What we’re about
Welcome to the PNW Software Quality Professionals Meetup group, hosted by the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC)! This group is for anyone in the software engineering field who loves talking about quality assurance (QA) and wants to connect with like-minded professionals in the Pacific Northwest region. We host monthly hybrid events, with in-person meetups in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. Whether you're a manual tester, automation engineer, director of QA, or software development engineer in test (SDET), this is the perfect space to learn, grow, and share your knowledge.
Our meetups focus on:
- Presentations from industry experts on cutting-edge QA practices and emerging automation tools and technologies
- Hands-on workshops to sharpen your testing skills
- Networking opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals
Recent meetups have included:
- Test Automation Deep Dive - An open discussion on the current tools in the industry for automating tests (Playwright, Postman, etc.) and how to boost your skills with them
- AI Prompts - An informal presentation on how Artifical Intelligence via products like ChatGPT has grown in usage, and how we as software quality professionals can take advantage of this technology
- Quality Jam - A quickfire round of 6 presenters, each with 10 minutes to talk about something they're passionate about in the industry and deliver a key takeaway to the audience
We aim to foster a supportive and collaborative community where you can exchange ideas, discuss best practices, and keep up with the ever-evolving world of software quality. Whether you’re just starting or have years of experience, this group will help you stay ahead in the fast-paced tech landscape. Join us as we build a strong network of Software Quality Professionals right here in the Pacific Northwest!
The Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC) is a 501(c)(3), Oregon-based nonprofit with a mission of spreading knowledge and ideas about software quality, strengthening the software field, and helping members of the community advance their professional objectives. PNSQC has consistently attracted over 300 quality professionals across the United States and internationally for the past few years. Our attendees represent testers, managers, developers, and thought leaders from the private, government, and educational sectors. Over half of our attendees are from organizations centered within the Pacific Northwest and along the West Coast. With over 100 companies and 11 countries represented, our conference has a broad reach to many within software development and IT. We're excited to be entering our 43rd year and hope you'll join us for one of our events! Visit our website at https://pnsqc.org to learn more about and register for our conference.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Finding New Cheese: Adapting to a World of Accelerated ChangeHope Chinese Charter School, Beaverton, OR
In alignment with PNSQC's "Quality Through Community" mission, we will hold a joint meetup event with the Oregon Chinese Coalition (pdxchinese.org), featuring the following talk by Phil Lew, PNSQC's President:
In software engineering, AI-generated code and AI testing bots work together to develop and test code at unprecedented speeds. Where does that leave us humans?
Remember "Who Moved My Cheese"? In a world where familiar industries, technologies, and career paths are transforming at unprecedented speed, we must ask ourselves: Are we like Hem and Haw, waiting for old systems to return? Or are we like Sniff and Scurry, courageously exploring new opportunities?
The COVID era has permanently altered our professional landscape. As established professionals who've built careers on expertise and experience, we now face a critical choice: adapt to find new "cheese" or risk becoming obsolete. As Darwin noted, survival depends not on strength or intelligence alone, but on our ability to adapt to changing environments. For mid-career professionals, this means abandoning the outdated notion that our education and experience will carry us through the next decade.
We have witnessed the transition from paper to digital, from local to global. Now we face an even greater shift as AI, automation, and new business models reshape industries overnight. The skills that brought us success in the 2000s and 2010s may not serve us in the 2020s and beyond.
In this thought-provoking keynote, Phil steps away from conventional thinking to explore how established professionals can develop the adaptability mindset needed for the coming decade. You'll discover practical strategies for continuous reinvention, discerning signal from noise in a world of information overload, and leveraging your existing wisdom while embracing new paradigms. Join us to explore how you can become the architect of your own adaptation, ensuring your continued relevance, success, and fulfillment in rapidly changing times.
Philip Lew is the CEO at XBOSoft, a software quality and testing services firm. With over 20 years of experience in engineering, product management, and executive leadership, he helps clients implement complex software across expanding platforms. Philip holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Beihang University, specializing in software quality. He serves as President of the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference and regularly delivers keynotes at top industry events on topics ranging from Agile testing to UX optimization. An avid traveler, Philip brings fresh perspectives to his presentations, combining insight with humor. Learn more at xbosoft.com and pnsqc.org.
- testRigor Presents: Unlock the Future of QA Automation with Generative AILink visible for attendees
Join Artem Golubev, Founder and CEO of testRigor, for an exciting and insightful session that’s set to revolutionize the way you think about software test automation. In this talk, Artem will showcase how Generative AI can dramatically scale and streamline your QA processes—making testing faster, more inclusive, and significantly more cost-effective. With minimal code maintenance and automatic generation of tests that reflect real user behavior, this is the future of software quality at your fingertips. Artem will dive into real-world strategies that not only save you time and money but also boost test coverage across your software. He'll tackle common QA challenges and demonstrate how to reduce manual effort, overcome bottlenecks, and unlock new levels of efficiency. Finally, there will be a brief showcase of how testRigor’s cutting-edge AI technology can empower anyone—whether you're a product manager, manual tester, or automation engineer—to actively contribute to test automation. Stick around for the Q&A session at the end, where you'll have the opportunity to ask your burning questions and get insights from an industry expert.
Whether you're looking to enhance your team’s productivity or explore innovative ways to take your software testing and automation to the next level, this session has something for everyone in the QA field. Don’t miss out on this chance to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of software automation!
