Next up from Programme Chair Kristoffer Nordström’s recommendation on which talks you should attend based on your role in testing – sessions for test managers! Check out the previous blog here.
For EuroSTAR attendees working in testing roles, such as testers, test developers, or other hands-on testing positions, it’s seldom a problem to find suitable sessions to attend. As an attendee in a leadership role, it’s hardly a challenge to find sessions that can benefit both your organization and co-workers, but sometimes you may want to attend something that caters specifically to your role. This blog post aims to give leaders and managers some recommendations of sessions and tutorials that they should keep an eye on.
That Which Isn’t Good for the Hive, Isn’t Good for the Bee
In this session that everyone is buzzing about (pun definitely intended), Sanne Visser discusses the importance of collaboration within teams and how it can impact overall success. As a leader or manager, it is essential to understand how teamwork can affect your organization’s productivity and profitability. More importantly, it can help attendees to see how some practices that encourage competition and reward hunting in an organization can have a negative effect on the beehive overall. Sanne’s insights can help attendees build stronger teams and foster an environment of collaboration.
Hope is Not a Plan
Fredrik Håård’s session addresses the need for leaders and managers to recognize the dangers of optimistic thinking in an organization and to focus on solutions rather than problems. In roles such as tester, security analyst, or similar, it’s easy to come across as a naysayer and doomsday prophet. As organizations, we have a tendency to remain optimistic about outcomes and stick our heads in the sand until it’s too late. In this talk, Fredrik will discuss how to communicate risks and allow for informed decisions before your organization becomes the next headline in international news for leaked user credentials and credit card information. Fredrik always delivers his talk with a touch of mirth and humor and draws extensively from his experience working as an international consultant across three continents (and counting).
Inspiring Quality: Becoming an Exceptional Quality Leader
You’re in for a treat as we have Fiona Charles from Canada running a tutorial. No lies, whenever I attend a conference and see Fiona on the program, I make it a point to attend not only her talks, but more importantly, her tutorials as she is simply one of the workshop facilitators I know of. As a leader or manager, it is crucial to set an example for your team when it comes to quality assurance. Charles’ tutorial offers guidance on how to become an exceptional quality leader and inspire your team to do their best work. Attendees can gain valuable insights on how to develop a culture of quality within their organization. Questions such as “What does it take to be a leader?”, “Where do exceptional quality leaders focus their energies?”, “What does ‘leadership’ mean in an Agile context?” and more are discussed. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to attend a tutorial with Fiona.
How to Prevent Your Next Software Release Ending in Disaster
You have a major release scheduled. You have prepared a comprehensive plan, including contingencies, back-out routes, and go/no-go decision points. Yet, despite all your preparations, it all ends in disaster. You could even see the disaster approaching but were unable to prevent it. Instead, you watched in fascinated horror as unfolding events sucked you and your release into calamity. Software releases that fail can be costly for organizations in terms of both money and reputation. Andrew Brown’s session offers practical advice on how to avoid software release disasters. Attendees can learn valuable lessons on how to mitigate risks and ensure successful software releases. Andrew is a long-standing member of our test community and always presents his sessions with clarity, drawing in his audience.
Embracing Adversity: A Learnership’s Story
As a leader or manager, it is important to know how to navigate difficult situations effectively. Ezanne Grobler’s session focuses on her own experiences with adversity and how she overcame challenges when recruiting and training her own automation engineers. Her story is drawn from real life and is sure to give you insights and tips on “how to create” your own test automation engineers. After all, those roles don’t exactly grow on trees, now do they? Attendees can gain insights on how to handle tough situations, inspire their team, and build resilience.
Learning Culture: Adapt or Die
In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing software testing industry, it is essential to develop a culture of continuous learning. We always hear about and want to build our own organization with a culture of learning. Phil Royston’s session offers advice on how to create a learning culture within your organization. Attendees can learn how to encourage professional growth and development, leading to a more knowledgeable and productive team.
In conclusion, attending the sessions and tutorials offered at Eurostar 2023 can provide valuable insights and lessons for leaders and managers in the software testing industry. By participating in these sessions, attendees can improve their leadership and management skills, develop a culture of quality and learning, and better prepare their teams for success.
Right now, you save 10% on EuroSTAR tickets with our Early Bird offer – and over 35% if you bring a team. Secure your tickets, and we’ll see you in Antwerp in June!
