CAST 2010, August 2-4

For each of the past 4 years the AST has put together a conference focused on software testing. This year CAST runs August 2-4 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's not just any conference. It's really a different kind of conference because of the way we encourage dialog - actual conferring at a conference. It's not for everyone, only people who want to think about what they do and are willing to learn and share new ideas. The track sessions are not just talking heads dumping their messages unchallenged and unchallengeable. (E.g., the speakers only get 1/2 the time to speak - the rest of the time is for questions and counter-examples from the attendees. We designed CAST to allow open discussion of issues and real thinking to take place. Not as just a venue for consultants and vested interests to dump their messages and run.

What we did was design a unique conference for software testing:
o For Professional Testers (or those who want to be professional)
o Striving to advance and improve the science of software testing
o Opportunities for networking and dialog are encouraged by the conference format
o Many testing leaders with diverse (and often conflicting) views participate
o Debate and passionate discussion is encouraged
o Half the session time is set aside for moderated feedback, questions, and experience reports from participants
o There are spare rooms available if discussion/debate spills over past the end of the session)

I'd really like to encourage people to attend CAST. It's not your grandfather's software conference, though. Plan to meet with people, talk about testing, share your ideas, and hear unique viewpoints from other professionals.

Hello world!

I'm a late bloomer when it comes to blogging. I've resisted for years now, but have finally decided to share my thoughts this way, too. People tell me that I've got a lot to share, and I guess that's true sometimes. I hope my sharing stimulates some thinking.

Who am I (professionally)?

I've been doing software engineering since before there were university degrees in it. I've especially focused on software quality and testing. For the past 20 years I've been a management consultant. I've worked with a broad range of software and systems from computer systems manufacturers to government and database engines to web applications. Most of my work has been with commercial software but a good deal of it with IT organizations and my most recent work has been architecting an organizational transformation for the US Treasury Department.

My background is solidly based in formal training and methods in computer science and quality assurance, but my application of the ideas is often unorthodox. I subscribe to the notion that what works best is situational; there are no best practices applicable to all situations. So-called standards are excellent sources of ideas but can be counterproductive when applied by rote. Therefore, I develop custom solutions for the organizations I work with.

I have been very active professionally; speaking at and putting on software conferences (too numerous to list, but currently PNSQC and CAST), co-founding and running professional organizations (e.g., SSQA, ASQ, and AST). I'm President of the Association for Software Testing (AST, sponsor of CAST); Keynote, Invited Speaker, and Tutorial Chair for the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC), and Auditor for the Silicon Valley Software Quality Association (SSQA). I'm also on the Computer Science Department Advisory Board for Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). I've been teaching AST's on-line Foundations and Bug Advocacy classes for several years.

I have a web site where I have dozens of my published papers and dozens of presentations. I'm also found in LinkedIn and various other places on the web.

In my spare time I like to solve puzzles (math in particular), work in the yard (chainsaw and industrial weed whacker), and fix various things around the house (lots of opportunities there).