user story supports multiple requirements, or each requirement has more than one user story that explains its use.

Developers make use of the user stories in designing and implementing features, referring to requirements to add details when necessary. Testers write and run test cases to support requirements because requirements represent the agreement with the user community. But they refer back to the user stories to better understand how to structure the tests to make sure important features are thoroughly tested.

Of course, user stories and requirements have to be linked together for this approach to work. Team members must be able to determine at a glance what user story supports which requirement and vice versa.

Linking is important for another reason – traceability. Traceability helps teams determine what else, such as test cases and even source code, must change if a requirement or user story changes. If artifacts are linked back to requirements, and the requirements to user stories, teams can immediately see what else has to change if either a requirement or a user story changes.

Certainly it’s more consistent to work entirely with either user stories or requirements, but not both. However, many Agile teams also have to pay attention to requirements – for their users, regulatory authorities, or management. While there is a little additional overhead in using both user stories and requirements, this approach results in a better understanding of the use of the application and the needs of the users.

Document: 0323_QuestDate: 01/20/10Software: Adobe Illustrator CS4Contact: Quantas Ginn: 312.693.0133

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Accenture Test Services’ vast experience enables us to drive high performance into the systems development life cycle. To find out how Accenture can help your organization, visit accenture.com/testservices

Quality assurance is key to high performance.

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Agility with Traceability: Blending Requirements and User Stories By Peter Varhol, Seapine Software

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FEATURED ARTICLE

Web Accessibility As Part of Quality Assurance By Ray Campbell, TAP Group

Introduction

Quality assurance must be stressed throughout the entire software development life cycle, from design, to coding to testing. When we discuss websites, accessibility of a site to all potential users is an important quality assurance issue. If users with disabilities cannot efficiently access a website, they’ll vote with their keyboards and go to a site which offers what they are looking for in a way they can easily read and act upon. This article will give a general overview of what is meant by web accessibility. It will also provide information on what website designers, developers and testers can do to make sure anyone who desires to visit websites can do so in an efficient manner.

What is Web Accessibility

Web Accessibility means that any website should be designed so it can be easily and efficiently be used by anyone regardless of ability. For example, someone who visits a website to purchase items should be able to do it easily with a mouse or keyboard using voice recognition by means. It means that information should be conveyed in multiple ways so it can be accessed by all users. This includes not only HTML documents, but also documents presented in formats such as PDF1.

People access the web today in multiple ways. They use mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad, Android-enabled phones, smart phones running Windows Phone and others in addition to the computer. Likewise, people with disabilities access the web using many different devices in a variety of ways. People with visual impairments use screen reading or screen magnification software to help them access the web. People who are deaf rely on captioning or written transcripts to access information conveyed in audio format. People with other disabilities use devices such as “Sip and Puff” switches, head mice and other assistive technology.

How many people are not able to access websites which were not designed with accessibility in mind? According to Census Data, there are some 54 million people in the United States living with disabilities. This represents about 1/6 of the nation’s population. If you look at the entire world population, the number of people living with disabilities is quite large. While they represent billions of dollars in spending power, they also have a 70% unemployment rate. If your site is not accessible, you are losing out on a large segment of your potential consumer and employee base.

How Can a Website Be Made Accessible?

There are two sets of standards which can be used to guide those designing, testing, and implementing websites. These are Section 508 standards2, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines3 (WCAG). Both provide detailed information on how web designers, developers and testers can work to insure that accessibility is emphasized in all phases of the website development life cycle.

Like everything else in the software development life cycle, it is easiest and less costly to design for accessibility up front. When designing a website or attending a design review, some of the questions you need to ask are:

• What navigation features need to be included so that all users can easily navigate to various parts of the website?

• Can users easily access all features of the site with a keyboard as well as with a mouse?

• Is audio used to convey information, and if so, is it captioned?

• Is meaningful alt text provided for all images?

• If a visual CAPTCHA is used, are accessible alternatives such as audio CAPTCHAs provided?

• Are there summary descriptions and descriptive column headings in all tables?

• Are there descriptive labels for all form fields?

• Are the labels on links descriptive enough so you don’t have to see them on the screen in order to know what each link does?

• Is information conveyed using color alone?

• Can users enlarge fonts or change colors to make the content easier to see?

As the website is being developed, some questions developers need to ask are:

• Is navigation information being displayed in a list format?

• Is a ‘Skip Navigation’ link included?

• If scripting or applets are used, are they being implemented in such a way so the functions they perform can be done using a keyboard as well as a mouse?

• Are combo boxes being implemented with separate ‘submit’ or ‘go’ buttons?

Developers can download demonstration versions of software such as screen readers and screen magnifiers in order to help them unit test their work to be sure it’s accessible. Those reviewing website code should also be familiar with Section 508 and WCAG standards so they can point out accessibility problems during the review process.

Finally, in the testing process, there are several ways to identify accessibility issues. There are web validation tools which allow testers to input the URL of a website and receive a report detailing HTML coding issues which may cause accessibility problems.4 Disability organizations may be able to help you identify people who can go through a website and produce a report of accessibility violations. Or you may use the services of a web accessibility testing team who are experts in evaluating websites for accessibility using a variety of different technologies.

Conclusion

People are living longer, and thus, more and more are acquiring disabilities. The World Wide Web plays an essential role in all of our daily lives. As businesses develop and modify websites, they need to focus on all potential website visitors and make sure that each of them, regardless of ability, will be able to have a meaningful experience when they visit their site. Failure to do so will result in the business losing potential customers, employees and revenue. This is why website accessibility is as important a quality assurance issue as any other testing requirement.

References1 PDF documents are sometimes scanned and placed on websites. Since these documents are images with no text, people using screen reading software cannot access them.2 These can be found on-line at www.section508.gov and have been developed to improve access to Government information.3 These guidelines have been developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, www.w3c.org/wai.4 The World Wide Web Consortium provides a good validator which can be accessed by going to validator.w3.org. There are not validation tools for evaluating non-html documents such as word or PDF.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

In-the-Wild Testing: The Case for Real-World QA Doron Reuveni, CEO and co-founder of uTest

For as long as there’s been software, there has been software testing. As the industry matured, it segmented testing into various schools and methods; manual vs. automated, in-house vs. outsourced; guided vs. exploratory; emulators vs. remote access. In each case, these innovations take place inside the confines of the QA lab, either within the company firewall, or in an office halfway around the world. Starting to see the problem?

When companies wanted to improve their testing, they did so within this somewhat sterile environment. And yet, even with millions spent on QA in all of its various forms, organizations continue to launch products that miss deadlines, exceed budgets and – most importantly – don’t work as designed in the hands of their actual users.

Our thesis: the problem has little to do with in-the-lab testing practices, methodologies or budget. Rather, there is a fundamental link missing in the QA chain: in-the-wild-testing. After all, users consume web, desktop and mobile applications under:

• Adverse, unpredictable and widely varied environments

• Outdated browsers, plug-ins and third party apps

• Unique hardware and devices

• Imperfect connectivity (both Wi-Fi and mobile carriers)

The only way to launch apps that consistently work in the hands of users – apps that are functional, reliable, secure and intuitive – is to move a portion of testing out of the lab and into the wild. This means involving professional testers, with real devices, operating under true real-world conditions. In this way, organizations can make sure that all of that great testing they did translates into a superior end user experience.

So what makes in-the-wild testing so distinct from the testing methods discussed earlier? Here are a few key differentiators:

• Mirror Real-World Conditions: While this attribute pertains to all testing types, it is perhaps most applicable to usability and localization testing. For instance, suppose your target users are mothers, ages 35-45, who live in Latin American. By moving your testing into the wild – with a handpicked group of testers that match your exact demographics– you get a much clearer picture of how your target users will respond to your application. Essentially, it’s like running a beta test, except one that is extremely specific and only includes professional testers.

• Identify Fringe Use-Cases: When testing a web application, for instance, it’s fairly common to have your QA team verify its functionality across all of the major browsers. But what about the various third-party applications (e.g. anti-virus, plug-ins, etc.) that mostly exist on the hardware of your users, and not your QA team. With in-the-wild testing, you get insight into the unusual use cases that can lead to big problems post launch.

• Test On-Demand: Unlike most QA projects, in-the-wild testing is designed to be utilized where and when you need it most, requiring very little setup time. This benefits companies whose QA requirements change frequently (usually those adhering to an agile framework).

Key Benefits of Testing “In the-Wild”

In today’s world of pay-as-you-go products, any software bugs that make it in front of your users will immediately decrease usage, dragging revenue down with it. Besides the financial incentives, in-the-wild testing offers other key benefits, including:

• Maintain Control: One of the greatest concerns with testing in the wild is a perceived loss of control, and thus, quality. But done correctly, the in-house QA leader can maintain complete control and oversight of the entire test cycle.

• Increase App Quality: By testing in the wild, a development team can receive a list of bugs 3-4 weeks before they would have normally surfaced - giving them more time to launch a finished product.

• Tester Diversity: Testing in-the-wild gives you the opportunity to off-set the group-think that often plagues so many internal QA teams. This is particularly helpful in terms of usability, where you can involve testers who are totally unfamiliar with your product.

• Improve Efficiency: Since it is an on-demand solution, crowdsourcing helps alleviate the pains associated with peak release times by leveraging a community of testers exactly when you need them at any point in the SDLC.

While new to some, in-the-wild testing is an established practice inside many of the world’s most successful companies. Here are a few of its more vocal proponents:

• Shie Erlich, Testing Manager, Microsoft: “You wouldn’t believe some of the behaviors we observed on these home machines. When you are testing for performance, it’s imperative to know how the software runs outside of the lab environment.”

• Michael Cooper, Director of QA, T-Mobile: “Test on the device itself, as soon as possible; you can miss a lot of defects if you only test on an emulator.”

• James Whittaker, Director of Test Engineering, Google: “Automation is good at analyzing data and noticing patterns. It is not good at determining relevance and making judgment calls. Fortunately humans excel at judgment.”

The trend is clear: Companies of all shapes and sizes are leveraging in-the-wild testing to ensure a higher level of quality. Those who ignore this real-world component do so at their own risk. Choose wisely!

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QAI GLOBAL FAMILY OF ORGANIZATIONS

QAI Global Institute www.qaiglobalinstitute.com

The QAI Global Institute, formerly known as Quality Assurance Institute, was founded in 1980 in the United States of America. QAI’s founding objective was and remains to provide leadership in improving quality, productivity, and effective solutions for process management in the information services profession. It is a worldwide membership organization serving over 1000 corporate members, organized to share state-of-the-art methods, tools, and techniques. Combined experience of QAI experts and of our member companies provides an impressive body of knowledge, a reservoir for our members to share. We take pride in being one of the first professional organizations to recognize the need for quality assurance and to have the vision to be exclusively devoted to the information technology profession. QAI provides leadership and state-of-the-art solutions in the form of consulting, education and training services, and assessments.

QAI Global Services www.qaiglobal.com

QAI Global Services is a leading international consulting organization addressing ‘Operational Excellence’ in IT, BPO and Knowledge intensive service organizations. This “Operational Excellence” addressing areas such as Process Management, Quality Management, Innovation Management, Project Management, and IT Service Management. Integration and implementation of QAI applications in client organizations have resulted in increased operational efficiencies, quality, customer satisfaction and competitiveness within the target companies. QAI’s regional bases across the globe in the US, Singapore, China, Malaysia, UK, Canada and India help to distribute and manage engagements across multiple locations. QAI clients include IBM, Accenture, Wipro, Prudential, Genpact, American Express, Sony, Tata Motors and 200 others across 30 countries.

QAI Global Community www.qaiglobalcommunity.org

Dedicated to supporting and promoting software quality, the quality profession, and the quality practitioner, the QAI Global Community is a worldwide collaboration. The mission of the Global Community is to establish an international standard of excellence and recognition for the Software Quality Assurance and Testing professions. QAI is committed to supporting the individual Chapters by providing quality educational programs, new revenue sources for local Chapters, tools to increase inter-Chapter communication, marketing and promotional materials, and timely dissemination of information pertaining to the quality profession. Shouldn’t you join this remarkable network of quality professionals today?

Software Certifications www.softwarecertifications.org

Software Certifications, administered by the QAI Global Institute, is recognized globally for establishing the international standard for software quality and software testing professional certifications. Since its inception, Software Certifications has certified over 38,000 IT professionals in 43 countries on 6 continents. Software Certifications provides professional certifications in the areas of: Software Quality Assurance (CSQA, CMSQ, CASQ), Software Testing (CSTE, CMST, CAST), Software Project Manager (CSPM), and Software Business Analysis (CSBA). These programs have established the standard for assessing individual’s professional competencies in these respective professions.

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QAI CCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEE FFFFIIIIIIIIICCCCCCERTIFICATIONSSSSS eeeeeeeeSoftware

QUEST Conferences Presented By:

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PANEL DISCUSSIONS

PANEL IT Disciplines: Collaboration, Competencies, and CareersThursday, May 3, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM Leaders from PMI-Chicagoland, Chicago IIBA Chapter, CQAA, C-SPIN and IEEE Chicago Section The IT profession has evolved from generalists, where an individual performed all roles within the software life cycle, to distinct disciplines that bring specialized knowledge and competencies to a project team. IT organizational structures have aligned these specialized disciplines into centers of excellence, communities of practice, and other pools of same-skilled resources. Institutes and professional organizations have defined bodies of knowledge for these disciplines and offer certification credentials. Global networks of local chapters exist to support the continued educational needs of individuals within various disciplines.

How has this movement towards specialists impacted project teams and career opportunities within the IT profession? And how is Agile now redefining roles to improve collaboration? Representatives from project management, business analysis, software development, QA/testing, and process engineering disciplines will provide insights into their bodies of knowledge and explore similarities, differences, and ways to foster collaboration, communication, and career paths across these disciplines.

