Breaking out of the mold: Software Testing Stories with Dave Westerveld

Note: This will be our 3rd birthday! We will celebrate with birthday treats!

Breaking out of the mold: Software Testing Stories

Has anyone ever told you that X is what a software tester does? Did you agree? Strong opinions about what software testers should do seem plentiful and sometimes contradictory. Rather than adding another opinion to the pool, I’ll share with you some of my experiences as a software tester. Some of them might be familiar to you and some of them might be strange, but either way there will be something to get you thinking.
The goal of this talk is to have my experiences stimulate you into thinking about what testing mold you are in and how you could break out of it. Whether this happens through seeing something new or by nodding your head in agreement, you are invited to explore with me the idea of what value a tester can bring to the team through the following stories of a software tester:
• The bug slayer - The day I killed my first bug.
• The talker - Learning to speak early and speak often.
• The toolmaker - The ways creating a tool changed my perspectives
• The stoic - Letting go of things I can’t change (for now)
The visionary - How I want to grow in using my skills to help the team

Bio:

Dave Westerveld is a senior test analyst at Ansys Inc. where he has been a part of the testing of many different projects ranging from well established products to involvement in the early stages of major new initiatives. He has also been involved in many different aspects of the testing role including being a bug hunter, helping build out an automation framework and mentoring other testers. Dave has a desire to see teams efficiently producing high value software and is enthusiastic about testers doing whatever it takes to help make this a reality.

Agenda:

6:00pm - 6:30pm - dinner and networking

6:30pm - 6:45pm - lightning talk

6:45pm - 7:45pm - main presentation, q&a

7:45pm - 8:30pm - swag giveaways, socializing and networking and TREATS! Happy Birthday to US!

Location:

1520 Woodward Ave, Detroit. Thanks to Detroit Labs for hosting!

Dinner:

Dinner and refreshments are provided! Be sure to note dietary restrictions when RSVPing