Track: Leadership Perspectives for Testers
Wouldn’t it be simpler if everyone on the project knew you as the great Tester? Or asked for your opinions to make a design testable, a requirement clear, and code bug free? Joining a project as a Tester has interesting contrasts and unexpected experiences foreign to me when I would join as a Developer. I was surprised with skepticism, concern, and subtle questions about my qualifications. I felt I had no credibility. The start of the project is the best time to make an impression and build credibility.
However, other priorities interfere with creating a foundation for working with team members and demonstrating value. I present a triad approach to establish credibility:
- BE AVAILABLE to meet team members,
- BE VISIBLE at introductory meetings, and
- BE VOCAL about your testing role.
These lay the foundation for participating in key meetings, improving testability, getting bugs fixed, and engaging team members in testing. This session engages the audience in project conversations by role playing the project manager and other common roles. They learn how to advocate for the role of testing in each scenario in a respectful, confident manner that earns credibility. The session continues with tips for participating in requirements, design, and code reviews. It concludes with building credibility with testers, delegating tasks to build test leaders, and advocating for testability.
Session Takeaways:
- Establish Credibility Early–Credibility Affects Everything You Do.
- Be Available, Visible, and Vocal.
- How to Convey the Importance of Testing in Common Conversations.
- The Importance of Technical Conversations.
- Participation in Key Meetings.
- Share, Delegate, and Promote.
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Session Speaker:
Joe DeMeyer – System Test Engineer Lead, Progressive
Joe has been in IT 12 years (seven in development and five in testing), and 19 years in engineering (15 in product development and four in product testing). He is often assigned as test lead on enterprise level projects.