Panelists include leaders from PMI Chicagoland, Chicago IIBA Chapter, CQAA, C-SPIN and IEEE Chicago Section:

• Ed Barrett, IEEE Chicago Section

• David De Witt, Chicago IIBA

• Nancy Kastl, Chicago Quality Assurance Association (CQAA)

• Jim Vaughan, PMI Chicagoland

• Tony Kvitek, Chicago Software Process Improvement Network (C-SPIN)

PANEL Free Testing Tools: Looking Inside Open SourceFriday, May 4, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM With today’s pressures to reduce time to market and costs, testing tools are a means to improve productivity. An alternative to commercial testing tools is open source software, developed by voluntary efforts of communities of individual programmers and large companies, and is openly published for use at no charge.

With the growth of open source software over the past decade, open source covers the entire testing lifecycle - test management, functional automation, acceptance testing, continuous integration, defect management, and performance testing. Tools such as Selenium, Cucumber, FitNesse, Jenkins, Bugzilla. TestLink, Load UI are available along with over a hundred open source functionality testing tools and over fifty performance testing tools.

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CONFERENCE AT A GLANCEMONDAY, APRIL 31

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Two-Day Workshop and Classes Full Day Classes

Manager's Workshop

Manager's Solutions Workshop Nancy Kastl and Tom Ticknor, QAI Global Institute Agile Transition to Agile Testing

Janet Gregory, DragonFire Inc.

CSQA Certification CSQA Certification Prep Class Barb Merwin, Patterson Associates Requirements The Audacity of Quality Requirements

Bob Prentiss, Watermark Learning

Lunch 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

CSTE Certification CSTE Certification Prep Class Neil Price-Jones, NVP Software Testing Process Build and Sustain Value Based Processes

Gail Borotto, GoalGetters

Testing Practices Essentials of Software Testing Bob Crews, Checkpoint Technologies Test Design Designing and Executing the Most Crucial Test Cases

Timothy Korson, PhD, Qualsys Solutions

Test Automation Five Common Test Automation Approaches David Dang, Zenergy Technologies

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM Manager’s Connection Dinner - Sponsored by QAI Global Institute

TUESDAY, MAY 17:30 AM – 8:30 AM Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Two-Day Workshop and Classes - Continued from Monday

Half Day Tutorials: 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM Half Day Tutorials: 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Estimation Estimation Clinic: Methods, Maturity and Money Patricia A. Eglin, David Consulting Group Measurement Metrics Showdown: Agile vs. Waterfall

Shaun Bradshaw & Bob Galen, Zenergy Technologies

AssessmentTest Assessments: Practical Steps to Assessing the Maturity of your Organization Mike Ennis, Accenture

Process Improvement

Driving Out Waste with Lean and Six Sigma Practices Megan Sumrell, Mosaic ATM

Lunch 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Organizational Change

Quality Assurance and Organizational Change: What's in it for me and them? Jeanette Bordelon, Ernst & Young

Quality Focused Project

Management

Increasing the Quality of the Product in a Project Focused Environment James Vaughan, Ectropics, Inc. & Cindy Glaser, HomeFinder.com

Risk-Based Testing

Risk Based Testing Analysis & Strategy Clyneice Chaney, Quality Squared

Session-Based Testing

Session Based Test Management Michael Kelly, DeveloperTown

Mobile Testing Mobile Testing 101 David Dang, Zenergy Technologies

Regression Testing

Infusing Quality Through Strategic Regression Testing Michael Lawler, NueVista Group

4:30 PM – 6:30 PM Welcome Reception - Sponsored by uTest

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27:30 AM – 8:15 AM Registration & Breakfast - Sponsored by Analytics8

8:15 AM – 8:30 AM Opening Remarks & Announcements - Tom Ticknor, Chief Operating Officer, QAI Global Institute & Nancy Kastl, QUEST Conference Chairperson

8:30 AM – 9:25 AM Keynote Address: Continuous Feedback - Brian Harry, Microsoft Corporation

9:25 AM – 9:45 AM Morning Refreshment Break - Sponsored by iCEDQ Soft

9:25 AM – 4:00 PM Exhibitor EXPO – Browse the 30 Booths l Coaching Sessions (Sign-up Required at Registration Desk)

9:45 AM – 10:45 AM Concurrent Sessions: Industry Insights

Agile Process Measurement DW Testing Usability Testing

Using Agile Concepts to Treat Organizational Dysfunction Michael Mah, QSM Associates, Inc.

Identifying Your Organization's Best Software Practices David Herron, David Consulting Group

The Yin and Yang of Metrics Shaun Bradshaw and Bob Galen, Zenergy Technologies

Business Intelligence/Data Warehouse Testing Karen Johnson, Software Test Management, Inc.

User-Centered Design and Usability Testing for a Quality UI Gail Swanson, Centare

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Concurrent Sessions: Benchmarking

Agile Process Quality Management COTS Testing Cloud Testing

Communication Techniques for Successful Agile Software Projects Rivka Papoff, Anixter International

Eliminate Waste: The Key to Reduce Cycle Time and Cost Megan Sumrell, Mosaic ATM

Quality Application Delivery Leadership in a Large Organization Michael Baldwin, JPMorgan Chase

Test Management for Third Party Applications Integration Mary Claire Perkins, Gerdau Ameristeel

In The Cloud: Strategies to Test and Use the Cloud for Testing Clyneice Chaney, MITRE

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Special Interests Roundtables & Lunch

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Concurrent Sessions: Industry Insights

Agile Process Organizational Change Test Planning Security Testing

Agile is from Venus and PMOs from Mars Patricia A. Eglin, David Consulting Group

Sustaining Process Improvement Gains for the Long Run Gail Borotto, MITRE

Testing: The Art of Not Testing James Campbell, Tulkita Technologies, Inc.

Invading the Beehive: Test Planning for Success Michael Lawler, NueVista Group

Successful Requirements-Based Strategies for QA-Based Security Testing Rafal Los, HP Software and Solutions

2:00 PM – 2:30 PM Afternoon Refreshment Break - Sponsored by Tulkita Technologies

2:30 PM – 4:00 PM Concurrent Sessions: Workshops

Agile Methods Assessment Organizational Change Test Design Exploratory Testing

Pitfalls and Perils of Agile Testing Janet Gregory, DragonFire Inc.

Assessing Your Test Organization using Test Maturity Model (TMM) Mike Ennis, Accenture

Leading Change Susan Slater, Corvus International

Test Scenario Design Techniques Timothy Korson, PhD, Qualsys Solutions

Exploratory Testing in the Enterprise Michael Kelly, DeveloperTown

4:15 PM – 5:00 PM Bonus Session: Slicing Product Backlog Items: A Vital Scrum Skill - Timothy Korson, PhD, Qualsys Solutions

5:30 PM – 10:00 PM Attendee Appreciation Night in Chicago - Sponsored by Microsoft (BUSES DEPART AT 4:30 PM)

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CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Concurrent Sessions: Benchmarking

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Special Interests Roundtables & Lunch - Sponsored by Wipro Technologies

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Concurrent Sessions: Industry Insights

Agile Methods Requirements People/Teams Test Automation In-the-Wild Testing

Agile with Traceability: Blending Requirements and User Stories Peter Varhol, Seapine Software

Excellent Executable Requirements Can Get You Home on Time Eric Landes, AgileThought

Making Distributed Testing Teams Work Jim Holmes, Telerik

An Automaton Framework that Really Works Basivi Junna, Scalar USA

Thriving in the SoLoMo (Social-Local-Mobile) App Landscape Matt Johnston, uTest

2:00 PM – 2:30 PM Afternoon Refreshment Break - Sponsored by Accenture

2:30 PM – 4:00 PM Concurrent Sessions: Workshops

Agile Methods Requirements People/Teams Test Automation Accessibility Testing

Scrum in the Enterprise Jim York, FoxHedge Ltd.

Leveraging Use Cases to Test Cases Development Marcia Stinson, Quality Lifecycle Solutions

"If I Can See It, Why Can't You" Elizabeth Glaser, PhD and Joyce Sattovia, The Boeing Company

End-to-End Automation of ERP Software: A Case Study David Dang, Zenergy Technologies

Web Accessibility: A Missed Quality Requirement Patrick Maher and Robbie Miller, TAP Group/nAblement

4:15 PM – 5:00 PM Panel Discussion on IT Disciplines: Collaboration, Competencies, and Careers Leaders from PMI Chicagoland, Chicago IIBA Chapter, CQAA, C-SPIN and IEEE Chicago Section

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM EXPO Reception - Sponsored by EXPO Exhibitors

FRIDAY, MAY 4

Lifecycle Testing Regression Testing User Acceptance Testing Performance Certification

Getting Started with Test Driven Development Stephen Vance, uTest

How to Optimize Your Existing Regression Testing Arthur Hicken, Parasoft

The UAT Chess Game: Playing Your Pieces to Win Glenn Stout, PhD

Comprehensive Performance Monitoring of Large Enterprise Applications Vinkesh Mehta and Vic Soder, Deloitte Consulting LLP

CSQA/CSTE Practice Certification Exam QAI Proctor

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Concurrent Sessions: Industry Insights

Lifecycle Testing Web Testing Test Reusability Performance Certification

Closing the Specifications Quality Gap through Behavior Driven Development Chris Kozak, ThoughtWorks

The Many Faces of Web Testing at Google Greg Dennis and Simon Stewart, Google

RSTARTM: Achieving Reusable Tests and Data Karen Johns, Mosaic, Inc.

Real World Production Performance Testing from the Cloud Dan Bartow, SOASTA and Lee Barnes, Utopia Solutions

CSQA/CSTE Practice Certification Exam QAI Proctor

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch & QAI Grand Prize Drawing

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Panel Discussion: Free Testing Tools: Looking Inside Open Source

2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Concurrent Sessions: Discussion Forums

Building Testing Practice Enterprise Testing Regulated Testing

Building a New Software Testing Practice Karen Johnson, Software Test Management, Inc.

Size Matters When Testing in a Large Organization Beverly Edwards, Allstate

FDA is a Three Letter Word: Testing in a Regulated Environment Denise Flueckiger, Abbott

Agile Process Business Testing Test Automation Mobile Testing

Agile Test Automation: Truth, Oxymoron or Lie George Wilson, Original Software

Requirements Roulette: Gambling with Your Company's Money Pete DuPre, Borland-Micro Focus

Business Testing: A Risk-Based Approach Rohit Pereira and Kimberly Tatum, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Automation Assessment with Risk-Based Analysis Bob Crews, Checkpoint Technologies

Mobile Application Testing: Are you Ready? Lee Barnes, Utopia Solutions

Agile Business Process People/Teams Test Automation Mobile Testing

An Agility Transformation Journey Si Alhir, Redpoint Technologies and Len Lagestee, Cars.com

Model Office: Focusing on Business Process Validation Harriett Southerland and Connie Price, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

Building and Managing High Performance Teams Yolonda Kennedy, WellPoint, Inc.

Open Source Automation vs. Integrated Testing Software Anne Hungate, Nationwide

Mobile Testing and Continuous Integration Anaf Durrani, Orbitz Worldwide

7:30 AM – 8:15 AM Registration & Breakfast - Sponsored by Micro Focus

7:45 AM – 8:15 AM Early Bird Bonus Session: An Enterprise View of Social Media, Collaboration, Jetpacks and Ray Guns - Todd Nilson, Social Syntax

8:15 AM – 8:30 AM Announcements - Nancy Kastl, QUEST Conference Chairperson

8:30 AM – 9:25 AM Keynote Address: Silent Alarm: Creating a Refuse-to-Snooze Attitude - John Blumberg, Keynotes Concepts, Inc.

9:25 AM – 9:45 AM Morning Refreshment Break


THURSDAY, MAY 37:30 AM – 8:15 AM Registration & Breakfast - Sponsored by Micro Focus

7:45 AM – 8:15 AM Early Bird Bonus Session: They’re Playing Our Song - Elizabeth Glaser, PhD and Joyce Sattovia, The Boeing Company

8:15 AM – 8:30 AM Announcements - Nancy Kastl, QUEST Conference Chairperson

8:30 AM – 9:25 AM Keynote Address: What Next? The Future of Software Testing in 2012 and Beyond… - Nick Pointon, International Director and COO, SQS

9:25 AM – 9:45 AM Morning Refreshment Break - Sponsored by NVP Software Testing

9:25 AM – 6:30 PM Exhibitor EXPO – Browse the 30 Booths l Coaching Sessions (Sign-up Required at Registration Desk)


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INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE CERTIFICATIONS BOARD CERTIFICATIONS

Software Testing

Process Engineering

Project Management

Software Quality Assurance

Business Analysis

Aligned to the Software Testing Body of Knowledge, these certifications evaluate awareness of the testing principles, knowledge of the testing function, the different types of testing and the techniques and tools which can be used to carry out and manage the Testing process.

Certified Associate in Software Testing (CAST)A Foundation Level Certification for Software Testers, Software Developers, System Analysts and recent engineering graduates.

•Demonstrates an understanding of testing principles and practices.•Suitable for entry-level individuals who are interested in making a career

in testing.

Certified Software Tester (CSTE)A Practitioner Level Certification for Test Engineers, Test Architects, Design Analysts and Test Leads.

•Demonstrates a professional competency for practice of quality control and testing.

Certified Manager of Software Testing (CMST)A Managerial Level Certification for Test Managers, Test Leads, Test Architects and Project Managers.

•Demonstrates capabilities to practice and manage the software testing function.

•Suitable for existing and to-be managers in the software testing function.

Aligned to the Software Quality Assurance Body of Knowledge, these certi-fications check the proficiency in the principles and practices of the quality assurance function.

Certified Associate in Software Quality (CASQ)A Foundation Level Certification for Software Engineers and recent graduates.

•Demonstrates foundation level understanding of quality assurance prin-ciples and practices.

•Demonstrates the understanding of quality principles, concepts, and practices.

Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA)A Practitioner Level Certification for experienced Quality Analyst, SQA Team Leaders and Members.

•Demonstrates professional competence in the practices of QA in the IT profession.

•Provides a complete overview of the quality function.

Certified Manager of Software Quality (CMSQ)A Managerial Level Certification for SQA Managers, Architects and Project Managers.

•Demonstrates capabilities to practice and manage the software quality function.

