PNSQC 2012 – Engineering Quality

PNSQC is the best software quality conference in the west from the standpoint of take-home, usable learning, state-of-the-art and practice discussions, and high quality interactions and networking in the broad field of software quality.

Registration is now open.

If your company needs a real shot in the arm – ideas that work in today’s complex computing environment – then you’ll want to attend PNSQC.

Joining us will be the following Keynote Speakers:

• Matt Heusser (Excelon) will explore A Brief History of the Quality Movement and what Software Should Do About It.
• Dale Emery will discuss Testing Quality In.

The invited speakers will be Suzanne Miller (SEI), Ben Simo (Quality Frog), Linda Rising, and Peter Walen. There will also be 8 in-depth workshops, including a two-day Certified ScrumMaster Training with Solutions IQ.

The complete two-day technical program is now available with talks across the software industry – from Mobile and Cloud to UX and Design, with Testing, Automation, Process Improvement and more.

Rose City SPIN Presentation in partnership with PNSQC

Agile Metrics – Velocity is Not the Goal

Michael “Doc” Norton, LeanDog

Velocity is one of the most common metrics used—and one of the most commonly misused—on agile projects. Velocity is simply a measurement of speed in a given direction—the rate at which a team is delivering toward a product release. As with a vehicle en route to a particular destination, increasing the speed may appear to ensure a timely arrival. However, that assumption is dangerous because it ignores the risks with higher speeds. And while it’s easy to increase a vehicle’s speed, where exactly is the accelerator on a software team? Michael “Doc” Norton walks us through the Hawthorne Effect and Goodhart’s Law to explain why setting goals for velocity can actually hurt a project’s chances of success. Take a look at what can negatively impact velocity, ways to stabilize fluctuating velocity, and methods to improve velocity without the risks. Leave with a toolkit of additional metrics that, coupled with velocity, give a better view of the project’s overall health.

A promoter and practitioner of agile since 1999, Michael “Doc” Norton (@DocOnDev) is an agile coach and a partner with LeanDog. Doc’s twenty-plus years of software development have provided him with experience on a wide range of topics. As a member of LeanDog, living in Wadsworth, OH, Doc provides coaching, mentoring, training, and delivery in agile/XP/lean software development techniques. Doc is immediately suspicious of anyone who declares expertise in a single programming language or methodology. He is passionate about helping others become better developers, working with teams to improve delivery, and emphasizing software craftsmanship.

About Rose City SPIN

The Rose City Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) is a monthly forum for networking, mutual support, and promotion of effective software practices. We exchange practical experiences, ideas, knowledge, wisdom, and war stories about the technical, business, and human facets of software process improvement. The Rose City SPIN serves the software development community of the Portland/Vancouver metro area. Whether you work for a large company or a small one, corporate or self-employed, industrial or academic setting, you are welcome at the Rose City SPIN. Monthly seminars are sponsored by the Rose City SPIN and the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference.

About PNSQC

PNSQC is the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, a group of volunteers interested in Software Quality. The Mission of the PNSQC is to enable knowledge exchange to produce higher quality software. As a non-profit, it seeks to promote software quality by providing education and opportunities for information exchange within the software community.

Sponsored by AgilePDX, Agile Open Northwest, TAO QA & Dev Forums, PNSQC:

"Agile Testing: How do WE Make it Work?"

As our organizations move toward "Agile” for developing software, we all face the challenge of understanding how to adapt our former roles and ways of working to new work roles and processes. How do we ensure the continued value of testing?

Join us in Open Space to share your questions, challenges, strategies, success stories, and how you've overcome stumbling blocks.

In small groups, we’ll discuss topics such as:

· How is Agile testing different from how we’ve always done it? · How do we know what to test? · How do we know what not to test? · On Agile teams, when does testing happen and whose job is it? · What is Exploratory Testing and why should we care? · How do regression tests work? · How does testing improve my design? Should it? · How do we ensure it is cost effective? · What do people mean when they say, "no defects”? · Does Agile change how we test or does it just raise the existing issues?

Bring the topics you feel passion for and add them to the list!

Each self-organizing discussion group will create a document or other record of their discussion, ideas, questions, and insights. We’ll share everyone’s experiences at the end of the day.

Who should attend?

· Testers facing an Agile adoption/People new to the testing role/Testers eager to jump in · Devs who want to get serious about defect-free code · CTOs and Managers of Test/Validation, Dev, Application Delivery · Academics preparing new software/IT professionals for the real world

Cost to attend: $75 per person (Register early. We expect to sell out.)

