RBCS Podcast

Perhaps you, like many software testers and test managers, are enjoying the benefits of incorporating a lightweight analytical risk-based testing strategy such as RBCS’s Pragmatic Risk Analysis and Management (PRAM) technique into your test approach.  What if your organization is adopting an agile methodology?  Can you still use PRAM and other similar analytical risk-based testing strategies?  Absolutely.  In this webinar, Rex will explain the process for integrating quality risk identification and assessment into the release and iteration planning processes, and for integrating quality risk mitigation into each iteration.  You’ll return to work with a proven method for injecting risk-based testing into your agile processes.

Is the V model dead, crushed by the onset of agile methods?  In the age of agile, are those who talk about the V model anachronistic dinosaurs?  Or was the V model actually ahead of its time, illuminating best practices that now form the core of agile testing?  In this talk, Rex will show how the fundamental principles of the V model can be successfully applied in the context of an agile development effort, and how the application of those principles make agile software development even more agile.  Sure to stir some controversy, attend Rex’s webinar, submit questions and comments, and make up your own mind.  

A relatively small but vocal assemblage of testers talk about “schools of testing,” but do you have to belong to one? Or can you pick and choose appropriate testing strategies based on your project, organization, and team needs and priorities? In this webinar, Rex will demonstrate how the “schools of testing” concept has actually limited our profession.  In the place of this failed paradigm, Rex describes a set of powerful testing strategies that can be customized and blended to create an effective, efficient, and fulfilling test approach.  As always, Rex will take your questions after the webinar is over.

The hot trend these days is to talk about cross-functional, self-organizing teams, and to disparage specialization.  For example, Ken Schwaber wrote, “You don’t have to be a tester to test, or a designer to design.” But is that really true?  Would you accept the following statements? If you’re a baseball player, you don’t have to be a pitcher to pitch, or a catcher to catch. If you’re a musician, you don’t have to be a violinist to play violin, or a pianist to play piano. If those statements make you uncomfortable, you’re not alone.  In this webinar, Rex will explain why specialization matters.  He will explain the science and psychology behind specialization. He will offer three specific case studies where a lack of specialized skills contributed to dramatic failures, and three case studies where the presence of skills averted similar failures. You’ll go away with some food for thought, and perhaps a determination to reorganize the way you manage your teams.

Last year, Rex did a series of tweets over a few months, each one calling out a specific test management, testing, project management, or lifestyle best practice—or worst practice.  Now, we’ve collected these practices into a two-part series of webinars.  At the beginning of the series, Rex will discuss the concept of best practices and refute the software testing canard that there are no best practices.  Next, in each webinar, he’ll describe a dozen or more of these practices, including examples of why it is a best practice—or a worst one.  Finally, at the end of the series, Rex will give some ideas on how you can remove worst practices and institute best practices in your organization.  Tune in and take part in the discussion.  After all, continuously improving your skills and knowledge is one of the best practices!

Last year, Rex did a series of tweets over a few months, each one calling out a specific test management, testing, project management, or lifestyle best practice—or worst practice.  Now, we’ve collected these practices into a two-part series of webinars.  At the beginning of the series, Rex will discuss the concept of best practices and refute the software testing canard that there are no best practices.  Next, in each webinar, he’ll describe a dozen or more of these practices, including examples of why it is a best practice—or a worst one.  Finally, at the end of the series, Rex will give some ideas on how you can remove worst practices and institute best practices in your organization.  Tune in and take part in the discussion.  After all, continuously improving your skills and knowledge is one of the best practices!  

Did you know that dealing with a single problem employee can consume as much as 50% of his or her manager’s time?  Imagine how that reduces the manager’s effectiveness!  This is why making smart hiring decisions is one of the most important and central roles for test leads and test managers.  However, it’s also one of the hardest roles we face.  In this webinar, Rex Black, having hired dozens of testers and coached managers around the world on how to improve their hiring practices, will share some of the techniques you can use to ensure that your next hiring decision is the best one you’ve made—so far.  

The ISTQB has long recognized the value of various software development lifecycles, with discussions of sequential, incremental, and agile lifecycles found in the Foundation, Advanced, and Expert syllabi.  Now, the ISTQB has expanded its coverage of agile methods with the ISTQB Agile Tester Foundation Extension syllabus, beta released in March 2014.  In this webinar, Rex Black, Chair of the Agile Working Group and co-authors of the syllabus, will describe the syllabus learning objectives and the content covered in each of the three chapters.  He’ll show you some sample exam questions and review the exam structure, so you know what to expect if you decide to get certified. And, as always, he’ll take your questions.   

The software testing profession is evolving rapidly.  The following trends are playing out, and having a significant impact on our work:Virtualization and cloud computing Agile methodologies An explosion in the test configuration space Huge volumes of production data Proliferation open-source testing toolsAn uncertain economic situation You need to keep current with your skills and awareness of these trends, or get left behind!  This webinar will give you some ideas on how to position yourself for success in 2015 and beyond.

The software profession is evolving rapidly, and software testing is also evolving.  Some people talk about software and software testing as a “craft,” but are we doomed to remain in such a primitive state, like medieval swordsmith’s guilds?  Or, as the phrases “software engineering” and “test engineer” have long implied, can we advance to a true engineering profession.  What is the history?  What can other engineering professions teach us?  What do other engineering professions have, and how can we go about creating analogous resources for software engineering?  What will a true software engineering profession mean for testing?  Join Rex for this imaginative trip into one possible future, based on science and engineering facts.

Lots of organizations are adopting agile.  Some of these organizations are finding practical ways to integrating testing into agile lifecycles.  In this presentation, Rex will address challenges and opportunities associated with agile, different ways of adapting agile lifecycles and the testing within those lifecycles, and how agile differs from traditional lifecycles.  We’ll examine tools and metrics for agile projects.  We’ll address whether agile can be used for outsourced projects.  We’ll look at different options for organizing test teams on agile projects, and why only some of these options can work.  Rex will offer his thoughts on agile and quality, and what skills and personalities work best in agile projects. In this free webinar, Rex will discuss these points and more, giving you a better shot at agile testing success.

Can you make a career out of software testing?  Yes, you can.  Software testing provides some of the most interesting and difficult challenges available in the software engineering profession.  It is a growing field, and much remains to be learned about how best to test software, and to manage the testing of software.  As a software testing profession, you have the opportunity to be a pioneer.  In this free webinar for current and future testers, Rex will explain why you should pick software testing as a profession and answer your questions. 

In the Spanish Conquista of North America, there were myths, such as the fountain of youth and El Dorado the city of gold.  Today in software testing, there are myths as well, including myths surrounding the use of pairwise testing techniques. While pairwise testing can be useful for certain high-risk situations, too often it is used in situations where it is not needed or where it provides less benefit (often at a higher cost) than other test design techniques.  So, how do we choose the right time to use pairwise testing?  How do we avoid its misuse and overuse?  Join Rex for an iconoclastic webinar that will change the way you think about pairwise testing.

How can independent test teams guide an organization to success?  What organizational options exist for such teams?  How does independent testing fit into the software lifecycle?  How can we measure success for such team? In this presentation, drawn from three decades of industry experience, Rex will help you find answers to these questions, and to establish—or improve—your independent testing team. Join in the discussion after the initial presentation, and ask Rex about the challenges you face with test estimation.