•Suitable for existing and to-be managers in the software quality function.•Provides a tool to predict the likelihood of success of individuals consider-

ing managerial roles.

Process Engineer Certifications assess the capabilities of the individual in development of software processes, tracking and implementation of pro-cess improvement, and the analyzing and solving of problems.

Certified Software Process Engineer (CSPE)A Foundation Level Certification for Software Engineers and recent college graduates.

•Demonstrates proficiency in the domain of software process engineering.•Creates awareness of methods, practices, and techniques.•Aims at developing professionals for process improvement team who can

support quality head/ process improvement teams to develop software process, track and implement process improvement suggestions and analyze and solve quality problems.

Certified Quantitative Software Process Engineer (CQSPE)A Practitioner Level Certification for Software Project Managers, Software Qual-ity Analyst and Software Engineering Process Group members.

•Demonstrates proficiency in requisite knowledge and skills in quantitative process management for defining and implementing the organization’s measurement program.

Specific to software projects, this certification tests the knowledge of project management and its application while managing and delivering projects.

Certified Software Project Manager (CSPM)A Management Level Certification for Project Managers, Project Leads, Team leads, Program Managers and Technical Leads.

•Provides a standard for qualification on project management.•Is an indication of proficiency to initiate, plan, organize, manage, deliver,

and report the status of software projects.•Demonstrates a professional level of competence in principles and prac-

tices of software project management in the IT profession.

The need for improved and more reliable information transfer requires Software Business Analyst professionals who can effectively bridge the knowledge and language gap between the business and IT communities.

Certified Associate Business Analyst (CABA)A Foundation Level Certification for Software Business Analysts, System Ana-lysts, and recent college graduates.

•Demonstrates an understanding of software business analysis principles and practices.

•Suitable for entry-level software engineers interested in making a career in software business analysis.

Certified Software Business Analyst (CSBA)A Practitioner Level Certification for Business Analysts, Project Leads and Architects.

•Demonstrates proficiency to manage the link between the business and information technology communities.

CCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEE FFFFIIIIIIIIICCCCCCERTIFICATIONSSSSS eeeeeeeeSoftwareCertification Programs

www.softwarecertifications.org

Realize your potential.Instructor-led courses bring the experts to you with a full year of educational opportunities!

Information and registration for QAI’s top-rated professional training courses is available online at www.qaiUSA.com.

QAI Global Institute ■ [email protected] ■ 1-866-724-6013

■ Atlanta, Georgia

■ Boston, Massachusetts

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■ Fredericton, New Brunswick

■ Los Angeles, California

■ Minneapolis, Minnesota

■ Orlando, Florida

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■ St. Louis, Missouri

■ Toronto, Ontario

■ Vancouver, British Columbia

■ Washington D.C.

On-site training also available.

■ Agile Test Strategies and Management

■ Mastering SCRUM

■ PMI Agile Certified Professional

■ Boot Camp for Business Analysts

■ Writing Testable Requirements

■ CMST Exam Study Workshop

■ CSTE Exam Study Course

■ Manager’s Solutions Workshop

■ Effective Project Management for Leaders

■ Boot Camp for Software Quality

■ Test Automation for Managers

■ Effective Methods of Software Testing - Test Planning and Design

■ Essentials of Leadership in Software Testing

■ Essentials of Software Testing

■ Metrics for Managing and Improving Testing

■ Requirements Based Testing Techniques: Modeling and Use Cases

■ Selecting and Executing the Most Critical Tests

■ Testing Mobile Applications

■ Security Testing for the Web and How to Automate It

■ Web Testing Techniques

Experienced instructors with subject matter expertise offer a full year’s worth of public training courses at popular locations across the United States and Canada. QAI Global Institute has trained over 140,000 pro-fessionals in software quality management, project management, agile method testing, test automation, estimation, software reviews, and more. Find the right training for you and your team!

2012 Training Locations

2012 Training Courses

Learn More & Register Online

Find the training opportunities nearest you, or plan a trip to some of the world’s most popular destinations! For the full course schedules at each training location, visit www.qaiUSA.com.

Facilitated courses are available for all levels – from the top-rated Manager’s Solutions Workshop to the Essentials of Software Testing. Learn more about each of the following courses, including dates, locations, and instructors online at www.qaiUSA.com.

Scan this code with your smartphone’s QR code scanner to visit qaiUSA.com.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

The Three Aspects of Software Quality: Functional, Structural, and Process By David Chappell, David Chappell & Associates ~ Sponsored by Microsoft Corporation

Our world runs on software. Every business depends on it, every mobile phone uses it, and even every new car relies on code. Without software, modern civilization would fall apart. Given this reality, the quality of that software really matters. Because it’s so widely used and so important, low-quality software just isn’t acceptable.

But what exactly is software quality? It’s not an easy question to answer, since the concept means different things to different people. One useful way to think about the topic is to divide software quality into three aspects: functional quality, structural quality, and process quality. Doing this helps us see the big picture, and it also helps clarify the trade-offs that need to be made among competing goals.

Before we do this, however, it’s worth taking a moment to think about what software quality isn’t. It’s tempting to view software quality through the same lens as other kinds of quality, such as quality in a manufacturing process. Doing this is misleading, however. In manufacturing, a primary goal is to minimize defects in products created through a repeatable process. Methodologies such as Six Sigma were created to help do this, and they’ve been quite effective. Yet every software development project requires some innovation—if this isn’t true, you should be buying rather than building the software—and so the project isn’t executing an exactly repeatable process. Because of this, views of quality rooted in manufacturing aren’t the best approach to thinking about software quality. A broader perspective is required.

Who Cares About Software Quality?

With software or anything else, assessing quality means measuring value. Something of higher quality has more value than something that’s of lower quality. Yet measuring value requires answering another question: value to whom? In thinking about software quality, it’s useful to focus on three groups of people who care about its value, as Figure 1 shows.

Figure 1: As a development process transforms an idea into working software, three main groups of people care about the software’s quality.

As the figure illustrates, a development process converts an idea into usable software. The three groups of people who care about the software’s quality during and after this process are:

• The software’s users, who apply this software to some problem.

• The development team that creates the software.

• The sponsors of the project, who are the people paying for the software’s creation. For software developed by an organization for its own use, for example, these sponsors are commonly business people within that organization.

All three of these groups care about software quality. The aspects of quality that each finds most important aren’t the same, however. Understanding these differences requires taking a closer look at what software quality really means.

Defining Software Quality: Three Aspects

There’s no one right way to think about software quality—it’s a

complicated area. It is useful, however, to group its various components into three broad aspects. Figure 2 illustrates this idea.

Figure 2: Software quality can be seen as having three aspects: functional quality, structural quality, and process quality.

The three aspects of software quality are functional quality, structural quality, and process quality. Each one is worth looking at in more detail.

Functional quality means that the software correctly performs the tasks it’s intended to do for its users. Among the attributes of functional quality are:

• Meeting the specified requirements. Whether they come from the project’s sponsors or the software’s intended users, meeting requirements is the sine qua non of functional quality. In some cases, this might even include compliance with applicable laws and regulations. And since requirements commonly change throughout the development process, achieving this goal requires the development team to understand and implement the correct requirements throughout, not just those initially defined for the project.

• Creating software that has few defects. Among these are bugs that reduce the software’s reliability, compromise its security, or limit its functionality. Achieving zero defects is too much to ask for most projects, but users are rarely happy with software they perceive as buggy.

• Good enough performance. From a user’s point of view, there’s no such thing as a good, slow application.

• Ease of learning and ease of use. To its users, the software’s user interface is the application, and so these attributes of functional quality are most commonly provided by an effective interface and a well-thought-out user workflow. The aesthetics of the interface—how beautiful it is—can also be important, especially in consumer applications.

Software testing commonly focuses on functional quality. All of the characteristics just listed can be tested, at least to some degree, and so a large part of ensuring functional quality boils down to testing.

The second aspect of software quality, structural quality, means that the code itself is well structured. Unlike functional quality, structural quality is hard to test for (although there are tools to help measure it, as described later). The attributes of this type of quality include:

• Code testability. Is the code organized in a way that makes testing easy?

• Code maintainability. How easy is it to add new code or change existing code without introducing bugs?

• Code understandability. Is the code readable? Is it more complex than it needs to be? These have a large impact on how quickly new developers can begin working with an existing code base.

• Code efficiency. Especially in resource-constrained situations, writing efficient code can be critically important.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

• Code security. Does the software allow common attacks such as buffer overruns and SQL injection? Is it insecure in other ways?

Both functional quality and structural quality are important, and they usually get the lion’s share of attention in discussions of software quality. Yet the third aspect, process quality, is also critically important. The quality of the development process significantly affects the value received by users, development teams, and sponsors, and so all three groups have a stake in improving this aspect of software quality.

The most obvious attributes of process quality include these:

• Meeting delivery dates. Was the software delivered on time?

• Meeting budgets. Was the software delivered for the expected amount of money?

• A repeatable development process that reliably delivers quality software. If a process has the first two attributes—software delivered on time and on budget—but so stresses the development team that its best members quit, it isn’t a quality process. True process quality means being consistent from one project to the next.

There are many connections among these three aspects of software quality. For example, improving process quality with agile development

methods increases the odds of getting the project’s requirements right, which also improves functional quality. There are trade-offs as well, where improving quality in one area can lower quality in another. An organization might speed up a project’s development process to meet a deadline—improving process quality—only to find that the number of bugs in

the software has gone up, hurting functional quality. Similarly, cutting features can lower functional quality, since users get less of what they’re looking for, but improve process quality by increasing the odds of meeting a release date. In general, each development project weighs the interests of all three groups—and all three aspects of quality—against one another. Different projects make different trade-offs.

Unsurprisingly, everybody involved in a software project cares most about the aspects of quality that directly impact them. Users care primarily about functional quality, since that’s what they see. They’re also likely to care about some aspects of process quality, such as the delivery date of the final software. Users typically don’t care at all about structural quality, even though its absence might well impact them over the software’s lifetime.

A development team certainly does care about structural quality, however, since they’re the people who will be affected by the problems caused by low quality here. They also care about functional quality, although perhaps a bit less than users do—cutting features that users want can make life easier for developers. Development teams also care about process quality, in part because it provides many of the metrics by which they’re measured.

The third group, sponsors, cares about everything: functional quality, structural quality, and process quality. If they’re smart, the people paying for the project know that slacking off in any area is a poor long-term strategy. In the end, sponsors are striving to create business value, and the best way to do this is by taking a broad view of software quality. They must also understand the connection between quality and risk. The risk of accepting lower software quality in, say, a community website, is much less than the risk of allowing lower quality in an airplane’s flight control system. Making the choice appropriately commonly requires trade-offs among competing goals.

Tools for Improving Software Quality

Viewing software quality as having three distinct aspects is useful. It implies, however, that tools for improving software quality need to address all three parts. Functional quality is important—testing certainly matters—but tools focused on structural and process quality are needed, too.

Tools for improving functional quality include manual testing tools that let a tester explore the software through its user interface, along with tools for automated testing, such as frameworks for unit testing. Tools for load testing and performance testing can also help measure and improve those components of functional quality.

Tools that help improve the structural quality of software provide services such as refactoring, which lets a developer improve how code is organized without changing what that code does. Structural quality tools can also provide static code analysis, examining code for security problems (such as the potential for SQL injection attacks) and other problems, along with dynamic code analysis, which might include performance profiling, measures of test coverage, and more. These tools can also provide various code metrics, such as measurements of cyclomatic complexity.

Tools for improving process quality help monitor and manage the development process. They include support for tracking the status of the process, perhaps by mapping requirements against progress measurements for the developer responsible for each one. Process quality tools can also provide insight into code churn, i.e., the number of lines added or modified each week, progress in finding and fixing bugs, test plan progress, and other measures of project health.

Whatever they do, it’s important to realize that unlike tools for functional quality and structural quality, which are typically used solely by the development team, tools for process quality are also used by the project’s sponsors (and maybe even by the software’s users). This means that these tools should be accessible through less technically

focused interfaces, such as spreadsheets and collaboration software. Making them available only through developer tools isn’t enough.

Tools aren’t the whole story, of course. Activities such as group code reviews and effective management can also have a big impact on various aspects of software quality—people matter. Yet as with every other aspect of software development, using good tools certainly helps.

Conclusion

There’s no single best way to view software quality—different perspectives emphasize different things. The simple three-part breakdown described here is meant to provide one useful way to think about this topic.

By providing an equal emphasis on functional quality, structural quality, and process quality, this approach helps broaden our view to include the things that matter to all three stakeholders: users, development teams, and sponsors. Including all three areas also helps us think about the kinds of tools we need to improve software quality.

Given how important software has become to the world, it’s hard to overemphasize the importance of software quality. Recognizing the broad scope this idea encompasses is a useful step along this path.

About the Author

David Chappell is Principal of Chappell & Associates (www.davidchappell.com) in San Francisco, California. Through his speaking, writing, and consulting, he helps people around the world understand, use, and make better decisions about new technologies.

There are many connections among these three aspects of software quality.

As with every other aspect of software

development, using good tools certainly

helps.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 2 - CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Wednesday, May 2, 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM Industry Insights

A GI L E

Using Agile Concepts to Treat Organizational Dysfunction

Michael Mah, QSM Associates, Inc. In the rush to be faster, better, cheaper, or extremely innovative, it’s possible to become trapped in organizational dysfunction. This is where teams can break down and fail, often resulting in defect-laden software passed on to QA. What are the common sources of organizational dysfunction today? How do you manage these dif-ficult situations? In this presentation, Michael will present examples of companies that have overcome these barriers to success, plus a few who didn’t. You’ll learn how systems theory plays a role in software development, why complex communication and expert thinking are the ultimate challenges facing understanding today, and how accurate and reliable metrics are the key to revealing pat-terns so that managers can deliver higher quality software.

