Meetings
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday February 24th at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our November meeting.
It's all about you! Here is your chance to shine by contributing some or your ideas and experiences or by attentively and actively listening to your peers.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Math and Computer Building, MC Building room MC5158
Notes: This meeting will be held in a different building than our regular meetings. We are using the same room that has been used for Peer to Peer Discussions over the past few years.
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday, January 20th at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our January meeting.
Griffin Jones provides consulting services on context-driven software testing and regulatory compliance to companies in regulated industries, e.g., FDA. Recently he was the Director of Quality and Regulatory Compliance at iCardiac Technologies which provides core lab services for the pharmaceutical industry to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy or safety of their potential new drugs. Griffin was responsible for all matters relating to quality and regulatory compliance for an FDA, GCP, 21 CFR Part 11 regulatory compliant quality system, including frequently presenting the verification and validation (testing) results to external regulatory auditors. Griffin was previously a product quality lead for eighteen years at Eastman Kodak. He is currently the principal consultant with Congruent Compliance and can be reached at griffin.jones@congruentcompliance.com.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday November 25th at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our November meeting.
Is it so surprising that project managers and management then see testing as a big cost with little tangible value?
Providing high-quality and highly valued testing while keeping costs low may seem impossible. Given there is limited time and people but an infinite number of test ideas, testers have to consider the cost-benefit of using different test strategies. In this session, we will examine different strategies that testers can employ to decrease costs while increasing value and quality in their daily test efforts.
A consulting software tester and agile coach, Selena Delesie has been managing and coaching on software, testing, and agile practices for a decade. She facilitates the evolution of good teams and organizations into great ones using individualized and team-based coaching and interactive training experiences. Selena is a contributing author to How to Reduce the Cost of Software Testing and an active speaker, participant, and leader in numerous associations and conferences. Follow Selena online at DelesieSolutions.com.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday October 21st at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our October meeting.
A good manager creates a space where people can do their best work. A leader sets an example and inspires others to follow and then to lead in their turn.
A good test manager is both a good manager and a leader. A good test manager manages testing, and not just “the testing process”—the required rituals and ceremony of both traditional and Agile projects.
The same is true for a tester. A good tester tests. Is that the same thing as following the test process?
How do we reconcile what we need to do as good testers and test managers with the sometimes excessive demands of process? How can we ensure that essential project work dictates our processes, rather than imposed processes dictating the work?
Are you managing testing—or managing “the test process”? Are you testing—or following “the test process”? Testers are people who question. Questioning our work and our processes is just as critical to the pursuit of quality as questioning products.
Fiona Charles teaches organizations to match their software testing to their business risks and opportunities. With extensive experience in software development and integration, she has managed testing and consulted on testing on many challenging projects for clients in retail, banking, financial services, health care, telecommunications and emergency services.
Throughout her career Fiona has advocated, designed, implemented, and taught pragmatic and humane practices to deliver software worth having—in even the most difficult project circumstances. Her articles on testing and test management appear frequently and she speaks and conducts experiential workshops at conferences. Fiona edited The Gift of Time, and guest-edited the “Women of Influence” issue of STP magazine. Fiona is co-founder and host of the Toronto Workshop on Software Testing.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday September 23rd at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our September meeting.
Time: 6:00pm
Place: Caesar Martini’s, 140 University Ave. West Unit 1A Waterloo
Maps: See http://www.caesarmartinis.com/directions.php for directions
Entrance Fees: (cash and cheques are accepted at the door):
(a) KWSQA Seasonal members: Free
(b) Non-members: $10 and a coupon for $10 off your 2011-2012 KWSQA seasonal membership (Note: coupon is non-transferrable)
A variety of appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided.
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday June 17th at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our June meeting. **
Scott Loveland is the Head of the Open Text Security Team, acting as security evangelist and leads the corporate CERT teams for deployed software. Scott has lead tiger teams, inspecting web, server and desktop applications via both static code analysis and dynamic application testing. Scott’s background includes securing government systems, computer forensics and data analysis to discover fraud and abuse.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday May 20th at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our May meeting.
- Attendees will be split into groups of 5-10 people.
- Each group will have a moderator to keep the discussion flowing and take notes on interesting bits of conversation.