It's not too late to register or volunteer for PNSQC, the Northwest's premier software quality conference. Attend the conference, watch the keynotes, talk to paper and poster presenters, come to the official party.

A two-day technical program and one day of workshops for software quality engineers, testers, managers, consultants, software developers, Agilists and non-Agilist.

A featured speaker is author, consultant and “Pragmatic Manager” Johanna Rothman of the Rothman Consulting Group, Inc. She will lead a workshop on using Agile + Lean to deliver business value every day..

PNSQC events draw participants from Universities and Corporations from around the world. Among the major participants are ADP, Boeing Computer Services, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Mentor Graphics, Tektronix, Microsoft, Portland State University and Oregon State University.

PNSQC’s mission is to enable knowledge exchange to produce higher quality software. We seek to increase the awareness of the importance of software quality. As a non-profit corporation, we seek to promote software quality by providing education and opportunities for information exchange within the software community. PNSQC provides opportunities to demonstrate, teach and exchange ideas on both proven and leading edge software quality practices.

Build a bridge to becoming an author and speaker, study and develop ideas in quality engineering, meet other like-minded volunteers.

Please join us for a brainstorming session.

Food and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided for the group.

(Pacific NW Software Quality Conferences are designed to enable knowledge exchange to produce higher quality software. This meeting is the first step in producing content in our own software quality roles and for PNSQC in October 2014.)

Help plan the 2015 Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference! -- Review paper abstracts -- Review papers and coach authors -- Reach out to new authors and presenters -- Define conference tracks -- Broaden the range of presenters and participants

Contact [email protected] for more details.

The Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference is hosting a gathering for authors, poster presenters, reviewers, conference attendees, and organizers. You can get tips on writing drafts, get any questions answered, meet the software quality community, and converse with other presenters.

Food and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided for the group.

Our meetup site.

PNSQC Presents:

Join PNSQC board members and supporters in downtown Portland at Glyph Cafe on April 9 to discuss our upcoming conference with other software quality advocates. You'll learn how you can get involved in the conference by submitting an abstract proposal. Submission deadline is April 17.

Lean Project Management Specialist Kathy Iberle will give a short talk, and you'll have the chance to sign up to present a Lightning Talk. We're encouraging speakers to turn their talks into abstract proposals for the 2014 conference.

Location: Glyph Cafe - Downtown Portland Date: April 9th, 6:00pm

RSVP's appreciated but all are more than welcome. Event detail questions: email Dwayne at [email protected]

For many years the Rose City SPIN (Software Process Improvement Network) has provided a forum for networking and industry speaker presentations to the software development community in the Portland, OR area. If you have enjoyed SPIN presentations in the past and want to see them continue, NOW is the time to step forward. We need your input and help. This meeting will discuss how this group will move forward. If you are interested in the Rose City SPIN and would like to help mold and support the future of the group, come on down and join the discussion! We are also looking for people who are willing to volunteer their time to help continue this organization. This will be an open collaboration - we want to hear your thoughts! Agenda:

• Introduction and short history of the Rose City SPIN

• Goals and purpose of SPIN and the needs of the community

• Open discussion of how this group should be organized to meet its purpose

• Call for SPIN volunteers

• If time allows, discussion on future topics, meeting locations, communications and more!

A Special Treat from PNSQC

Plan on coming early! In collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC http://www.pnsqc.org) the SPIN meeting will have pizza and pop provided by PNSQC beginning at 5:30 pm. Meeting will start at 6:00pm

PNSQC is the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, a group of volunteers interested in Software Quality. The Mission of the PNSQC is to enable knowledge exchange to produce higher quality software. As a non-profit, it seeks to promote software quality by providing education and opportunities for information exchange within the software community.

How to Register

This is a FREE lecture sponsored by the Rose City SPIN. RSVP to [email protected].

Traversing the Canyon of Anarchy: Making Change Stick Presented by Tamara Sulaiman Runyon

Dates/Times: Thursday, January 12th, 2012: Networking @ 5:30-6:30 PM; Seminar 6:30-7:30 PM Location: Lincoln Center 2 Conference Room (2nd floor above the cafe/barista stand. Use stairs or elevators), 10220 SW Greenberg Rd., Portland, OR 97223.