D W

T E S T I N G

Business Intelligence / Data Warehouse Data Testing

Karen Johnson, Software Test Management, Inc. When a company builds a data warehouse and creates reports designed for critical business analysis, it’s important that the data is accurate. But, how do you know that it is? Testing for data accuracy is different. The business rules around data become boundary conditions to consider. Data testing often highlights existing issues and forces decisions to be made about data quality. The volume of data to test is frequently so large that testing “all the data” is not possible and so deciding the test data set becomes one of the most strategic decisions. This session takes a look at the unique testing challenges of data quality in the business intelligence/data ware-house arena. Karen will discuss what to test and how to test cubes, stored procedures, triggers, and ETL jobs. She will cover the skills needed for testers on a data warehouse project and how to hire and prepare a testing team for the challenge.

P R O C E S S

Identifying Your Organization’s Best Software Practices

David Herron, David Consulting Group The term, software development best practice, usually refers to a development process or technique that has gained consensus over time as a value added practice. But who is to say whether some-thing is a best practice or not? This presentation will shed new light on how we should be defining software development best practices. And, more importantly, how an organization can identify their own best practices and what impact those practices have on improving performance and reducing defects. Learn how to assess your cur-rent development processes and techniques and gain insight into your specific best software practices. A best practice is only a “best practice” if it is yielding positive results.

U S A B I L I T Y T E S T I N G

User-Centered Design and Usability Testing for a Quality UI

Gail Swanson, Centare The rising popularity of ubiquitous computing and social network-ing has changed the way people and businesses use technology. Across all platforms, the consistent differentiator between applica-tions that are widely adopted and those that are discarded is the ability to meet user needs through a positive experience. User-Centered design techniques provide the tools needed to create that engaging and usable application. Usability testing is then needed to find the bugs in your interface design that will trip up your users and stand in the way of your product meeting its goals. Learn how to quickly gather the information you need about the where, when, why, how, and by whom the application will be used as well as the techniques to apply that information to an interface design. Once that design is complete, understand effective ways to organize and execute a usability study to ensure the integrity of the interface design.

M E A S U R E M E N T

The Yin and Yang of Metrics

Shaun Bradshaw and Bob Galen, Zenergy Technologies Metrics are powerful tools, but are often situation dependent. Insightful metrics for a waterfall approach may not be productive in an agile scenario. In this presentation, QA and testing experts Shaun Bradshaw and Bob Galen will discuss the value and pitfalls of various metrics in alternate development methodologies. Shaun will take the traditional test manager’s role with a focus on waterfall while his sparring partner, Bob will approach metrics from an agile perspective. Join Shaun and Bob for a lively debate and learn how certain metrics work and don’t work in the waterfall versus agile realm, that there are universal metrics that provide value in both methodologies, how metrics evolve with methodologies, and what to keep and what to discard as your organization grows.

QUEST Exhibitor EXPO & EXPO TalksOpening on Wednesday morning, the Exhibitor EXPO features 30 vendor booths from leading organizations in the industry. Enter for a chance to win exhibitor prizes, and get your QUEST Passport stamped to enter in the QAI Grand Prize drawing on Friday during lunch (must be present to win).

If you are looking to learn more about specific products and services showcased by EXPO exhibitors, then the EXPO Talks are designed for you! Starting on Wednesday afternoon and ending with the EXPO Reception, these Talks are short 30-minute sessions featuring innovative product demos or service presentations. You will have the chance to talk with exhibitor representatives and have your questions answered away from the busy EXPO booths. The EXPO Talks are a convenient one-stop-shop to learn the latest about products and services.

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Benchmarking Wednesday, May 2, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

A GI L E

Communication Techniques for Successful Agile Software Projects

Rivka Papoff, Anixter International TMaint is a table maintenance application that was built using agile methodologies including incremental rapid iterations, wiki documen-tation, open instant communication, and a clearly defined schedule. The test case creation was prioritized and done at the same time as development. Iterations were grouped by delivery cycle. Each fin-ished component was built upon the previous one. Questions were resolved in real time and documented in the wiki. Specific software features were assigned by priority. Developers and QA analysts reviewed dates and prioritized tasks and defects as they changed. As test cases were designed, questions were asked, prompting developers to clearly state what they were coding. Communication breakdowns were resolved through the use of whiteboards, live wiki updates, and short meetings. Developers unit tested and reviewed new test cases leading to early defect detection. Join Rivka as she illustrates the benefits of effective communication techniques on the quality of a project ant the product it produces.

C O T S T E S T I N G

Test Management for Third Party Applications Integration

Mary Claire Perkins, Gerdau Ameristeel Using a third party application within a business model can be advantageous, but it can also provide significant challenges to an IT Organization. While the benefits include increased functionality, standard industry practices, and decreased in-house maintenance and support, the perception that the software is being delivered as a package and fully tested does not always hold true. At Gerdau Ameristeel there is an increasing realization that vendor quality and integration into existing architecture can be a challenge that can lead to an increase in the testing effort. Through several releases of software they have learned that the best practices of their vendors are not the same as their own in-house best practices. Join Mary Claire as she shares the common issues encountered when testing a third party application and recommends management, test, and relationship building approaches to help foster a partnership with your vendor that will lead to more successful implementations.

P R O C E S S

Eliminate Waste: The Key to Reducing Cycle Time and Cost

Megan Sumrell, Mosaic ATM Waste is a common problem in most organizations’ projects and processes that causes longer cycle time and higher cost. Non-value added activities, rework, wait time, defects, and other activities that do not directly provide business value are waste. According to the “Cost of Quality” around 40% of the cost of producing a product can be waste. However, identifying this waste and then getting rid of it can be challenging, especially when there is little time to focus on continuous improvement. The Lean and Six Sigma communi-ties are known for their proven tools and techniques that are quick and effective in defining, measuring, and analyzing the causes of waste. Join Megan to learn rigorous, metrics-driven, results-orient-ed approaches to eliminate the waste that is slowing down your processes and causing higher project costs. Doing more with less is possible by eliminating waste.

C L O U D T E S T I N G

In the Cloud: Strategies to Test and Use the Cloud for Testing

Clyneice Chaney, MITRE Cloud computing is revolutionizing the traditional IT world. Testing organizations will play a significant role in ensuring that an under-standing of the risks and benefits associated with cloud computing are available to their organizations. To do this, an effective test strategy must be developed. In addition to understanding clouds in order to test them, testing organizations should also be considering if the cloud is where they should go for some of their testing. This presentation focuses on these two aspects of testing and the cloud, how to test a cloud effectively and whether you should consider the cloud for your testing portfolio. Join Clyneice and Mike as they explain the key test strategy considerations when testing a cloud deployment, considerations for determining if moving testing to the cloud is a viable option, and an overview of the tools used for cloud testing.

Q U A L I T Y M A N A G E M E N T

Quality Application Delivery Leadership in a Large Organization

Michael Baldwin, JPMorgan Chase In the tactical whirlwind of testing, the strategic, long range activities that promote systematic quality are often lost. The forward-thinking company recalls that while quality control is a vital part of the software development lifecycle, it’s only one piece of a much larger puzzle. Quality assurance, including careful planning and informed analysis, generates true organizational change. This session will demonstrate how a company housing an IT organization of nearly 20,000 professionals has re-organized its quality functions to create a career path which attracts, builds, and maintains the best talent while providing the leadership necessary to achieve truly transfor-mative change in quality application delivery. Join Mike to learn how his organization is undergoing this transformational program aimed at instituting a framework to provide keen focus on critical core goals including governance functions that support and enable those vital goals.

Lunchtime RemindersWednesday and Thursday of the QUEST Conference features Special Interest Roundtables during lunch, which encourages attendees to connect over specific topics of interest. As you enter the general session room for lunch, certain tables will have signage indicating that it is reserved for roundtable discussions for that particular subject. Connect over similar interests and discuss your issues with your peers.

Also remember to confirm with QAI staff members whether you plan on attending the Microsoft Sponsored Evening Event in Chicago.

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Wednesday, May 2, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Industry Insights

A GI L E

Agile is from Venus and PMOs from Mars

Patricia A. Eglin, David Consulting Group The role of the PMO must shift as an organization embraces agile methods to avoid the many points of conflict between agile teams that self manage and self-organize and control oriented, administra-tive PMOs. A solution to this problem is to refocus PMO activity on tasks outside the team’s purview. In her talk, Patricia will discuss the three voice metaphor used to sort out roles in this new environ-ment. The SCRUM Master represents the voice of process dealing with everyday activities needed to address delivery. The product owner / customer is the voice of the business and prioritizes and refines the product vision. The PMO is the voice of the organiza-tion ensuring strategic alignment and management awareness. At the team level the PMO must keep the team’s path open ahead by dealing with external risks and interruption. Join Patricia and help your PMO avoid the pitfall of losing value within the organization.

T E S T P L A N N I N G

Invading the Beehive:Test Planning for Success

Michael Lawler, NueVista Group How would you feel if the pilot on your next flight came over the intercom and announced “I think we’re just gonna see if this works.” A bit queasy? Absolutely!! So, why would we go into a testing ef-fort without a plan? As software quality professionals, we have a responsibility to help the team and the organization succeed. An ef-fective test plan is the best tool in our repertoire. The test plan has been referred to as the contract between the test team and the rest of the project team. This presentation covers the information that should be included in the plan to enable the best possible results for the testing effort. Join Michael to understand the key compo-nents of a test plan. Learn to create a plan that effectively supports both the test team and the project team.

P R O C E S S

Sustaining Process Improvement Gains for the Long Run

Gail Borotto, MITRE You have completed your process improvement effort and use of the new processes is underway. Now what do you do? Sustainabil-ity has been the difficult question for many organizations that have invested money, time, and training to achieve their process maturity goals. This presentation will show you how to keep the process im-provement accomplishments working for your organization whether they were developed using CMMI and LEAN Six Sigma. Learn the key questions that leaders should ask to ensure their investment is soundly maintained. Understand how to plan ahead for process im-provement operations and maintenance regardless of changing pri-orities, goals, and reorganization. And, most importantly, consider how to move into continuous improvement to keep the investment and employee morale alive. Gail will discuss measurement and reporting, training, development and rewards, change management and the critical senior management role. Join Gail to discover how to keep your organization’s focus and stay the course.

S E C U R I T Y T E S T I N G

Successful Requirements Based Strategies for QA Security Testing

Rafal Los, HP Software and Solutions Involving the QA organization in a software security assurance program is critical, yet it is extremely difficult to find a formula that is both effective and not overly taxing on QA. While security and QA are both fundamentally testing functions, they couldn’t be any more different. QA tests for known features and functions in applications, security is tasked with testing the unintended features developers program into their code. Testing for ‘unknowns’ is incredibly difficult but, what if security testing could be split up in ways that were both defined and undefined? The defined components could be tested, while the undefined could be left to ethical hackers to test. This talk addresses the practicality of having a ‘testable security requirement’ for all manner of application development lifecycles. Join Rafal to learn about splitting security into defined and undefined problems, creating, managing and testing sound security requirements, and using security defects and incidence response as future security requirements.

O R G A N I Z A T I O N A L C H A N G E

Testing: The Art of Not Testing

James Campbell, Tulkita Technologies, Inc. Knowing how to test is a given. When asked what the most impor-tant skills of a test professional were, however, typical responses from IT and business leadership included communicator, integrator, change agent, coordinator, and problem solver. As testing grows in importance, so do the requirements for test professionals to be-come thought leaders and change agents within their organizations, rather than simply validators of system quality. This presentation will explore the essential skills and traits necessary to be a top test professional in today’s marketplace. Learn essential communication styles, how to implement innovation and change, and how to drive stakeholder alignment and collaboration. These are the fundamen-tal skills that will take you from being average to world-class.

One-on-One Coaching SessionsHave any burning questions about a particular topic, or would like a specific speaker’s input on your professional challenges? QUEST offers an opportunity to meet with available speakers or about specific topics during one-on-one Coaching Sessions on Wednesday and Thursday of the QUEST Conference.

Look for the coaching session information in your conference portfolio, or visit the Registration Desk for more information. A list of available speakers will be provided, each listed next to their subject of expertise. Speak to a QAI staff member who will sign you up and help you schedule your coaching session.

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Workshops Wednesday, May 2, 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM

A GI L E M E T H O D S

Pitfalls and Perils of Agile TestingJanet Gregory, DragonFire Inc. Many teams have tried to implement agile development practices and failed. It sounds so easy. Why do so many agile adoptions go so badly? In particular, testing seems to get off track. Itera-tions turn into mini-waterfalls, stories are never quite “done,” and testers worry that they’re losing control. Customers keep changing their minds and complaining that their requirements weren’t met. Obviously, some teams succeed with testing on agile projects and others don’t. What do they do differently? In this workshop, Janet will share some of the lessons she has learned that help agile teams to success. She will discuss what to avoid, what practices are critical, and basic steps that can make the difference between success and failure. One critical practice, for instance, is using the whole team approach. Janet will share what happens when your test team is kept separate from the rest of the project team. Join Janet and learn to escape the common pitfalls that most new agile teams experience.

• Learn the necessary basic steps for success• Understand what to avoid in an agile testing implementation• Discover critical practices such as “the whole team” approach

T E S T D E S I G N

Test Scenario Design TechniquesTim Korson, PhD, QualSys Solutions How many test cases do I need? What should they be? How do I know that I have adequate test coverage? Come join Tim’s session and together you’ll work through a set of practical techniques for systematically clarifying requirements and identifying a compre-hensive set of test scenarios from written requirements. You will do some examples together as a group and then you’ll have a chance to try your own hand at it. Tim will go beyond standard binary deci-sion tables and consider higher order tables and orthogonal arrays. You’ll leave with a link to a free tool you can use to improve test case design in your own organization.

• Learn how to use binary decision tables,• Understand how to use higher order decision tables• Recognize when and how to use orthogonal arrays to

generate test scenarios.

A S S E S S M E N T

Assessing Your Test Organization using Test Maturity Model (TMM)

Mike Ennis, Accenture In the fast paced world of software testing, the need for assessing how organizations test software is becoming a challenging task. What do you assess? What standard do you use to measure test-ing? What process improvements are going to give you the biggest return on investment? These are just some of the key questions to answer when faced with this assessment challenge. In this session, Mike will show you how to leverage the Test Maturity Model while conducting a testing assessment. You will learn the overall assess-ment process and hear about the best practices for key testing disciplines that every test manager should know. Finally, you will build a practical process improvement plan based on your own test assessment.