- During the last portion of the meeting, each moderator will stand up and share the highlights of the conversation with the entire group.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Monday April 25th at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our April meeting.
Adrienne Farrell - QA Architect at Open Text
Cameron Curwood - Senior Test Engineer at NCR
Josh Assad - QA Lead at Miovision Technologies Inc.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org if you plan on attending our March meeting.
Neil Price-Jones is the founder and current President of NVP Software Testing Inc. He has been invovled in Software Quality Assurance and Testing for the past 25 years. The projects he has been involved in are usually core systesm for the clients and require extensive testing and auditing. Neil has done a number of presentations at major conferences. Neil has obtained an MSc, an MBA, and a CSTE.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org if you plan on attending our February meeting.
Ivan LeBlanc is a Senior QA Analyst at Desire2Learn, an eLearning solution provider. Ivan has over 12 years experience in software quality assurance in various fields including network security, financial institutions, medical instrumentation, and education. Most recently, Ivan has been focused on developing and executing accessibility tests to meet the standards and guidelines set forth by different organizations and governments. Over this time, Ivan has become a passionate advocate for web accessibility after experiencing the benefits this work brings to those with disabilities.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:50. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday November 19th at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our November meeting.
Many people in QA and Test mourn the dismal state of their role within their company: not valued, not respected, and often excluded from important project communications. Hey, I've been that person myself at one time or another!
Sometimes we forget that our role in QA and Test is to provide a service to our organization, which means that we serve our stakeholders needs (not the other way around!). Here's the catch: If we don't meet the needs of our stakeholders, we are unable to add value for the company. If we don't communicate in a way that connects with those needs, we are unable to demonstrate that we are adding value.
Come to this session to share and learn how to get your stakeholders clamoring for your project involvement, respecting your opinion, and truly valuing the work you do. With this, you'll be able to guide QA and test activities in your company towards a brighter future.
Selena Delesie is a consulting software tester and agile coach who runs her own company, Delesie Solutions. Selena has more than 10 years experience testing, managing, and coaching in software, testing, and agile practices for a broad range of leading-edge technologies. She facilitates the evolution of good teams and organizations into great ones using individualized and team-based coaching and interactive training experiences. Selena is co-founder and host for the Waterloo Workshops on Software Testing, and an active speaker, participant, and leader in numerous industry-related associations and conferences. Links to Selena's published works, blog, websites, and contact information can be found at www.SelenaDelesie.com.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:50. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday October 22nd at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our October meeting.
Test framing is the set of logical connections that structure and inform the test.
To test is to compose, edit, narrate, and justify two stories. One is a story about the product--what it does, how it does it, how it works, and how it might not work--in ways that matter to your clients. The other is a story about your testing--how you came to know and understand the product story. The testing story comprises several crucial elements--how you designed your tests, how you configured, operated, observed and evaluated the product, what you haven’t tested yet or won't test at all, why what you did was good enough, and what what you haven't done isn't so important. Of course, the story must be a true account of the testing work. To build the tests and the story expertly requires a skill that we call test framing.
In this talk, Michael Bolton will dicuss test framing--designing tests, evaluating the results, telling the testing story, or making the connection between the testing mission and the test performed, in an unbroken chain of narration, logic, and justification of cost versus value. He'll identify test framing's role in fulfilling the testing mission; its importance in explaining testing to our clients; and its potential to help in preventing several testing pathologies.
Michael Bolton has been teaching software testing on five continents for ten years. He is the co-author (with senior author James Bach) of Rapid Software Testing, a course that presents a methodology and mindset for testing software expertly in uncertain conditions and under extreme time pressure. He has been Program Chair for the Toronto Association of System and Software Quality, and Conference Chair (in 2008) for the Conference of the Association for Software Testing, and is a co-founder of the Toronto Workshops on Software Testing. He wrote a column in Better Software Magazine for four years, and sporadically produces his own newsletter.
