Strapping In for STAREAST 2018

Next week, on behalf of Tricentis, I head to STAREAST, one of my favorite software testing conferences each year. I love that Tricentis is a Gold Sponsor for this year's event, and that our CMO, Wayne Ariola, was invited to present his session, “Continuous Testing vs. Test Automation: Three Key Differences.” But what I'm most looking forward to is the opportunity to record a handful of new episodes of the Continuous Testing Live podcast I host (now available on iTunes and Google Play) - as it requires me to partake in my favorite guilty pleasure: talking to complete strangers—and by doing so, discovering just how much I still have to learn.

Side note: Tricentis will be giving out some of their increasingly-famous ukuleles at their booth, and, depending on how long the expo happy hour lasts, it's possible I may perform this classic number.

(If someone shows up with a trumpet, I won't be able to help myself.)

STAREAST and it's sister-conference STARWEST always have outstanding lineups, but this year’s agenda is so packed with awesome-sounding sessions that choosing which ones to attend has been tough.

I put together a list of the sessions that jumped out at me as absolute musts in case it helps you decide which sessions YOU want to check out, and if I missed any, let me know! I'll also be live-Tweeting from @NoelWurst all-day Tuesday and Wednesday with the #STAREAST hashtag, and promise to provide a .gif/meme-ful recap of the week's highlights—if you're into that sort of thing.

Without further adieu, here is my Top Ten Can't-Miss Sessions at STAREAST 2108.

(Ordered only by time/date)

How to Break Software: Robustness Edition

Whether or not you think it’s a tester’s job to “break” software or merely to point out where it’s “already broken,” Dawn Haynes is an expert on this subject and a fantastic speaker.

Transformation from QA to Engineering: Testing in the Fast Lane (Keynote)

Jennifer Scandariato is going to tell a story of how a testing transformation “impacted behavior, garnered respect, increased team quality, and stabilized releases.” I’m in.

AI-Driven Testing as a Service: Fad, Fiction, or Future?

Did you know there are 13 sessions at STAREAST this year with “AI” or “ML” in the title? While that may set off hype/fad alarm bells for some, I can’t wait to get Tariq King’s take on this topic.

Machine Learning Heralds the End of Selenium

This is a BOLD stance that I can think of few others than Jason Arbon who would willingly take the stage to make this claim. I can’t wait for what will hopefully be polite discourse between Jason and any Selenium fanatics who will undoubtedly attend this session.

The Next Big Thing: Testing AI and Machine Learning Applications (Keynote)

This could end up being the highlight of the entire conference, and should not be missed. Angie Jones is one of the most in-demand voices in the testing industry right now, and is guaranteed to rock this keynote.

Balancing Tech Know-How with Social Skills

As silos between testers, developers, operations, and the business continue to fall, social skills, collaboration, and storytelling have moved from nice qualities to have to absolute musts. Looking forward to Marcia Buzzella’s advice on how we can all boost our social capabilities.

Exploratory Testing: Learn to Do It like a Bloodhound

Disclaimer: I used to own a bloodhound and am completely obsessed with them. I also happen to be an exploratory testing evangelist, and cannot wait to hear how Susan Zampino explain why ET’ers need the skills of the world’s greatest dog breed.

Devices and Desires: How Do Humans Experience Software?

In this session, Isabel Evans will dive into the importance of addressing “the needs of the individual software user in conjunction with pressures from the commercial imperatives.” For testers looking to maintain focus on—and empathy with—your customers, this session should be at the top of your list.

Manual Testers Can Thrive in a Test Automation World

As nearly every organization looks to ramp up their investments in automation, manual testers may wonder what the future holds. Jeanne Schmidt will share how these testers can continue to make valuable contributions as testing evolves to meet new, accelerated demands.

Make the Shift to Quality Engineering

It’s clear that “the future of testing” will offer an enormous opportunity for testing to make real, noticeable, and even quantifiable impact on the business. Melissa Tondi will share “what skills we should have/develop to ensure we are prepared for that future,” as well as approaches for how testers can become “innovation leaders” within their organizations. We can’t wait.

Hope you're lucky enough to attend STAREAST 2018, and for those who can't make it, STARWEST is later this year!