• Learn how to use the Test Maturity Model to conduct a test assessment

• Discover best practices for key testing disciplines• Build a practical process improvement plan

E X P L O R A T O R Y T E S T I N G

Exploratory Testing in the Enterprise

Mike Kelly, DeveloperTown Exploratory testing is commonly defined as simultaneous learning, test design, and test execution. It is one of the most misunderstood approaches to software testing in large corporations. Aside from this fundamental misunderstanding, there are also two major criti-cisms of the approach. The first is that it is hard to make progress visible. The second is that it is difficult to know what kind of cover-age you have after exploratory testing has been completed. Inter-estingly, large enterprises are often the perfect places to implement exploratory testing with a need to juggle multiple complex projects, deal with ever-changing priorities and project activities, and a con-stant demand to drive down costs. In this workshop, Mike will out-line techniques for the successful rollout of exploratory testing. You will explore the fundamentals of the method and look at answers to the biggest criticisms of the approach. Plan on doing some testing if you attend this workshop, so bring your laptop or smartphone!

• Understand the exploratory testing approach• Discover techniques for exploratory testing success• Gather answers for the criticisms of exploratory testing

O R G A N I Z A T I O N A L C H A N G E

Leading Change

Susan Slater, Corvus International There is an assumption in systems development that, if a high functioning system is developed, then the people will follow. This assumption has rarely been validated, however. The cost of frustration and delays because of people’s adjustment to change can bring significant dissatisfaction to a leader and their organiza-tion. When people face change they go through clearly identifiable stages of adjustment until they reach the stage of acceptance. The complexity and impact of change determines the length of these stages, but the personality of the individual is also a key element. On average, about 80% of the population has a low-to-moderate adaptability to change, so it is rare that an IT project does not face issues because of change. Join Susan to understand the transition process that end users experience with a change in the IT system. Learn to develop successful strategies and methodologies to help manage the interpersonal aspect of the change process.

• Recognize the impact of change• Realize the end user’s experience of change• Develop strategies to manage the interpersonal aspects of

change

Evening Event & Bonus SessionsIf you have confirmed your attendance to the Microsoft Sponsored Evening Event in Chicago, please keep in mind that buses are scheduled to leave the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center at 4:30 PM. If you have not confirmed your attendance, do not hesitate to contact a QAI staff member to see if you can still attend. Bus transportation will be taking attendees into Chicago for dinner, followed by a performance at The Second City. Return bus transportation will be provided for attendees at the conclusion of the show.

From 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, QUEST is offering a Bonus Session for attendees who may not be able to attend the evening event in Chicago. Slicing Product Backlog Items: A Vital Scrum Skill, presented by Timothy Korson, PhD, of Qualsys Solutions (see page 18).

REMINDER: Thursday morning begins with an early Bonus Session at 7:45 AM: They’re Playing Our Song, presented by Elizabeth Glaser, PhD, and Joyce Sattovia of the Boeing Company (see page 18).

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THURSDAY, MAY 3 - CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Thursday, May 3, 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM Industry Insights

A GI L E

Agile Test Automation: Truth, Oxymoron or Lie

George Wilson, Original Software There is a place for the tester in an agile team! However, it can be confusing for everyone on the team since there isn’t a test phase or any formal documented requirements. Whatever your agile implementation, projects require a change in the way QA and development work together. The use of technology and automation are much more difficult and finding a practical approach to testing is critical for successful agile projects. In this session, George will explore how testing in agile is different and give pragmatic advice to ensure that application quality, within an agile environment, isn’t compromised. Discussions on the techniques for quickly getting control of manual testing and progressing on to automated testing in agile will leave you with fresh thinking to help you resolve or prevent testing dysfunctions within your agile teams.

T E S T A U T O M A T I O N

Automation Assessment with Risk Based Analysis

Bob Crews, Checkpoint Technologies The scope and complexities of software testing are increasing sig-nificantly as new technologies emerge, applications become more advanced, and users become more astute! The quantity of test conditions and test cases can make the process of testing over-whelming, especially when factoring in aggressive deadlines and a lack of resources. Including test automation as part of your strategy can improve your testing process, but you’re then faced with what, and when, to automate. Using a well thought-out automation as-sessment will address these questions and assist you in focusing your automation efforts. Additionally, combining your automation assessment with a risk-based analysis approach will assist you in prioritizing your overall testing effort. If you can’t test everything, every time, then at least ensure you test the functionality most critical to your organization. This highly-interactive presentation will present criteria to enable your organization to perform its own automation assessment as well as approaches and strategies to more successfully apply risk analysis to your test plan.

R E Q U I R E M E N T S

Requirements Roulette: Gambling with Your Company’s Money

Pete DuPré, Borland-Micro Focus How much rework results from poor requirements in your orga-nization? Forty percent of the development budget is the norm. Yet organizations continue the practices that result in inadequate requirements because “they have always done it this way.” Sixty-three percent of software projects are delivered late, over budget, missing required features, or are considered failures according to the Standish Group’s CHAOS Manifesto 2011. Why? Requirements misfires resulting in rework are the primary cause. Rework can be significantly reduced, however, and the effort reapplied to value-add activities. This session will address this issue and offer some perspectives on how to avoid having your project become part of the next “failed projects” statistic. Join Pete to explore the problems with current requirement processes, understand why most orga-nizations continue to miss the mark, and how recent advances in social, mobile, and cloud technologies are impacting the optimiza-tion of the requirements process.

M O B I L E T E S T I N G

Mobile Application Testing: Are You Ready?Lee Barnes, Utopia Solutions If the mobile technology train hasn’t arrived at your organization yet, it soon will. Are you ready to jump onboard and face the unique testing challenges presented by mobile applications? In this ses-sion, Lee will lead a journey to help you understand where mobile quality is, where it’s going, why it matters to you, and what you can do to help ensure mobile quality in your organization. Lee’s presen-tation will highlight testing challenges specific to mobile apps and present mobile testing best practices including techniques for lever-aging test automation on mobile platforms. You will understand why testing in a mobile environment is different from traditional software testing and learn how to address the unique testing challenges pre-sented by mobile applications. Attend this talk and walk away with a solid mobile testing baseline and best practices for addressing the challenges that lie ahead.

B U S I N E S S T E S T I N G

Business Testing: A Risk-Based Approach

Rohit Pereira and Kimberly Tatum, Deloitte Consulting LLP There are many test methodologies that provide increased benefits and extract higher levels of test efficiencies, however, it is difficult to know which methodology to use and when. It is critical, though, to determine the right test methodology or strategy to be adopted in order to maximize return on investment and accelerate busi-ness success. In this discussion, Kim and Rohit will focus on how business testing is being applied in different industries. They will use an example from their client experience to explain how to test whether a technique addresses a particular business risk and how to integrate these techniques into a coherent test process. They will discuss how to determine the right business testing scope and how to stay compliant with testing principles. Finally, they will share ways to help identify and resolve business process gaps prior to go-live on your project.

Last Day Reminders!

Thursday will be your last chance to check out the Exhibitor EXPO and EXPO Talks. Be sure to attend the EXPO Reception at the conclusion of Thursday’s program for light snacks, drinks, prize drawings, networking, and entertainment!

Thursday will also be the last day for Coaching Sessions. Check the schedule or with a QAI staff member to see what topics and speakers will be available for the day.

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Benchmarking Thursday, May 3, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

A GI L E

An Agility Transformation Journey

Si Alhir, Redpoint Technologies and Len Lagestee, Cars.com Cars.com, a division of Classified Ventures LLC, was launched in June, 1998. It is the leading destination for online car shoppers, visited by more than 10 million people each month, and excels at putting car buyers in control of their shopping process by provid-ing the information they need to make confident buying decisions. To further fuel its success, Cars.com ventured into an enterprise transformation focused on greater organizational health and agility. The enterprise transformation involved product management, proj-ect management, product engineering, user experience, enterprise architecture, operations, infrastructure, and oversight. This session will showcase the transformation experience from all of these perspectives. Si and Len will share a transformation roadmap and specific actionable lessons learned that you can leverage in your own transformation. They will also address any questions you may have on the topic. If you are considering a transformation journey with agility, you don’t want to miss this session!


Open Source Automation vs. Integrated Testing Software

Anne Hungate, Nationwide Automation does not end with software development. Test automa-tion, done well, becomes part of the complete software asset. In this session, Anne will discuss the history of test automation and leading up to a lively comparison of automation tools in unified test-ing software (such as QTP) and Open Source tools (such as Cu-cumber). You will be given an evaluation framework to use for your own projects that will help you to understand which available au-tomation tools are best suited to your project needs going forward. Anne will share test automation tips from the trenches and practi-tioner learnings obtained as a result of actual experience. Anne will also provide a look ahead to what the future may hold with respect to test automation. You won’t want to miss this session.

B U S I N E S S P R O C E S S

Model Office: Focusing on Business Process Validation

Harriett Southerland and Connie Price, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Model Office is the final phase of validation before system go-live. The Model Office will provide an environment for business process validation by bringing together the people, process, and technol-ogy of a new solution. Typical testing organizations do a wonderful job of resolving defects around business requirements and system integration, but there is often a gap around process validation upon implementation to a production environment. The introduc-tion of a formalized Model Office phase enables the user to confirm business process functionality prior to roll-out. Join Harriett and Connie as they review the Model Office purpose, scope, and objec-tives. They will explain the associated governance, core team, key stakeholder models, and interaction points. They will share how the Model Office is integrated within the project life cycle and how you might leverage a similar idea.

M O B I L E T E S T I N G

Mobile Testing and Continuous Integration

Anaf Durrani, Orbitz Worldwide Mobile is already the next big thing. In the near future, we will see more transactions on mobile devices than on our desktops. What are you doing now to prepare for this future? The last thing you want is a manual solution to a problem that requires not only au-tomation, but continuous automation. Join Anaf and hear the story about how his organization entered this field by automating. Learn how they leveraged CI tools and virtualization to enable continu-ous integration that paves the way for continuous deployment. Anaf will discuss automation on multiple devices, integration with CI tools, and how to leverage distributed teams across the globe to effectively automate mobile offerings for native apps and mobile web sites.

P E O P L E / T E A M S

Building and Managing High Performance Teams

Yolonda Kennedy, WellPoint, Inc. Have you ever hired a tester that you thought was perfect for your project only to find that they actually were not the right fit? Once you do find the right candidates, how do you ensure that your team “jells” so that they are able to work effectively, individually and as a team? This presentation will provide some valuable insight into de-veloping a process to identify and hire a tester that is a good match for both your project and your company. You will learn how to use behavior interviewing and a skills assessment matrix to assist in your hiring decisions. You will discover how to build an onboarding and mentoring program to increase productivity and sustainabil-ity. Finally, Yolonda will also discuss how to use the “Tester Style Analysis” to assess and better understand each person in your group both to leverage individual strengths and to determine how they can best work together as a team.

Lunchtime RemindersThursday lunch is another opportunity to participate in the Special Interest Roundtables. Join fellow attendees for a discussion on hot topics relevant to the everyday practitioner.

Remember to visit the Exhibitor EXPO and have your EXPO Passport stamped by all the vendors before the conclusion of Thursday’s program. Turn in your completed EXPO Passport to the QAI Registration desk to receive a raffle ticket for QAI’s Grand Prize Drawing during Friday lunch (must be present to win).

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Thursday, May 3, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Industry Insights


Agility with Traceability: Blending Requirements and User Stories

Peter Varhol, Seapine Software Agile methodologies minimize the role of traditional requirements in application development, preferring to rely upon a combination of user stories and the source code itself for documentation of busi-ness and non-functional requirements. While saving time, this ap-proach can leave gaps in a team’s ability to validate a release prior to deployment. Join Peter and learn how to blend these two worlds, to reduce documentation needs while still maintaining a level of formal requirements for validation and traceability. This presenta-tion describes how to effectively use requirements with your exist-ing user stories to maintain team agility while improving your ability to validate features and more confidently deploy each release. If you’ve been hesitant to adopt agile because you’re unclear on how it will affect quality, or your customers continue to demand creation of formal requirements, attending this talk is a great way to learn practices that will alleviate those concerns.


An Automation Framework that Really Works

Basivi Junna, Scalar USA There are a multitude of test automation frameworks including, but not limited to, data driven, keyword driven, modular, and functional decomposition. Which framework is best suited for all or most circumstances? That is literally the million dollar question. Each framework is interpreted differently by different circles of the testing industry and, even worst; they each come with their own implemen-tation flavor. In this session, Basivi seeks to explain why we even need automation frameworks. He will discuss which framework is best under which circumstances and provide guidelines for the implementation of the best of the best automation frameworks, functional decomposition. Basivi will also cover analysis of the application under test, identifying functions, designing a test data repository, a pattern for function implementation, creation of auto-mated tests, and the execution and analysis of results.


Excellent Executable Requirements Can Get You Home on Time

Eric Landes, AgileThought Many teams build software that does not behave as expected. More than written specifications are required to ensure the value of software. Add “Executable Requirements” to your specifications toolbox. In this session, Eric will share the principles of building executable requirements and acceptance criteria that deliver value for your customer. He will show how excellent requirements can be created in difficult situations such as collaboration in different time zones, refining of vague requirements, and helping product owners use “one voice.” Learn business analyst collaboration techniques that help BA’s write requirements that the business, developers, and testers can understand. See how requirements can become closer to the code, so that what is required is clear. Discover practi-cal techniques can be utilized by project managers looking for ways to help increase the value of the software their teams deliver.

