Software Test Manager’s Roundtable
The Software Test Managers’ Roundtable is a periodic gathering of senior practitioners
(typically, test managers). Our meetings differ from traditional conferences because we focus on a single topic and run the meeting as an open discussion among all attendees, rather than as a series of time-limited presentations. This lets us dig into the topic in depth. It lets us question each other, and explore each other’s ideas in detail.
The Roundtable is based on the Los Altos Workshop on Software Testing (LAWST), which has been meeting three times per year since February, 1997. We’ve attached the LAWST ground rules memo at the end of this paper. The Roundtable will run pretty much the same way as LAWST.
Mission
Improve the state of the practice of software test management by sharing insights, data, and practical experience in the context of a series of structured, focused discussions among a diverse group of managers and other senior practitioners.
We formed LAWST (and now STMR) out of a belief that we need more cross-pollination of techniques and approaches across companies. People run into the same problem in company after company, but don’t realize that they’re dealing with a widespread problem. Instead, they think that something is wrong with their group or their company. Facing these problems, different groups try different partial solutions. If you could combine their thinking, everyone would have make progress. To achieve this, we’ve developed a structure for exposing people to successful techniques and ideas that they might not have otherwise considered, in a setting that lets them explore the ideas in depth and challenge the advocates to demonstrate that their approaches are useful and that they really do work.
Another important benefit of these meetings is the development of a sense of community and collaboration among the participants.
Handbook
Software Test Manager’s Roundtables:
- Software Test Managers’ Roundtable #1 – Dealing with too many projects and not enough resources
- Cem Kaner & Brian Lawrence co-hosts
- San Jose, CA October 30-31,1999.
- Software Test Managers’ Roundtable #2 – Measuring the Extent of Software Testing
- Cem Kaner & Brian Lawrence, co-hosts
- Orlando, FL, May 2000.
- Software Test Managers’ Roundtable #3 – Staffing Models
- Cem Kaner & Brian Lawrence, co-hosts
- San Jose, CA, October, 2000.
- Software Test Managers’ Roundtable #4 – Rapid Testing
- Cem Kaner & Brian Lawrence, co-hosts
- Orlando, FL, May, 2001.
- Software Test Managers’ Roundtable #5 – How To Deal With Financially Challenging Times? Measuring Your Test Group’s Effectiveness
- Cem Kaner & Brian Lawrence, co-hosts
- San Jose, CA October, 2001.
- Software Test Managers’ Roundtable #6 – Measuring Performance of Individual Testers
- Cem Kaner & Brian Lawrence, co-hosts
- Orlando, FL, May 17-19, 2002.
- Software Test Managers’ Roundtable #8 – Assessing the Effectiveness of Software Testers –
- Cem Kaner, host
- Orlando, FL, May 11-12, 2003.
- Software Test Managers’ Roundtable #9 – Outsourcing of Software Testing
- Cem Kaner & Scott Barber, co-hosts
- Melbourne, FL, May 21-23, 2004