Michael lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife and two children. He can be reached at mb@developsense.com, or through his Web site, http://www.developsense.com
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:50. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday September 24th at 5:00pm if you plan on attending our September meeting. This ensures that we have enough food for all. **
Every few years, someone gets the bright idea that what our field really needs is an emphasis on automated regression testing with tests that are focused specifically on written customer requirements, ideally developed as the requirements come in. These days, I hear this tired, heavyweight approach marketed as "agile, lean, automated, acceptance-test-driven development." Huh? I thought this was what TDD (within XP) was trying to replace. Oh well. "All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again." I want to remind you of a different recurring theme involving test automation: using technology to help us learn things about the quality of the software that we don't already know, running new tests all the time so that we keep learning throughout testing. The latest buzzphrase for this is "automated exploratory testing." More specifically, I'm going to talk about applying test techniques to the evaluation of the models we build into software, to help us decide whether we are building the right thing, to address validation and accreditation of software instead of burying our heads in verification. (You can use automated exploratory techniques for high-powered verification too, but we won't have time for that in this presentation.)
** Update (June 29, 2010, 2:35pm): There are still seats available. If you have RSVP'd by 2:35pm on June 29, then we have reserved a seat for you. Remember to claim your seat at the door by 11:45am on the day of the meeting. **
Cem Kaner J.D., Ph.D., is a Professor of Software Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology, and the Director of Florida Tech's Center for Software Testing Education & Research (CSTER) since 2004. He is perhaps best known outside academia as an advocate of software usability and software testing.
Prior to his professorship, Kaner worked in the software industry beginning in 1983 in Silicon Valley "as a tester, programmer, tech writer, software development manager, product development director, and independent software development consultant." In 1988, he and his co-authors Jack Falk and Hung Quoc Nguyen published what became, at the time, "the best selling book on software testing," Testing Computer Software. He has also worked as a user interface designer.
In 2004 he cofounded the non-profit Association for Software Testing, where he serves as the Vice-President for Publications.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45.Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
Entrance Fees: (cash and cheques are accepted at the door, Credit cards accepted via PayPal - http://kwsqa.org/meetings/purchase.asp):
(a) Single Attendance for non-yearly members: $20.00
(b) Single Attendance Student for non-yearly members: $10.00 for students of an accredited college or university
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Monday June 28th to reserve a seat. Seat reservations must be claimed at the door by 11:45am, otherwise the reserved seat may be released. **
Given the success of last year’s June Membership Meeting, the KWSQA is continuing the tradition of hosting an evening of food, drink, and conversation. This year’s event will be held at The Grad House - located on the University of Waterloo campus 200 University Avenue West. We consistently receive feedback from our members that you thoroughly enjoy opportunities to get to know fellow QA professionals, so we have dedicated our last meeting of the year to doing that in style. We sincerely hope that you can join us for this social/networking gathering!
-KWSQA Exec
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm.
Place: Grad House, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
Entrance Fees: (cash and cheques are accepted at the door):
(a) KWSQA Annual members: Free
(b) Non-members: $10.00
A variety of appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided.
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Wednesday June 16th if you plan on attending our June meeting. This ensures that we have enough food for all. **
Eli has been trusting family, friends, strangers, software, governments, corporations, and hackers at various degrees his entire life. He has worked at many multinational corporations in various sectors, has spoken at various hacker and security conferences. He has associated with criminals, hackers, artists, madmen, lawyers, journalists, military folks, criminal justice folks, but generally not politicians. He trusts that you will trust him accordingly.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45.Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
Membership Fees: (cash and cheques are accepted at the door, Credit cards accepted via PayPal - http://kwsqa.org/meetings/purchase.asp Note: If you choose to purchase a membership via PayPal, please bring a copy of the PayPal receipt to a KWSQA Meeting Coordinator at the next KWSQA meeting you attend to complete your registration.):
(a) Annual: $40.00 (pro-rated to end of season)
(b) Annual Student: $20.00 for students of an accredited college or university (pro-rated to end of season)
(c) Single Attendance: $20.00
(d) Single Attendance Student: $10.00 for students of an accredited college or university
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday May 14th if you plan on attending our May meeting. This ensures that we have enough food for all. **
What you experience at the conference is entirely up to you - there are multiple "tracks" occurring in parallel, and participants are free to select which talks they would like to attend. We are also incorporating some workshop-style sessions which will provide a more hands-on option. Additionally, a buffet lunch will accompany a presentation by our keynote speaker.