I N T H E

W I L D T E S T I N G

Thriving in the SoLoMo (Social-Local-Mobile) App Landscape

Matt Johnston, uTest New and emerging technologies such as social media, local search, and mobile apps (SoLoMo) on smartphones and tablets are impacting software engineering and testing organizations across the globe. With so much sensitive data flowing to mobile devices, there is immense pressure to ensure that apps are reliable, usable, scalable, private, and secure across a multitude of criteria. For example, the adoption of social networking apps present security hurdles. GPS apps present location testing challenges. Most apps are being used outside the sterile confines of the testing lab under “in-the-wild” conditions. And so, when apps and users are distribut-ed around the globe, a portion of your testing should be too. Based on real-world examples, this presentation explains how SoLoMo has transformed the software industry and outlines what it means for the testing community today. Join Matt to gain knowledge that is critical to confronting the challenges SoLoMo technologies present to the world of testing.

P E O P L E / T E A M S

Making Distributed Testing Teams Work

Jim Holmes, Telerik Working with distributed testing teams can cause extreme frustra-tion, slower releases, and outright project failure, but it doesn’t have to be this way! Distributed teams can help you to bring great value to your customers, but you’ll need a much different approach and mindset to ensure your teams work effectively. This session will walk you through the critical aspects of managing distributed teams including forming your team, tools for successful communication, smoothing your workflow, and dealing with conflict. We’ll spend time thinking through how a test team’s regular tasks work when split across the continent or globe. You’ll discover practical tips in-cluding choosing the right communication methods and tools (hint: e-mail is always your last resort!), and figuring out how to leverage time zones. You’ll also learn why it’s so critical to commit to regular group meetings, even if it means sharing the pain of staying late or coming early. Join Jim and discover how to make distributed teams work for you!

Discussion Panel & Bonus Session

Attend Thursday’s Discussion Panel at 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM and watch the leaders of PMI Chicagoland, Chicago IIBA Chapter, CQAA, C-SPIN, and IEEE Chicago Section talk about IT Disciplines: Collaboration, Competencies, and Careers.

REMINDER: Keep in mind that there will also be an early Bonus Session on Friday morning at 7:45 AM. Todd Nilson of Social Syntax will present An Enterprise View of Social Media, Collaboration, Jetpacks and Ray Guns.

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Workshops Thursday, May 3, 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM


Scrum in the EnterpriseJim York, FoxHedge Ltd. Development teams that adopt agile practices may soon find that they are going faster and have more capability to respond to chang-ing needs. That increased flexibility and speed may cause the development team to fall out of sync with the rest of the organiza-tion. The resulting dissonance creates stress on other parts of the delivery process. If the organization can’t balance the flow of work, pressures to revert to the former way of doing things can put the gains achieved at risk. Agile is more than a set of practices and the ability to respond to change. It is a way of being for the whole organization. This workshop focuses on the holistic change needed to become agile, the pitfalls and traps that can occur during the change, and the critical success factors for agile transformation. Join Jim to learn the key differences from the status quo and under-stand where agile fits into your enterprise.

• Recognize the holistic changed needed to become agile• Learn critical success factors needed to transform• Realize that pitfalls and traps can occur


End-to-End Automation of ERP Software: A Case Study

David Dang, Zenergy Technologies With various Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) modules span-ning many business areas, there are enormous benefits in imple-menting these packages in an end-to-end fashion. End-to-end ERP testing helps determine if business flows, data integrations, and module functionalities are working correctly. However, automating in an end-to-end manner can be challenging and companies often struggle to implement effectively. This workshop details the case of a large corporation undertaking an end-to-end SAP automation ef-fort. In this workshop, you will explore the considerations necessary to build an end-to-end ERP test automation suite. David will point out the key objectives and benefits of the company implementing in this way. The technical and non-technical challenges encountered will be outlined and solutions to overcome these challenges will be investigated. Finally, David will reveal the overall results of the effort.

• Identify the benefits, objectives, and challenges of end-to-end ERP testing and automation

• Explore solutions to overcome the challenges of this testing model

• Understand automation framework, data strategy, and integration examples


Leveraging Use Cases to Test Cases Development

Marcia Stinson, Quality Lifecycle Solutions If you are considering use cases as a method for eliciting and docu-menting your requirements for testability, this workshop will help prepare you for the task! In this workshop Marcia will provide best practices on writing effective use cases that can provide immediate results that will assist in test case development. You will discuss tips for writing clear and concise use cases such as active voice, clear transfer of control, and consistent level of detail. Working in teams, you will write use cases and then develop test plans from the use cases to reinforce the concepts being taught.

• Understand how to ensure use cases are clear and complete• Learn how to leverage use cases throughout the

development lifecycle• Discover how to link use cases to user acceptance test plans

A C C E S S A B I L I T Y T E S T I N G

Web Accessibility: A Missed Quality Requirement

Patrick Maher and Robbie Miller, TAP Group/nAblement If a website is not accessible to all potential visitors, what is the quality of that website? Services, products, information, and enter-tainment on the web can all be made available to millions con-sumers with vision loss, hearing loss, motor control loss, or even information processing challenges by complying with web acces-sibility standards. Assistive technologies, such as screen readers, enable web use by visitors with profound vision loss or blindness by converting web page text and images into computerized voice. But, these technologies cannot interpret websites or web applications that are not built and tested for compliance to Section 508 of the Rehab Act of 1973 as updated in the1998 Rehab Amendments Act. Join Pat and Robbie to learn how software quality assurance and business analysis professionals can champion web accessibility requirements and ensure they are properly defined and tested. Ex-perience screen reading technology and gain insight into applying standards that make the web accessible to all.

• Learn how to apply and test for web accessibility standards• See a demonstration of screen reading technology• Gain awareness of assistive technologies that make the web

available to allP E O P L E / T E A M S

If I Can See It, Why Can’t You?

Elizabeth Glaser, PhD and Joyce Sattovia, The Boeing Company No two people will experience this session exactly the same way! And that’s the beauty of working with others everyday – we all have a different way of seeing the same thing. It’s these differences that enhance our work environments and make it difficult to implement change within them at the same time. When we are aware that others see things very differently from us, we open up the possibili-ties of increasing our own effectiveness, the effectiveness of those around us, and the success of our whole team. Participants in this highly experiential session will look at the personal and organiza-tional side of how people grasp the same thing differently, and how this can be used to one’s advantage when navigating ourselves and others through change. Bring your unique perspective to this session and uncover how you can be more effective at implement-ing change when you use the fact that people see the same thing differently to your advantage.

• Realize that we all see things differently• Understand how to use these differences to your advantage• Be more effective at implementing change

EXPO Reception & EvaluationsAt the conclusion of Thursday’s program, stop by the Exhibitor EXPO for the EXPO Reception, sponsored by all our exhibitors participating in the QUEST 2012 EXPO. Refreshments will be served, entertainment will be provided, and the exhibitors will raffle off their prizes to eligible winners.

Tell us how we did! Remember to fill out your Overall Conference Evaluations, and turn them in to QAI staff members before lunch on Friday to enter the QAI Grand Prize Drawing.

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FRIDAY, MAY 4 - CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Friday, May 4, 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM Industry Insights

U N I T T E S T I N G

Getting Started with Test Driven Development

Stephen Vance, uTest We often are told, especially within the agile community, that Test Driven Development (TDD) is a great way to “build the quality in.” The benefits sound incontrovertible, but how do you get started? If you have ever tried to work with TDD only to wonder where or how to start, or if you have used TDD and feel like it just isn’t “clicking” and you are not realizing the benefits you expected, you will want to attend this session. Steve will begin with a spec for a simple but realistic software development project and walk through it in a test-driven way with the goal of helping you to understand how to successfully start and execute on a project with TDD. Steve will cover where to start, how to proceed, and how to look at code like a devtester. Examples will be in Java with JUnit, but may be easily interpreted in other languages.

R E G R E S S I O N T E S T I N G

How to Optimize Your Existing Regression Testing

Arthur Hicken, Parasoft This presentation introduces tips for ensuring that your regression testing process and system will identify regression issues as soon as possible without bombarding your team with false positives. Arthur will cover how to configure the regression system so that it provides the optimal level of results, how to best integrate the regression testing into various build processes and development infrastructures, and finally, how to establish a minimally-intrusive workflow that keeps the regression test suite in sync with the evolv-ing application. Join Arthur and learn how to do your very best work during the regression testing phase.

U S E R A C C E P T A N C E T E S T I N G

The UAT Chess Game: Playing Your Pieces to Win

Glenn Stout, PhD User acceptance testing is a challenge to many organizations. What is it? What are the goals, scope, and structure of it? Is the organization mature enough to handle a “true” UAT? Testing organizations will have to answer these questions to ultimately deliver a validated product. This session is designed to provide the audience with a few best practices – “chess moves” if you will – to best work with the user community and maximize the value of user acceptance testing so that everyone wins! Glenn will focus on the “people, process, and technology” using the backdrop of the “chess game” to help show what moves to make. You will take away the answers to all of the questions above and you will learn how to initially engage the user acceptance testing team, how to work with the UAT team, ways to motivate and coach them, and, most importantly, how to give guidance on determining what constitutes success.

P E R F O R M A N C E

Comprehensive Performance Monitoring of Large Enterprise Applications

Vinkesh Mehta and Vic Soder, Deloitte Consulting LLP A performance test is only as good as the performance test moni-toring and, the right performance monitoring setup can be complex. It takes time, money, and skills. For a very large enterprise applica-tion, a collection of over 10 different monitoring tools for test and production operations is used. In this session, Vinkesh will share the approach for developing requirements, designing the architec-ture, and implementing a performance monitoring system for large applications. He will explain the pros and cons of a performance monitoring system for build vs. buy and single vendor vs. best of breed solutions. You will learn how to use the monitoring system to identify and analyze performance issues. Participate in this session and discover the skills required to build, maintain, and use perfor-mance monitoring systems.

Friday, May 4, 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM

B U I L D I N G T E S T I N G P R A C T I C E

Building a New Software Testing PracticeKaren Johnson, Software Test Management, Inc. Perhaps you have a very limited budget or you might not have any funding at all. You might not have a staff and in fact, you might be the only and the first software tester in your company. With no previous path to follow, no process in place and possibly minimal internal support or understanding of what a software tester does – you face the challenge of building a software testing practice within your organization. On the one hand, you have a fresh start and no baggage but on the other hand you have minimal support, no momentum and a long road ahead of you to develop the team, the process and the practice you visualize. Where do you start? Karen Johnson facilitates the discussion of building a software testing practice; a situation she has been through several times herself. Come and join a lively discussion of the ins and outs of building from the beginning.

Friday, May 4, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

P A N E L D I S C U S S I O N

Free Testing Tools: Looking Inside Open Source

With today’s pressures to reduce time to market and costs, testing tools are a means to improve productivity. An alternative to com-mercial testing tools is open source software, developed by vol-untary efforts of communities of individual programmers and large companies, and is openly published for use at no charge. With the growth of open source software over the past decade, open source covers the entire testing lifecycle — test management, functional automation, acceptance testing, continuous integration, defect management, and performance testing. Tools such as Selenium, Cucumber, FitNesse, Jenkins, Bugzilla. TestLink, Load UI are avail-able along with over a hundred open source functionality testing tools and over fifty performance testing tools.

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FRIDAY, MAY 4 - CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Industry Insights Friday, May 3, 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

L I F E C Y C L E T E S T I N G

Closing the Specifications Quality Gap through Behavior Driven Development

Chris Kozak, ThoughtWorks Many quality issues stem from poor communication between a proj-ect’s various stakeholders. Behavior Driven Development (BDD) attempts to address this problem by clarifying desired software behavior through discussion between those stakeholders – the BA who thinks about the business’ objectives, the QA who thinks about the edge cases, and the developer who thinks about the imple-mentation. This can be a significant change for many organiza-tions since this process involves re-deploying QA’s as analysts of a system’s negative space and developers as analysts of the system’s non-functional requirements. The outputs of these discus-sions are specifications that describe a system’s requirements in high-level natural language. These specifications are then used to guide the implementation of the system, eventually becoming test cases that lock-in the desired behavior. They also serve as a form of “living documentation” for the life of the application. Join Chris to understand why quality is much easier and cheaper to “bake-in” at the beginning of the project than to apply at the end.

W E B T E S T I N G

The Many Faces of Web Testing at GoogleGreg Dennis and Simon Stewart, Google Google lives and dies by the quality of its web apps. Testing then is an essential part of the product development. Just as in every company, however, not every developer and tester at Google has the same level of technical ability. In this session, you’ll find out which tools Google uses to make it as painless as possible to auto-mate testing and how you can put these same tools to work on your project. Most of these tools are Open Source and some of them may already be familiar to you, while others might be new. Tools include Selenium, WebDriver, Web Puppeteer, and the Closure test runner. Of course, the tools are only half the story. Greg and Simon will also cover mistakes they’ve made, give tips on writing stable tests, and talk a little about the secret sauce of Google’s web testing infrastructure.

T E S T R E U S A B I L I T Y

RSTAR™: Achieving Reusable Tests and DataKaren Johns, Mosaic, Inc. Reusability is the key to cost-effective manual and automated test-ing. Most testing approaches achieve only partial reuse since they ignore a critical component — test data. RSTAR™ is a testing and test automation framework that manages your test data as a reus-able asset to enable Full Reuse™ of your manual and automated tests. It implements a complete test architecture from test planning and test data management through test execution with a single shared repository. Using the reusable manual tests and test data, RSTAR™ then enables a powerful test automation framework with a wide variety of automation tools. This demonstration will illustrate the benefits of Full Reuse™ and the critical role test data provides to enable Full Reuse™. Karen will also demonstrate the features of RSTAR™ that support reusable tests, test data, and test execu-tion. How these features then enable a powerful test automation framework will also be demonstrated with Selenium as the test automation tool.

P E R F O R M A N C E

Real World Production Performance Testing from the Cloud

Dan Bartow, SOASTA and Lee Barnes, Utopia Solutions Online application performance is critical – no one would chal-lenge this statement. Yet, in the web and mobile world the amount of performance testing done on applications is appallingly low. When performance testing is done, it’s usually conducted in a test lab. Even with thorough lab-based testing, applications very frequently topple under the pressure of real-word users. Results from lab testing alone are not delivering the performance answers that leadership needs for their business-critical systems. Testing in production is an essential component of world-class performance methodologies. However, this approach is not without its own set of challenges including security, test data, and live customer impact. In this session, you’ll learn how business from the New York Stock Exchange to Netflix use Cloud-based performance testing to gain deep insight into how their systems will perform. In addition, you will take away key elements from the methodology that companies are using to address the unique challenges presented by performance testing in production.

