Past Meetings 2009

2009 · 2008 · 2007 · 2006 · 2005 · 2004 · 2003 · 2002 · 2001 · 2000 · 1999 · 1998

The Future of Testing Jan 2009 If there was a World Cup of Product Failure, surely software would be a strong contender for the title. What other product has such a poor track record of quality yet literally has successfully embedded itself in nearly all aspects of our lives? And the future looks even more digital with computing tables, walls, countertops and RFIDs embedded in nearly everything we buy. How will we test the software of tomorrow when we struggle with the software of today? Join James as he presents a vision of software testing in the future. James will detail several compelling predictions of the future of testing and how that future will impact the daily work of the software tester. Some of the predictions are actually in progress now and others are 10+ years out. However, the technology to realize James’ vision requires no substantial leap, the foundation to build it is here today. What is necessary is that software professionals look beyond the day-to-day testing grind with a keen eye for innovation and opportunity. Presentation Slides	James A. Whittaker Principal Architect, Microsoft Corporation James A. Whittaker, currently a Principal Architect at Microsoft, has spent his career in software testing. He was an early thought leader in model-based testing where his PhD dissertation from the University of Tennessee became a standard reference on the subject. While a professor at Florida Tech, he founded the world’s largest academic software testing research center and helped make testing a degree track for undergraduates. Before he left Florida Tech, his research group had grown to over 60 students and faculty and had secured over $12 million in research awards and contracts. During his tenure at FIT he wrote How to Break Software and the series follow-ups How to Break Software Security (with Hugh Thompson) and How to Break Web Software (with Mike Andrews). His research team also developed the highly acclaimed runtime fault injection tool Holodeck and marketed it through their startup Security Innovation, Inc. James is a frequent keynote speaker and has won numerous best-presentation awards. His blog can be found at http://blogs.msdn.com/james_whittaker
Ideas for Rapid Test Management Feb 2009 Jon Bach assumes that whether you're a tester or a test manager, you have no time to do the things you want to do. Knowing that even the things you need to do will compete for your attention, he has some ideas to keep it all straight. It's not about time management, it's about where your energy goes. In this talk, Jon will share the ideas that seem to be working for him as a test manager of 15 people on 3 projects at LexisNexis. His ideas are meant to solve common problems in test execution, reporting, measurement, and personnel -- all of which are low (or no) cost and relatively easy to implement. Presentation Slides	Jon Bach Lexis Nexis Jon Bach has been a software tester for more than 13 years, and is currently a Senior QA Manager at LexisNexis. He speaks frequently about exploratory and rapid testing, and is the co-inventor of session-based test management.
Beneath, Between, and Behind the lines of Test Excellence at Microsoft March 2009 There are over 35,000 software engineers at Microsoft, including nearly 10,000 testers. What in the world could all of these people possibly be doing, how much of it is common to all of Microsoft, and what successful testers at Microsoft do? In this conversation with Alan Page (Microsoft Director of Test Excellence and author of How We Test Software at Microsoft), we’ll discuss the answers to these questions and dive into the back story of how a former music teacher and bicycle messenger ended up documenting the testing practices of one of the most successful companies in the world. This will be a highly interactive session, so bring your questions and be ready for a fun conversation about testing and the paths that brought us all to this great career. Presentation Slides	Alan Page Director, Test Excellence Microsoft Alan Page began his career as a tester in 1993. He joined Microsoft in 1995, and is currently the Director of Test Excellence, where he oversees the technical training program for testers and various other activities focused on improving testers, testing, and test tools. In his career at Microsoft, Alan has worked on various versions of Windows, Internet Explorer, and Windows CE. Alan writes about testing on his blog , and is the lead author on How We Test Software at Microsoft (Microsoft Press, 2008, http://www.hwtsam.com).
