As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our daily lives, we are making our 2021 KWality Talks available online for free.
Register: Online Using Eventbrite, Zoom link will be included in registration confirmation email
Location: Online
Time: Stream will start at approximately 11:55 am. Meeting starts at 12:00 pm. Meeting ends at approximately 1:00 pm.
Speaker: Gerie Owen and Peter Varhol
Topic:
The nature of technical skills is undergoing a radical change. Testers need to be aware of a dramatic shift to being a generalist, and be prepared to redefine their career.
The last ten years have seen a great number of changes in the testing profession, such as widespread automation, agile, DevOps, and test-driven development. And yet we are only in the early stages of a profound transformation in testing skills and the roles testers will play in delivering quality software.
Today many testers are asking what knowledge and skills are needed to have a successful career in an era where testing means many different things. While no one has a crystal ball into the future, it is possible to look at current trends and make educated analyses of what the future of testing and test activities may look like.
This presentation describes groundbreaking research on the advantages and limitations of flexibility in problem-solving, and how that relates to how individual employees may be asked to work in the future. It focuses on how these changes in worker expectations will affect testers, from skills needed to attitudes and outlooks. Some may even reject the title of tester.
Takeaways:
- Attendees will understand the changes affecting the testing profession today and in the future.
- How changes to testing are impacting how we do our jobs.
- How testers can prepare for new ways of thinking about their work.
Gerie Owen:
Hi, I’m Gerie Owen. I’ve been a software testing manager in various domains including insurance, financial services, energy and transportation.
I’m Certified Scrum Master, Conference Presenter and Author on technology and testing topics. She enjoys analyzing and improving test processes and mentoring new QA Leads as well as bringing a cohesive team approach to testing.
I’m excited about my role as QA Architect at Medullan because I bring my passion for and experience in quality assurance, quality engineering and testing along with my background in health education to make a difference in the people’s lives. Quality is critical because heath matters.
Peter Varhol:
Peter Varhol is a well-known writer and speaker on software and technology topics, having authored dozens of articles and spoken at a number of industry conferences and webcasts. He has advanced degrees in computer science, applied mathematics, and psychology. Currently he is technical evangelist for Gurucul, specializing in AI, Big Data, and analytics. His past roles include technology journalist, software product manager, software developer, and university professor.