For more details, please visit http://www.qualityconference.ca
What you experience at the conference is entirely up to you - there are multiple "tracks" occurring in parallel, and participants are free to select which talks they would like to attend. We are also incorporating some workshop-style sessions which will provide a more hands-on option. Additionally, a buffet lunch will accompany a presentation by our keynote speaker.
For more details, please visit http://www.qualityconference.ca
St. George Hall
665 King St North, Waterloo, Ontario
After having studied fine arts at the University of Waterloo, Karen Collins received her PhD in music from the University of Liverpool. She spent several years working as a professional web developer.
She is currently developing software for interactive sound applications and conducting research into procedural audio, sound interaction design, video games, and sound in slot machines. She teaches game design and sound for digital media in the Digital Arts Communication program at the University of Waterloo.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45.Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
Membership Fees: (cash and cheques are accepted at the door, Credit cards accepted via PayPal - http://kwsqa.org/meetings/purchase.asp Note: If you choose to purchase a membership via PayPal, please bring a copy of the PayPal receipt to a KWSQA Meeting Coordinator at the next KWSQA meeting you attend to complete your registration.):
(a) Annual: $60.00 (pro-rated to end of season)
(b) Annual Student: $30.00 for students of an accredited college or university
(c) Single Attendance: $20.00
(d) Single Attendance Student: $10.00 for students of an accredited college or university
** Please send an email to rsvp@kwsqa.org by Friday March 26th if you plan on attending our March meeting. This ensures that we have enough food for all. **
Dave Matson introduced a quality management function to his
IS organization in 2002.
The results of that 'leap of faith' to embrace
quality assurance, quality improvement and improved quality control practices
are demonstrated as Dave and Karen share their team's story and the
importance of management commitment in establishing and sustaining a
quality management function.
Dave Matson:Dave Matson currently holds the position of AVP, IS at Manulife Financial
and has more than 26 years in the Information Systems industry in varying
roles, 20 of these years focusing primarily on departmental leadership and
management. The first 5 years of Dave's career were in the Manufacturing
and Retail services sector, with the remainder of his experience focused in
the Financial sector. Experience in the financial sector includes 8 years
in Banking and 13 years in Group Pensions. Throughout his career, Dave has
held increasingly senior roles with primary accountability for the
management of systems development and support services to business
partners. Ensuring the quality of these services has been an ever
increasing focus in order to continue to deliver high value-add products to
more demanding clients and because the bar has continued to be raised with
regards to the adherence to industry, regulatory, legislated and audit
requirements.Karen Baldin:
Karen Baldin has 24 years in the software development industry in many
different roles. She has concentrated in the area of quality assurance
and quality improvement for the past 9 years; developing the quality
management program within an IS team at Manulife Financial.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45.Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Building - Room DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
Experienced from the fertile ground of both success and failure, Mark Meninger has been steadily working in various software testing capacities since 1999.
Mark has been driving, designing, developing, and implementing test automation solutions since 2004. He currently holds the position of Senior Test Automation Manager, Consumer Applications at McAfee Inc.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45.Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Davis Centre Bldg - DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
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In the first part of this talk, Declan will discuss common myths about quality practices on agile teams and show how the two communities are much more aligned than you might think! In the second part of the talk Declan will highlight the pivotal role that agile testers play on agile teams.
Declan Whelan is an agile developer and coach. He is also a professional engineer with twenty-five years of experience in a wide range of software industries including the financial, medical, educational, and manufacturing sectors. He has started three technology companies and has consulted with many other technology organizations in Canada.
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45. Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Math and Computer Building, Davis Centre Bldg - DC1302
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
Time: 11:30am - 1:15pm. Doors open at 11:30. Announcements start at 11:45.Lunch is provided.
Place: University of Waterloo, Math and Computer Building, MC Building room MC5158
Maps: See http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.html for a Campus Map and Parking Map
Michael Bolton believes that many important problems in our products are not found by using formulaic testing techniques. Instead, they are discovered through a rich set of cognitive skills that can be taught and learned. Michael discusses the importance of diversification, focusing and defocusing, rapid cognition, emotional engagement, and collaboration—and provides you with ideas and tools to use them. Learn about testing approaches that take advantage of the minds of individual testers to liberate us from rote testing work and provide far more valuable information about the state of the product and the project.
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