Discussion Forums

E N T E R P R I S E T E S T I N G

Size Matters When Testing in a Large Organization

Beverly Edwards, Allstate Every IT organization is different and unique, as is every testing organization. One component that contributes to an organization’s uniqueness is its size. Testing in large-sized IT shops presents challenges, opportunities, successes, and pitfalls that many of us have already experienced. They may be related to team structure, communication, methodology, staffing, how fast or slow you can get things accomplished, and much, much more. In this forum, you will have the opportunity to share your experiences, connect with colleagues to expand your network, and leverage best practices re-lated to testing in a large IT shop. Join Beverly and a group of your colleagues for a lively discussion and productive debate on “living large” in your IT shop.

R E G U L A T E D T E S T I N G

FDA is a Three Letter Word: Testing in a Regulated Environment

Denise Flueckiger, Abbott Many organizations say they have a defined SDLC (Software De-velopment Life Cycle) that they follow for projects, but would it pass an audit by a regulatory agency? Testing in a regulated environ-ment presents challenges that other industries do not have. These challenges may be related to documentation, testing, or testing environments. In this forum, you will have the opportunity to share your experiences, connect with colleagues to expand your network, and leverage other companies’ knowledge of testing in a regulated environment. Join Denise and a group of your colleagues for a lively discussion and productive debate on testing in a regulated environment.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

Throw-Away Test Automation By George Wilson, COO, Original Software

Software test automation has been available for over a quarter of a century, but the practice still has many skeptics, and the biggest barrier to adoption remains the level of maintenance required to sustain it. Achieving just a moderate level of automation coverage requires considerable investment of budget and resource. With increasing software development complexity and IT departments taking on an agile approach, traditional test automation has become too cumbersome.

Why is Test Automation so Cumbersome?Traditional test automation systems originated in a world that moved at a much slower pace, where waterfall developments were the norm. These products got their capabilities from powerful scripting languages; something that has become a nightmare in the 21st century, requiring test automation engineers to communicate with the complex test automation tool.

Worse still, the script library took weeks and months to develop because the script required knowledge of how the developers were naming the visual components – something that wasn’t consistent or predictable. The code-based tools had to operate in a ‘record’ mode to establish the initial script, which made them usable only once the application was complete - automation coding effort couldn’t even commence until sections of the code were finished.

The real obstacle was what was to happen when the application under test changed? Suddenly all these laboriously created ‘assets’ were worth nothing and would not execute until the entire process had been repeated.

This led to some organizations doing what came naturally and gave up. Others threw even more resources at the problem, while some hid the failure by outsourcing the entire test burden. All this for an initiative which was meant to reduce the need for resources, save time and improve quality!

To put this in perspective, industry analysts state that the high water mark in automation success is when 20% of an application has been automated. This is the high water mark, mind you, not the average, 20% is the peak of what you can expect after a significant financial investment!

The Current Need for SpeedIn the last decade the rate of business change has risen beyond anything we could have expected. The availability of new technology has fuelled this, along with the need to adapt quickly to changing market requirements.

Agile development is increasing in popularity because today’s fast-paced business environment requires an organization’s development process to be adaptable to changing needs. The Agile model provides frequent delivery and increased customer involvement. However, with all the benefits of a more flexible process, come challenges in how to assure the quality and governance of these ever-changing applications.

QA teams now have to accept that requirements can often change during each iteration. Changes in requirements are consequently reflected in the code and the tests that QA teams have to develop, which in turn can lead to a large amount of rework and script maintenance.

Applications are becoming more like living things; beings that grow and mature, morphing from new-born status to an almost unrecognizable fully grown adult with all the associated trappings and documents that adults tend to collect throughout their lives. How is outdated and cumbersome test automation technology supposed to cope with this level of change and complexity? It simply can’t.

Stuck in the 90’sJames A. Whittaker in his blog post Still Stuck in the 90s said: “Don’t get me wrong, software testing has been full of innovation. We built tools and automated the crud out of certain types of interfaces. But those interfaces change and that automation… is rarely reusable. How much real innovation have we had in this discipline that has actually stood the test of time? I argue that we’ve thrown most of it away. A disposable two decades.”

The modern business with all its need for speed and agility just has no place left for these types of solutions, regardless of how much

organizations have already invested in them, and regardless of how much resource is tied up in trying to maintain them. We have the need for a solution that is faster, lighter and able to respond to dynamic application developments. The business now needs test assets that are quick and easy to develop, can be re-used or adapted easily, or can be discarded without a second thought.

So Why Throw Away Automation?We need to recalibrate our expectations and remind ourselves of the potential benefits from test automation, and deliver automation that is usable by all. By freeing automation from the burden of scripts based on code, we can imagine a solution that is used by subject matter experts and not limited to developers. One that could adapt to changes in the application under test and be intelligent enough to understand the application, removing the need to develop logic in addition to the validation itself.

The exciting thing is that modern automation goes a surprisingly long way towards addressing these needs. But at some point the application or business will change and the existing test assets will have little or no value. If that loss represents an investment in resource and time at a level so large that there is no appetite to redevelop those assets for the new application, then automation will have failed.

We’ve arrived at the acid test – if it is deemed easier to return to a manual test approach, then automation has failed and deserves to be thrown away. Test automation has failed to date simply because we could not afford to throw it away due to the effort and time.

The reality is that you have to be in a position to throw away the automation you have created. Sooner or later the application will change in such a way that no amount of automatic healing can tackle. So by definition, the creation of the automation must have been so fast and cost-efficient, that you can afford to throw it away.

AccentureBronze Sponsor www.accenture.com

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. Accenture has approximately 180,000 people serving clients in over 120 countries.

- Sponsoring Thursday Afternoon Break

AgileThoughtwww.agilethought.com

AgileThought is a full-service software consulting firm, staffed by the absolute best professionals in the business. We develop custom software solutions for a diverse set of Fortune 500 clients with a focus on Microsoft solutions. We’ve built the company around the core philosophies of hiring the most passionate and talented software professionals and forming strong, integrated partnerships with our clients. We deliver guidance and value through Custom Application Development; Application Lifecycle Management; Enterprise Portals; Business Intelligence Solutions; UI/UX Design and Implementation; and Mobile Strategy and Application Development (web and native). We love what we do. And we constantly strive to find better ways to do it.

- Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

Analytics8Gold Sponsor www.analytics8.com

Analytics8 is a Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing enablement, training, and optimization consulting firm with offices in the United States and Australia. We provide consulting services covering the end-to-end BI life cycle, from strategy to design, development, implementation, support, and training. We have expertise in quality assurance with members who pioneered the practices of automated functional, regression, and performance testing. Stop by our booth and see a demo of QuerySurge- the only DW/BI automated tool that can test up to 100% of your data.

- Sponsoring Wednesday Breakfast & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

Arsinwww.arsin.com

Arsin is an Independent Verification & Validation company providing specialized testing solutions to help organizations enhance their productivity, quality and reduce the overall cost of software development activities. Arsin is backed by a test automation framework that has been field tested and refined, Effecta, which extends industry tools such as HP and IBM Rational to provide end-to-end testing from the user interface to the data level and features a single place to manage test cases, retain test data, enable script-less automation, manage change and validate data. Arsin has serviced a broad range of industries including Retail, Healthcare, Finance and Technology.


Ascertwww.ascert.com

Since 1992, Ascert has been providing advanced automated testing and certification solutions that perform critical testing operations in a reliable, repeatable, and cost effective manner, even under the most extreme application conditions. Our transaction testing solutions help companies measure the reliability, performance, and scalability of their mission critical applications in Quality Assurance and Development environments around the globe. Our latest innovations support interface certification testing by automatically validating message form, data content and messaging protocol against defined standards. Ascert is uniquely positioned as the sole supplier of robust testing tools for the HP NonStop platform as well as for other platforms, utilizing our VersaTest MP technology.


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2012 SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

Checkpoint TechnologiesGold Sponsor www.checkpointech.com

Checkpoint Technologies, Inc. is a solutions provider that specializes in Business Technology Optimization. We are experts in all areas of quality assurance and software testing – performance, functional, and security. Checkpoint Technologies provides leading-edge software solutions, training, mentoring, senior consulting, and staff augmentation. Our services include both manual and automated testing with automated testing being an area in which we are known for our expertise. Checkpoint Technologies is an HP Business Partner and Certified Training Partner. We have assisted numerous organizations with their implementation of testing solutions with on-site consulting, staff augmentation, and training.

- Sponsoring Conference USB Drives & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

David Consulting Groupwww.davidconsultinggroup.com

David Consulting Group helps you lift the performance of your software development community to a higher level that works for you. With the experience, credentials and coaching/mentoring approach proven over decades of consulting your groups, whether internal software developers or software product builders, will benefit quickly and start making changes that last. We help you improve your software performance with methods and techniques that fit your culture, engineering aspirations and financial objectives. We help you answer the question, if you could change on thing about your software development, what would it be?


Deloitte ConsultingBronze Sponsor www.deloitte.com

Deloitte Consulting’s technology professionals help clients identify and solve their most critical information and technological challenges. We provide advisory through end-to-end implementation services as well as outsourcing services and are recognized in the marketplace for capabilities across the spectrum. By combining our technical capabilities with our industry experiences, we create unmatched market offerings to solve our clients’ business issues. Additionally, we have long-term partnerships with many of the world’s leading technology companies, allowing us to understand solution alternatives and support the most appropriate solution for our clients. By leveraging these elements, we are able to help our clients convert leading edge ideas into tangible results.

- Sponsoring Conference Pens

Experiswww.experis.us

Few companies can match Experis’ scope, history of success, and our reputation as the global leader in professional talent and project solutions. Experis accelerates business growth and careers by intensely attracting, assessing, and placing specialized expertise in IT, Finance & Accounting, Engineering and other industries. We precisely deliver in-demand talent for mission-critical business needs and deliver solutions, enhancing the competitiveness of the organizations and people we serve. Experis, a dedicated business unit of ManpowerGroup, applies our expertise to improve our clients’ productivity, efficiency, and cost containment.


Galmontwww.galmont.com

Galmont Consulting is a technology firm specializing in software quality assurance and testing and business analysis. Based in the Chicago area, Galmont employs the most skilled and capable quality, testing, business analysis, and project management consultants in the marketplace. Leveraging extensive industry experience and rigorous methodologies, Galmont consultants provide clients with the support and expertise needed to build defect-free technologies and the knowledge to improve internal testing and software quality management practices.


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Micro FocusGold Sponsor www.microfocus.com

Micro Focus provides innovative software that allows companies to dramatically improve the business value of their enterprise applications. Micro Focus Enterprise Application Modernization, Testing and Management software enables customers’ business applications to respond rapidly to market changes and embrace modern architectures with reduced cost and risk. With the recent acquisitions of Borland Software and the Compuware ASQ business, Micro Focus enables customers to better control, measure and manage application delivery, by automating testing and quality processes across every phase of the software delivery lifecycle.

- Sponsoring Thursday Breakfast

Mosaic, Inc.www.mosaicinc.com

Mosaic, Inc. is a Chicago-based, nationally recognized leader in software quality and testing. Established in 1988, Mosaic’s specialty services provide a value-added source for testing, test automation, quality assurance, measurement and software process improvement expertise. We supply experienced hands-on professionals supported by extensive intellectual property. Mosaic’s intellectual property includes: MSTAR®, a comprehensive testing methodology, RSTAR™, a test repository and framework for full reuse of your manual tests, test data and automation scripts that supports industry, open source and home-grown automation tools, DSTAR™, a test data management tool for Quality Center, and TR Sizer™ for measuring system size.


MicrosoftDiamond Sponsor www.microsoft.com/visualstudio

Microsoft Corporation, incorporated in 1981, develops, manufactures, licenses and supports a range of software products for computing devices. The Company’s software products include operating systems for servers, personal computers (PCs) and intelligent devices, server applications for distributed computing environments, information worker productivity applications, business solution applications, high-performance computing applications and software development tools.

- Sponsoring Wednesday Attendee Appreciation Evening Event & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

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iCEDQ SoftBronze Sponsor www.icedq.com

iCEDQ Soft is specializes in ETL quality assurance and data monitoring software for data centric projects and systems. In a data-centric world, the company is focused on optimization strategies for data consolidation and data integration. It has developed data testing software, iQA® and data the health monitoring software, iGOVERN®. Its software is being used by some of the top banks and insurance companies to test and validate their data and ETL processes. These software products assure the data integrity based on Audit, Checks & Controls, Compliance, and Reconciliation rules. iCEDQ Soft - DBA for Abyss Group, Inc.

- Sponsoring Wednesday Morning Break & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

NVP Software Testing Bronze Sponsorwww.nvp-inc.com

NVP Software Testing provides Software Testing and Quality Assurance services to companies that develop software, as well as companies for which software is an integral part of their business. We build customized solutions to help our customers reach their business objectives. All of our solutions stem from our five core attributes of Quality, Professionalism, Flexibility, Reliability, and Trust. NVP has the right solution for you. Be sure to visit our booth to enter our valuable prize draw and don’t forget to ask about our Complimentary ½ Day Assessment. Trust the experts.

- Sponsoring Thursday Morning Break & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

SPAN Systems Corporationwww.spansystems.com

SPAN is an EDB ErgoGroup ($2 billion, Nordic Company) established outsourced software services provider. SPAN’s independent Testing & Quality Services are unique as it brings unidirectional focus to outsourced testing. Simply said test objectives are defined and ratified by clients and then executed to realize objectives. The spread includes application testing in various technologies, unified communication and devices and a tailored testing method for Products/ISV. SPAN is CMM Level 4, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 27001:2005 and Microsoft & Oracle Certified Partner. SPAN has a global footprint with offices in the USA, India and Group offices in Europe.