Abstract Have you ever begun a process change, only to watch in dismay and puzzlement as the change fizzles out like a wet firecracker? Have you generated excitement for new ideas, seen them seem to take root and grow, only to find a year later that there is no discernible behavior change? If so, you are not alone. In this talk Tamara Sulaiman Runyon discusses some causes of why process change is so difficult to make stick in many organizations. Topics include: the key role that vision and leadership play in instigating lasting change, the potential iceberg of organizational culture as a change blocker, as well as the people aspects – the levels of discomfort caused by change and measuring the growth of competence as change is assimilated.

Presenter Bio

Tamara Sulaiman Runyon has been assisting teams in transitioning to agile methods both as a hands-on ScrumMaster and as an Agile Coach and Scrum trainer since 2003. Tamara is focused on coaching teams to effectively provide value to key stakeholders and customers through the frequent delivery of software. Her passion lies in helping organizations plan and implement Agile transformations.

She is a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) and Project Management Professional (PMP). Tamara is the co-originator of the AgileEVM materials and processes that integrate the traditional project management practice of Earned Value Management with the Scrum framework. As a thought leader she is currently serving on the Agile Alliance Board of Directors. Tamara continues to publish articles on Agile-related topics in industry publications such as Agile Journal, Methods and Tools, InfoQ, Projects@Work and gantthead.com. She also shares her experiences, ideas and expertise as a presenter and speaker at conferences.

A Special Treat from PNSQC

Plan on coming early! In collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC) the SPIN meeting will have pizza and pop provided by PNSQC beginning at 5:30 pm.

PNSQC is the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, a group of volunteers interested in Software Quality. The Mission of the PNSQC is to enable knowledge exchange to produce higher quality software. As a non-profit, it seeks to promote software quality by providing education and opportunities for information exchange within the software community.

How to Register

This is a FREE lecture sponsored by the Rose City SPIN. You can help us plan food and drinks by registering at: https://www.eventbrite.com/event/2694702929

Rose City SPIN

The Rose City Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) is a monthly forum for networking, mutual support, and promotion of effective software practices. We exchange practical experiences, ideas, knowledge, wisdom, and war stories about the technical, business, and human facets of software process improvement. The Rose City SPIN serves the software development community of the Portland/Vancouver metro area. Whether you work for a large company or a small one, corporate or self-employed, industrial or academic setting, you are welcome at the Rose City SPIN.

The presentation starts at 6:30.

Abstract:

What is your company’s culture? What is your org’s culture? What is your team’s culture? The three may be completely different, or have strong themes, but the point is that a culture exists with or without you. You don’t force a culture, you either invite or incite it to take on certain characteristics that are valued. For example, aspects such as learning, communication, and collaboration are three activities that may be rewarded on your team, but are they valued enough for the team to do it on their own? Culture is what an anthropologist sees if they observed you in action. Is it forced by another or is it organic? In this talk, Jon will share his thoughts and experiences about the cultures he has seen over the years and what you might take away to incite (and invite) in your culture when you get back to your desk.

Jon Bach from eBay

With almost 20 years of experience in software testing, Jon Bach has held technical and managerial positions at Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and eBay. His role as Director of Live Site Quality at eBay involves being on a team dedicated to building “end-to-end” tests (activity flows) to discover bugs on eBay’s sites that threaten its core business. Jon is most notable for being the brother of renowned testing expert James Bach, with whom he created Session-Based Test Management. He can usually be found wearing a ball cap, hanging out in conference hallways, talking about testing techniques and philosophy.

A Special Treat from PNSQC

Plan on coming early! In collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC) the SPIN meeting will complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages beginning at 5:30 pm. This is a great opportunity for networking and knowledge exchange with other practitioners on the current state of software development.

PNSQC is the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, a group of volunteers interested in Software Quality. The Mission of the PNSQC is to enable knowledge exchange to produce higher quality software. As a non-profit, it seeks to promote software quality by providing education and opportunities for information exchange within the software community.

How to Register

This is a FREE lecture sponsored by the Rose City SPIN. But you can help us plan by registering at: http://october-2014-spin-pnsqc.eventbrite.com

Rose City SPIN

The Rose City Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) is a monthly forum for networking, mutual support, and promotion of effective software practices. We exchange practical experiences, ideas, knowledge, wisdom, and war stories about the technical, business, and human facets of software process improvement. The Rose City SPIN serves the software development community of the Portland/Vancouver metro area. Whether you work for a large company or a small one, corporate or self-employed, industrial or academic setting, you are welcome at the Rose City SPIN.