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EuroSTAR Conference

Europe's Largest Software Testing Conference

Keynote 4

Why I Left Software Testing – and Why I Came Back

Maria Kedemo

16:30-17:30 Thursday 13th June

I´d had enough. There’s a relentless cycle of familiar patterns in software testing. Colleagues and peers who have been in software development for many years can all relate to the struggle of facing the same problems over and over again.

There’s the dismissal of the skills required for testing; the obsession with test cases and KPIs; the excessive emphasis on tools over what problem we really need to solve — and the over-belief in automation as a solution to every testing problem. Aware of the obstacles we need to tackle, many of us willingly dive head first into the storm, driven to mentor, challenge, and reshape the way individuals, teams and entire organizations approach software development and testing.

Even though I know there might be resistance to change, lack of support, and misalignment with visions and goals, I’ve kept putting myself in similar situations over and over again. I’ve navigated through turbulent political and emotional waters and at times felt close to exhaustion. Throughout my twenty-five years within software development the persistent quest for creating genuine value has been my guiding star.

What has kept me going is the passion and love for challenging the status quo, for teaching and showing the value of what skilled testing can provide, for advocating a holistic approach to testability, for achieving quality in the products and services we create, for building relationships and connecting people. I kept going – until that day when I hit my limit. I decided to take a break, uncertain about my return. Fast forward a few years and I am back in the testing arena with new insights.

What you will learn

  1. Explore the challenges and the top three patterns I’ve experienced throughout my career in software testing
  2. Learn how I've approached these challenges through collaboration and teamwork, and why a common vision and understanding is key
  3. Learn how understanding my motivations eventually led me back to the testing arena

Session Details

  • For All
  • 1 Hour
  • Includes 15mins Q&A
  • Mistakes & lessons learnt
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Check out this video from Full Name to hear more about his talk, ‘Speaker’s Talk Title’.

We look forward to welcoming you to EuroSTAR 2024.

Session Speaker

EuroSTAR 2024 speaker Maria Kedemo

Maria Kedemo

Quality Coach – Black Koi Consulting, Sweden

Maria is a specialist generalist with deep knowledge in quality engineering and software testing. With more than twenty years in software development her experience ranges from different roles like mentor, teacher, team manager, developer, test lead, tester and coach in different domains such as Telecom, Retail, Security and lately Automotive. She thrives when she can help an individual, a team or a company to improve their testing skills, enhance their approach to testing and quality engineering, and see them taking pride in what they do. She sporadically blogs, runs workshops, speaks at conferences and helps organize conferences. In 2017 – 2019 she was a board member of the AST (Association for Software Testing).

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