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.
Featured event
PNSQC 2026 Quality Jam (Portland Location)
It’s time to kick off the 2026 Call for Papers with a Quality Jam! This will be an evening of lightning talks to inspire and be inspired for new proposals on software quality — a jam session to get together as a group and hear a variety of perspectives.
The speaker lineup for this year is:
- "Testing the Future: From Testing Code to Testing Intelligence" with Premi Vinayagam from Jama software
- "The OWASP Top 10 Isn’t a Vulnerability List—It’s a Mirror: What 2025 Tells Us About Supply Chain Security" with Caroline Wong
- "Test Plans Made Easy: Saying a Lot By Saying Very Little" with Wayne Rosenberry
- "Data-Driven API Test Case Generation Using AI and Model Context Protocol" with Joseph Petsche
- "Formally Secure Hardware with Rust" with Calvin Deutschbein
- "Lessons Learned in AI Engineering" with Mitch White
- "Software Quality by Example as a Senior Engineer" with Mark Kleinhaus
Make a New Year's resolution to build your career by increasing your quality know-how and skills, and make some new connections with other software quality professionals.
The first hour will provide time for networking and a chance to share some food and drink.
This event is sponsored in part by PLUS QA. PLUS QA makes software testing simple.
This event is hybrid - we'll be returning to the University Place Hotel, and we'll also stream it online, all for free!
Upcoming events
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PNSQC 2026 Quality Jam (Portland Location)
University Place Hotel & Conference Center, 310 SW Lincoln St, Portland, OR, USIt’s time to kick off the 2026 Call for Papers with a Quality Jam! This will be an evening of lightning talks to inspire and be inspired for new proposals on software quality — a jam session to get together as a group and hear a variety of perspectives.
The speaker lineup for this year is:
- "Testing the Future: From Testing Code to Testing Intelligence" with Premi Vinayagam from Jama software
- "The OWASP Top 10 Isn’t a Vulnerability List—It’s a Mirror: What 2025 Tells Us About Supply Chain Security" with Caroline Wong
- "Test Plans Made Easy: Saying a Lot By Saying Very Little" with Wayne Rosenberry
- "Data-Driven API Test Case Generation Using AI and Model Context Protocol" with Joseph Petsche
- "Formally Secure Hardware with Rust" with Calvin Deutschbein
- "Lessons Learned in AI Engineering" with Mitch White
- "Software Quality by Example as a Senior Engineer" with Mark Kleinhaus
Make a New Year's resolution to build your career by increasing your quality know-how and skills, and make some new connections with other software quality professionals.
The first hour will provide time for networking and a chance to share some food and drink.
This event is sponsored in part by PLUS QA. PLUS QA makes software testing simple.
This event is hybrid - we'll be returning to the University Place Hotel, and we'll also stream it online, all for free!14 attendeesPNSQC 2026 Quality Jam (Seattle Location)
Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA, USIt’s time to kick off the 2026 Call for Papers with a Quality Jam! This will be an evening of lightning talks to inspire and be inspired for new proposals on software quality — a jam session to get together as a group and hear a variety of perspectives.
The speaker lineup for this year is:
- "Testing the Future: From Testing Code to Testing Intelligence" with Premi Vinayagam from Jama software
- "The OWASP Top 10 Isn’t a Vulnerability List—It’s a Mirror: What 2025 Tells Us About Supply Chain Security" with Caroline Wong
- "Test Plans Made Easy: Saying a Lot By Saying Very Little" with Wayne Rosenberry
- "Data-Driven API Test Case Generation Using AI and Model Context Protocol" with Joseph Petsche
- "Formally Secure Hardware with Rust" with Calvin Deutschbein
- "Lessons Learned in AI Engineering" with Mitch White
- "Software Quality by Example as a Senior Engineer" with Mark Kleinhaus
Make a New Year's resolution to build your career by increasing your quality know-how and skills, and make some new connections with other software quality professionals.
The first hour will provide time for networking and a chance to share some food and drink.
This event is sponsored in part by PLUS QA. PLUS QA makes software testing simple.
This event is hybrid - we'll be returning to the University Place Hotel, and we'll also stream it online, all for free!9 attendees
PNSQC 2026 Free QA Workshop Day
PSU University Place Hotel & Conference Center, SW 4th Ave & SW Lincoln St, Portland, OR, USAs part of the start of the PNSQC 2026 Call for Papers, we’re excited to invite the community to a full day of free, in-person workshops in Portland. Held the day after the PNSQC Quality Jam, this Free Workshop Day is designed to sharpen practical skills, spark new ideas, and bring the QA community together for hands-on learning and connection.
Join us for an interactive day led by experienced practitioners and thought leaders, featuring two workshop tracks with sessions offered in both the morning and afternoon. Whether you’re strengthening your core testing skills or exploring how AI is shaping modern quality practices, there’s something here for you.
Registration on the PNSQC website is required.
You can register for the full day, or choose only the workshop options that fit your schedule. Space is limited, so we encourage you to register early and help spread the word.
Morning Workshops (8:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
- AI Orchestration: Dual Stewardship with John Cvetko. Explore how humans and AI can collaboratively manage quality, risk, and decision-making in modern systems.
- QA Re-Bootcamp with Heather Wilcox & Bhushan Gupta. Refresh foundational testing skills and examine modern quality practices through engaging, activity-based learning.
Afternoon Workshops (1:00 PM – 4:30 PM)
- Integrate MCP into your workflow with Joe Petsche. We will work with a variety of MCP servers to connect your quality apps and find ways to do your job better and faster. Come with your apps and we will connect in to your scenarios too.
- Writing Practical Test Plans, Fast and Easy with Wayne Roseberry. This workshop teaches a pragmatic, lightweight approach to writing effective test plans—fast.
There will be morning refreshments, and we'll take a group lunch, giving you plenty of time to connect with fellow quality professionals throughout the day.
6 attendees
Past events
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