Conference Presentations

Managing Your Master Test Suite

What is your master test suite made of? Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails? If you're like most testing organizations, that probably isn't too far off. The trick is to find ways to improve and optimize your test suite by using all the information available to you. This includes customer documentation, test plans, customer-found defects, information from coverage analysis, and past project and application history. Dale Bettine points out the pitfalls of trying to manage your test suite even as he reveals its effectiveness.

Dale Bettine, Intel Corporation
Testing Microsoft .NET Web Services

What the heck is a Web service and how does one go about testing it anyway? A Web service provides encapsulated functionality with an interface for sending and receiving information, but it doesn't have a user interface. Rather, everything is done using HTTP requests and SOAP methods. The best way to test these interfaces, then, is simple: programmatically. This session introduces you to the concept of Web services and how they work. You'll also see how to create tests using different languages. This is a crucial first step that'll get you going down the right path.

Thomas Arnold, Xtend Development, Inc.
Test Automation: Reducing Time to Market

Test automation has remained a popular topic for discussion among testers. In this session, Jim Dougherty walks you through the development of an actual, first-stage automation process. He also explains how to facilitate the formation of an automation team in a lessons-learned study of how to get from here to there, and why you should. He also explains how his newly formed team developed its processes, action plan, and benefits-derived reporting.

James Dougherty and Keith Haber, Lexis-Nexis
A Quick Lesson in Test Estimation

You're a software tester who's just been given a new project. You understand what's important to the customers, users, and other stakeholders in the new application, so designing and implementing your tests are no problem. The difficulty arises when your boss asks when testing will be completed. Just how do you develop realistic and practical estimates of test completion? More importantly, how can you intelligently respond when someone suggests cutting the test schedule? Rex Black offers insights and answers to these essential questions.

Rex Black, Rex Black Consulting Services, Inc.
Performance Testing for Web Services

Web services is a hot topic. Ever wonder, what are they really- or how can we test for the performance and scalability of these new types of Web applications? For instance, they certainly present new challenges for load testing, since they're not browser-based aplications. Rather, Web services are applications distributed throughout the Internet. This session discusses these questions and shows you how to prepare for the coming of Web services and their various permutations, all from a performance testing perspective.

David Weir, Keynote Systems Inc
Tackling the Test Automation Challenge: The Centralized Team Approach

There's no doubt that setting sail into the test automation universe is a challenging endeavor indeed. In this session, Dave Torresan provides a true account of the challenges faced by his team in becoming his company's centralized test automation specialists. After dispelling some of the myths of test automation, he describes how his team was established and the prerequisites you'll need before attempting to do the same. With live demonstrations, he shows RBC Financial Group's approach to injecting cost-effective test automation into their testing process.

Dave Torresan, RBC Financial Group
"Excel-erating" Test Status Reporting

As a tester, you're often asked how far along your testing effort is, and when it will actually be done. This is one of the most difficult-and nerve-wracking-questions to answer, especially when a project has just begun or is nearing completion. While a tool is what's needed to help gather information and effectively answer this inquiry, many companies cannot afford to purchase or implement a complex, commercial tool. But there is a solution available in commercial spreadsheet products, particularly Microsoft's Excel. Earl Burba shows you how to use the logic and formula functions of Excel along with a combination of linked worksheets to develop an easy-to-use test status report tool.

Earl Burba and Jim Hazen, SysTest Labs
A World-Class Infrastructure for Performance Testing

The IBM Global Testing Organization's performance test infrastructure is solely responsible for certifying the performance of all IBM enterprise Lotus Notes and Web applications before their deployment to end users. Naomi Mitsumori describes this infrastructure and provides insights into designing the appropriate test environment, how performance and monitoring tools should be selected, and the management style necessary for success. She explains the processes IBM uses for performance testing, including planning, daily workflow activities, entrance and exit criteria, and modeling of workload profiles.

Naomi Mitsumori, IBM Global Services
Growing Up to be a Good Test Manager

The day-to-day complexities of managing a test team can be a daunting responsibility for a new test manager or a beginning test lead. Not to worry, novices at this echelon of testing should take heart, as Jon Hagar shares his expert insight on how to become a superior test manager. This presentation outlines the knowledge and skill sets the inexperienced need to acquire, while highlighting various learning strategies designed to help test managers and leads excel in their new jobs.

Jon Hagar, Lockheed Martin
Testing Internet Explorer: From Underdog To Best-In-Class Browser

While a test team with world-class automation may not be the only thing standing between your product and success, it's certainly a step in the right direction. Learn how the Internet Explorer test team grew from its decentralized, manual testing beginnings to a lean, mean automating machine. Jason Taylor shares lessons learned on the frontlines that will help you and your team create test cases that are manageable, reporting that makes sense, and test automation that can think while you sleep. Learn how a combination of smart infrastructure investments, paradigm shifts, and model-based testing turned the Internet Explorer test team into one of the finest at Microsoft.

Jason Taylor, Microsoft

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