Debugging for Sport: How to Effectively Find, and Prevent Bugs in your Organization April 2009 Software bugs are not problems that only impact IT departments, developers, and direct users. A software problem can have a broader impact on a company and brand. Companies ignore this at their own peril. The presentation presents and reviews the top ten bugs of all time and their impact. For example, the Intel Pentium FDIV, COMAIR, and NASA bugs are discussed. Next the top ten bug prevention techniques are discussed, such as encouraging education and maintaining updated architecture and design documents. Finally, the top debugging tools are listed with their place in the debugging process. Presentation Slides	Donis Marshall Donis Marshall is a premier and recognized trainer of computer technology to developers and scientists. Donis is an endorsed trainer for Microsoft Global Learning Services. In this role, he has trained Microsoft developers and engineers for nearly fifteen years. He has both extensive native (unmanaged) and managed code experience. Donis is also the author of the best selling Visual C# book from Microsoft Press entitled, Programming Microsoft Visual C# 2005. He is also the author of .NET Security Programming and Directory Services Programming for Windows both published by Wiley Worldwide Books, as well as the author of Active/OLE Programming with MFC published by R&D Books. His latest book, Solid Code from Microsoft Press, just arrived in bookstores. In recent years, Donis has focused on native and managed debugging. He has taught debugging related classes and concepts around the world to many of the leading software companies. He is presently the President of DebugLive. DebugLive is introducing a suite of debugging tools, most notably a web-based debugger for debugging local and remote applications. Donis has a diversified background and training experience in a variety of technologies including: Visual C#, Common Language Runtime, Visual Basic .NET, .NET Security Programming, .NET Patterns and Architecture, C++ Programming, MFC Programming, Win32 SDK Programming, COM Programming, etc. From 1999 to 2003, Donis was the President of Gearhead Press and Consulting Editor to Wiley Worldwide Books. Gearhead Press published more than two dozen books to IT engineers and developers. Prior to Gearhead Donis worked as the Director of Advanced Technical Learning Solutions at Productivity Point International (from 1998 to 1999) where he directed advanced technical training throughout the PPI training network. From 1989 through 1997, he was President and Senior Instructor of the Training Alliance. The Training Alliance was a Microsoft Authorized Training Education Center and maintained offices in Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, Columbia, SC, and Charleston, SC. He taught windows programming at companies such as: Oracle, Tandem, IBM, AutoDesk, Xerox, Nortel, and many others.
Add Antirandom Testing to your Skill Set May 2009 Antirandom testing is a variation of pure random testing where each new test case added to a collection of test cases is maximally different from those cases already in the collection. Topics covered include: origins of antirandom testing, the difference between random testing, pure antirandom testing, and partial antirandom testing, and studies of the effectiveness of antirandom testing. You will leave this presentation with a solid understanding of what antirandom testing is and when the use of antirandom testing is appropriate. Presentation Slides Coming Soon	Dr. James McCafrey Senior Director Volt Dr. James McCaffrey works for Volt Information Sciences and oversees several technical programs for software engineers working at Microsoft’s Redmond, WA campus. James has worked on several key Microsoft products including Internet Explorer and MSN Search. He holds a doctorate from the University of Southern California, and degrees in mathematics and psychology from California State University at Fullerton, and the University of California at Irvine. James is a Contributing Editor for Microsoft’s MSDN Magazine where he writes the “Test Run” articles on software test automation. McCaffrey is the author of “.NET Test Automation Recipes” (Apress Publishing, 2006), and “Software Testing: Fundamental Principles and Essential Knowledge” (BookSurge Publishing, 2009).
Rediscover yourself. Careers and certifications in software quality that work for you. June 2009 There is nothing like waking up every morning and feeling energized about work and life. Self-awareness is more than ever, one of the most powerful means to get ahead of the crowd professionally and personally. But that's just the start; to be successful you need to make others aware of your professionalism and understand what it means for organizations, products, processes, and how it impacts the customer. Presentation Slides Certificate Comparison (excel) Certificate Comparison (pdf)	Alejandro Ramirez TEKSystems / Boeing CAS Alejandro Ramirez has been involved in education and corporate training for 18 years in areas like Software Testing, Programming, Computer Applications, Volleyball, Music, and English as a Foreign Language. He has 11+ years of professional experience in the IT field and a master’s of science degree in Instructional Technology & Telecommunications from Western Illinois University with specialty in distance education and eLearning. He is actively involved in training, workshops, and study groups for certifications delivered online, remotely, or in-person. At the moment he is SASQAG’s certifications coordinator and a QA Engineer for Boeing CAS through TEKsystems.

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