SQS GroupPlatinum Sponsor www.sqs-group.com

SQS is the largest independent provider of software quality management, quality assurance and testing services. Founded in Cologne in 1982, SQS employs 1,700 staff. With over 5,000 completed projects, SQS has a strong client base, including half of the DAX 30, nearly a third of the STOXX 50 and 20 of the FTSE 100 companies. Along with a strong presence in Germany and the UK, SQS has further subsidiaries in Egypt, Finland, India, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and the US. In addition, SQS maintains a minority stake in a company in Portugal and a cooperative venture in Spain. In 2009, SQS generated sales of 134.3 million Euros. The core business of SQS is providing managed services for software testing.

- Sponsoring QUEST Magazine & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

Seapine Softwarewww.seapine.com

Seapine Software is the leading provider of Quality-Centric Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solutions. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with offices in Europe and Asia-Pacific, our software development tools help organizations of all sizes streamline communication, improve traceability, achieve compliance, and deliver quality products. Over 8,500 companies use Seapine’s award-winning integrated tools for requirements management, software change and configuration management, test case management, issue and defect tracking, load testing, automated functional testing, and web load testing. When software quality is critical, Seapine is essential.


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Original Softwarewww.origsoft.com

With a world class record of innovation, Original Software offers a solution focused completely on the goal of effective quality management. By embracing the full spectrum of Application Quality Management across a wide range of applications and environments, products include a quality management platform, dynamic manual testing, robust test automation and test data management software. Our solution is delivered with the control of business risk, cost, time and resources in mind. More than 400 organizations operating in over 30 countries use Original Software solutions. Our customers include the likes of Coca-Cola, Unilever, Barclays Bank, HSBC, FedEx, Pfizer, DHL and many others.


Scalar USAGold Sponsor www.scalarusa.com

Scalar USA is a woman owned, global technology consulting company with an array of service offerings to meet our client’s myriad needs. Combinations of our Professional services and right sourcing, out sourcing right here in U.S. makes us unique and competitive in overall outsourcing market place. Scalar USA is a solution-based company with resilient focus on Quality Assurance, and has aligned with Clients to build Centre of Excellence for their Performance Engineering and Functional Test Automation. Scalar’s Evaluation services offering with combination of Proof of Concept (POC) help clients visualize potential ROI and experience how Automation can accelerate and significantly increase their productivity. Our methodology, solutions and immense pool of quality resources make us the leaders in Software Quality Assurance.

- Sponsoring Conference Padfolios & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

TAP GroupSilver Sponsor www.tapgroup.com

TAP Group is part of the SPR family of companies – a premier provider of technology solutions and in-demand IT talent for Fortune 1000 and mid-market companies since 1973. With expertise in quality management, software testing, business analysis, and project management, TAP Group helps IT organizations achieve velocity and excellence in software. Led by our senior consultants, TAP assessments provide clients visibility into project health, application quality, process capabilities, and tool integration, along with pragmatic improvement strategies. With a strong focus on quality, TAP’s near-shore testing centers provide a cost-effective alternative for functional, web accessibility, mobile application, and automation testing within both traditional and Agile projects. - Sponsoring Exhibitor EXPO Bags & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

TelerikSilver Sponsor www.telerik.com

Telerik is a market-leading provider of end-to-end solutions for application development, automated testing, agile project management, reporting, and content management across all major Microsoft development platforms. Telerik’s award-winning software development products enable enterprises and organizations of every size to generate tangible productivity gains, reduce time-to-market, and stay on time and under budget. With tens of thousands of users in more than 90 countries around the world, Telerik’s customers include numerous Fortune 2000 companies, academic institutions, governments, and non-profit organizations. - Sponsoring Conference Lanyards & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

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Tulkita Technologies Inc. Bronze Sponsorwww.tulkita.com

Tulkita Technologies Inc. is a boutique consultancy firm focused on Quality Assurance and Testing. Based on its market leading services, innovative solutions and deep business experience, Tulkita collaborates with its clients to deliver customized, cost-effective solutions in Test Strategy, Optimization and Training. Tulkita provides your organization with unique Test Strategy Consulting Services, focused on improving the essential elements of your Test Practice. Tulkita’s Strategy Consulting concentrates on ‘real’, practical solutions that focus on the realization of both short-term goals and long-term success. Tulkita’s renowned Test Training Service, Acceletester™, is a full-service training program, unique to the testing market today providing pre-built course offerings, onsite/offsite training options and customized training solutions. Acceletester™ provides organizations with the necessary skills and expertise required to succeed in today’s ever-changing market. - Sponsoring Wednesday Afternoon Break & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

uTestPlatinum Sponsor www.utest.com

uTest provides in-the-wild testing services that span the entire software development lifecycle – including functional, security, load, localization and usability testing. The company’s community of more than 45,000 professional testers from 180 countries put web, mobile and desktop applications through their paces by testing on real devices under real-world conditions. Thousands of companies — from startups to industry-leading brands – rely on uTest as a critical component of their QA processes for fast, reliable, and cost-effective testing results. More info at http://www.utest.com or http://blog.utest.com. - Sponsoring Tuesday Welcome Reception & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

TestOptimalwww.testoptimal.com

TestOptimal provides an innovative and highly agile test design and test automation framework based on Model-Based Testing (MBT). TestOptimal BasicMBT, ProMBT, Server Manager and Runtime Server enable QA professionals and test engineers to radically improve the quality of test design and test coverage within the context of an intuitive automation framework. Utilising advanced Extended Finite State Machine notation to describe software behavior ensures early detection of requirement defects. The lean, agile automation suites inherently require less time and effort to adapt to change or maintain. Main features include model-based test generation, integrated test automation, test case visualization, requirements traceability, and load/performance testing. Innovate your testing process to reduce time-to-market with TestOptimal. - Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

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Zenergy Technologieswww.zenergytechnologies.com

Zenergy Technologies is a specialty QA & testing firm that places high value on practical solutions. With strong emphasis on strategic thought leadership in addition to tactical implementation, Zenergy’s experts advise and guide project teams in industry best practices and optimal approaches while helping them steer clear of pitfalls that typically hinder organizations. Utilizing QA, test, and automation techniques that improve the business value of software development, Zenergy tailors solutions that contribute maximum benefit with minimal disruption. And for organizations using or moving toward iterative development, Zenergy excels in helping Agile/Iterative teams develop low maintenance automation and effective continuous integration.


Utopia Solutionswww.utopiasolutions.com

Utopia Solutions is a global quality and testing firm known for its innovative solutions, built from over a decade of helping hundreds of companies achieve breakthroughs in system quality and performance. Utopia Solutions offers custom and managed service solutions in the areas of mobile application testing, test automation, performance testing and software process improvement. Our solutions enable businesses and their IT organizations to focus on achieving business outcomes rather than struggle with quality and performance barriers.


Wipro TechnologiesPlatinum Sponsor www.wipro.com

Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT) provides IT solutions and services, including systems integration, information systems outsourcing, Testing, BPO, Package implementation, application development and maintenance and research and development services globally. Wipro Testing Services, with FY’09-10 revenue of $500+ Mn, 250+ clients and 10,000+ dedicated Testing executives, is the largest Independent Testing Services Provider globally (Source IDC Marketscape Report: July’2010). We have sustained such a growth due to our knowledge management process that have lead to innovation in the form of IPs, Tools and Frameworks that help us deliver greater value to our customers by reducing cycle times and making testing more robust.

- Sponsoring Thursday Lunch & Exhibiting in QUEST 2012 EXPO

Join active chapters of IT quality professionals in your local community. Find the QAI Global Community

chapter nearest you at www.qaiUSA.com.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Connect with colleagues.

Share best practices.

Become a leader.

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QUEST 2012 SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

Chicago Quality Assurance Association (CQAA)www.cqaa.org

The Chicago Quality Assurance Association was established in 1984 and is the second oldest chapter of the QAI Global Institute. CQAA promotes software quality principles and practices within the Chicagoland area by providing a forum for networking and information sharing. CQAA offers monthly speaker programs, lunch & learns, webinars, and training classes a to over 1500 members for continuing education. Professional certification is supported by hosting the CSQA and CSTE certification prep classes in Chicago and facilitating local study groups. Other activities have included one-day vendor showcases and symposiums, special interest groups for information exchange, co-hosting programs with other professional organizations, and job search service.


Chicago IIBA Chapterchicago.theiiba.org

The Chicagoland Chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®) works to build awareness of the business analyst profession and to promote the ongoing development of individual practitioners. With the changing face of today’s business organizations and IT departments, the Business Analyst (BA) performs a role crucial to the success of the dynamic business cycle of planning, implementing, and managing change within companies of all sizes and in every industry. Our meetings are conducted monthly on the first Wednesday evening of the month at a variety of sites around the Chicagoland area.


Chicago Software Process Improvement Network (C-SPIN)www.c-spin.net

Chicago Software Process Improvement Network NFP promotes achieving higher levels of process maturity, software quality and mutual respect. C-SPIN’s goals are to enhance skills and support technology transition through an active program of networking, speakers, forums, publications, recognition of excellence, and mutual support. Since its establishment in 1994 the C-SPIN has grown to support approximately 1200 members from over 150 companies in the Chicago area. Its membership is composed of software professionals with a high interest in process improvement. The C-SPIN delivers programs to its membership on a variety of software quality and related topics intended to inform, educate, train, and share lessons learned.


IEEE Chicago Sectionwww.ieeechicago.org

IEEE Chicago Section serves electrical engineers and computer related professionals in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. It is an active professional network of over 5000 local technology practitioners, innovators, business leaders, educators and students. It is part of the world’s largest professional association (www.ieee.org) dedicated to advancing technological innovation via publications, conferences, standards, and professional and educational activities.


PMI Chicagolandwww.pmi-chicagoland.org

The Project Management Institute (PMI) establishes project management standards, provides seminars, educational programs and professional certifications for project management professionals worldwide. The Chicagoland Chapter of PMI was chartered in 1977 and today has more than 4,200 members. The vision of the chapter is to be the professional association chapter of choice for project management knowledge, accreditation, development and practice. It strives to promote project management knowledge, standards and ethical practice, provide value to members, increase awareness of the importance of project management among senior management, awareness of the PMI certification process and improve communications with business and the community.


Test Republicwww.testrepublic.com

Test Republic is the world’s largest knowledge exchange network focused exclusively on Software Testing professionals. With 9940 +registered members in over 198 countries, Test Republic is a place for Testers to meet, share, network and have access to top notch software Testing content. Test Republic currently hosts 660+ videos, 800+ white papers, 400+ blogs, and 140+ groups on a variety of Software Testing topics.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

Maintenance Phase Testing - The Significant Value in Doing it Right! By Gireendra Kasmalkar, SQS Group

The Opportunity:We have all seen a diagram of testing through the SDLC like the similar to the one shown below. We all know the value of starting testing early and its criticality in the development of a quality product.

The question is whether we are we paying the same attention to testing during the maintenance phase? It is in the maintenance phase that software spends the largest percentage of its life. It goes without saying that very significant benefits can be realised by the business through efficiency and cost-effectiveness of testing in the maintenance phase.

What happens in the earlier phases:In the Business Demand phase, the static review activities that are inherent in this phase require that testers have subject matter expertise. They must continually consult the business to ensure that true business needs are met. In the Development phase, the dynamic nature of the activity requires that testers work closely with the developers. In methodologies such as Agile, developers are expected to participate in testing.

Things change in the Maintenance phase:Maintenance is a “steady-state” activity. At this phase there are no more special project teams formed for development and implementation. The SME’s have more critical things to do than regression testing release after release. Even the size of the testing team is reduced as compared to the development and implementation phase. In this phase test automation provides an excellent solution but requires very specialized testers.

Unquestionably the best testing results are achieved through a combination of business domain experts (SME’s) and testing specialists. But more than any other phase of the SDLC, it is in the maintenance phase that a clear division of labour between these teams brings major benefits to the business. However, the SME’s are going to be in short supply, their band-width critical, and their time very expensive. Simple economics shows that the SME’s should be relieved of any testing responsibilities during the maintenance phase. The time constraints on testers with domain and technology knowledge require they dedicate most of their time to the development and implementation phases of other projects. The majority of testers in the maintenance phase should be purely testing experts (e.g. test automation), not product / application experts.

But how is this implemented?The model just defined is made possible by introducing another specialized group of testers, the test architects (TAs). The TAs are senior testers who are the intermediary between the SME’s and the test implementation team.

What we have just described an “assembly-line” of three “stations” of specific skills, with clearly defined roles:

• the SME’s will define and prioritize the business use cases;

• the test architects will design the test cases, or the test automation; and

• the test implementation team will prepare or automate test cases and execute them.

The following diagram shows how this works with a specific instance of automation implemented.

During the maintenance phase, depending on the release schedule, the throughput required from Testing can vary dramatically. In this model, with a clear knowledge of the productivity of the test implementation team, it can be ramped up and down fairly quickly and the throughput closely monitored and controlled.

Taking this logical step forward, especially in cases where testing is outsourced, the maintenance phase testing in the above model can be priced on an output-basis rather than on head-count basis. This can significantly increase the risk shared by the testing partner but who is now more incentivized to improve efficiency of the operation. In a head-count basis, there is no incentive to be efficient!

The advantages:The biggest financial benefit comes from the savings in the SME’s time. The “assembly-line” is geographically distributable allowing the SME’s to remain onsite while the other teams can be off-site, near-shore, or off-shore thus bringing even more financial benefits.

The SME team and the architect team can remain fairly stable in size while the test implementation team can flex up and down quickly as typically required during the maintenance phase. This scalable testing specialization approach allows for testing to be more efficient and meet the critical expectations during the maintenance phase.

Before I leave:The inspiration for this idea obviously comes from the manufacturing domain. This is not the first time the software industry has benefitted from the more mature practices of the manufacturing industry.

how did the tester and developer get the day off? By working together to beat the timeline.

Better collaboration. Better quality. No joke.

See how at www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/test.

VS_FullPgAd_BSM.indd 1 10/17/11 9:53 AM

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