So how do me measure improvements with agility?

I was impressed with some of the topics at the StarEast 2005 in the newsletter, attached at the end of this blog as the mainsite has not been updated yet, that there is a real movement towards agility at the conference and in testing. At StarWest 2004 there were 2 key notes and only a couple of talks on the subject, mine included, but lots of people asking questions and looking for answers to the issues they faced in their context.

This has lead me recently to thinking about how we can measure the effectiveness of "testing agility" and the change to this state? I have previously in more traditional environments looked at and used the TOM, TMM and TPI frameworks as well as less formal models, I am not sure how well these fit the more agile world, though - I am starting an exercise in this soon, so I will post as I find out more, it is something I hope I get a chance to discuss with Tim Koomen at ICS-Test 6 in Dusseldorf. I have discovered at conference if you have something interesting to discuss people are happy to talk.

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STAREAST 2005
International Conference on Software Testing Analysis & Review
May 16-20, 2005 | Orlando, FL

Conference Web site: http://www.sqe.com/stareast
To register: http://www.sqe.com/sereg

Save $200 when you register by April 15th!
For more information, call 888-268-8770 or 904-278-0524.

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
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Keynote Presentations
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A New Paradigm for Collecting and Interpreting Bug Metrics
James Bach, Satisfice Inc.

Testing of Web-Based and Java Applications with Models
Jeff Feldstein, Cisco Systems

Plans, Processes, and Practices for Successful Test
Outsourcing
Martin Pol, Polteq IT Services, B.V.

Get a New Agile Attitude -- Quality First
Robert C. Martin, Object Mentor, Inc.

Quality Interactions: Building Effective Working Relationships
Esther Derby, Esther Derby Associates, Inc.

Julian Harty, Commercetest.com Ltd., UK
Robert C. Martin

Preconference Tutorials
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How to Break Software
James Whittaker, Florida Institute of Technology

NEW!
Exploratory Testing Explained
James Bach, Satisfice Inc.

Test Process Improvement
Lee Copeland, Software Quality Engineering

Essential Test Management and Planning
Rick Craig, Software Quality Engineering

Selecting and Integrating Testing Tools
Michael Sowers, Software Development Technologies

Implementing a Test Automation Framework
Linda Hayes, Worksoft, Inc.

Introduction to Systematic Testing
Dale Perry, Software Quality Engineering

Requirements Based Testing
Richard Bender, Bender RBT, Inc.

Workshop-
Scripting for Testers
Bret Pettichord, ThoughtWorks

NEW!
Measurement and Metrics for Test Managers
Rick Craig, Software Quality Engineering

NEW!
Becoming an Influential Test Team Leader
Randall Rice, Rice Consulting Services, Inc.

Key Test Design Techniques
Lee Copeland, Software Quality Engineering

Establishing a Fully-Integrated Test Automation
Architecture
Edward Kit, Software Development Technologies

How to Break Software Security
Herbert H. Thompson, Security Innovation

Model-Based Testing: The Dynamic Answer to Test
Automation
Harry Robinson, Microsoft

Web Performance Testing
Dale Perry, Software Quality Engineering

Managing Test Outsourcing
Martin Pol, Polteq IT Services B.V.

Workshop-
Unit Testing for Agile Development
Rob Sabourin, AmiBug.Com, Inc.

Concurrent Sessions
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TEST MANAGEMENT
- Blind Men Meet the Quality Elephant
- Congratulations! You're the New Test Manager
- Test Improvement for Highly Reliable NYSE Trading Systems
- Test Process Improvement (TPI) Model Facts and Figures
- From Waterfall to the Unified Process -- a QA Department View
- Testing Dialogues -- Management Issues
- Legal Compliance in Quality Assurance
- Manage Your Testing with SCRUM

TEST TECHNIQUES
- It's Too Darn Big: Test Techniques for Gigantic Systems
- Software Inspections for the Common Folk
- System Implementation Details: Understand, Test, Ignore
- Testing Dialogues -- Technical Issues
- Testing Inside the Box
- The Test Strategist's Toolbox
- Strive for Quality in System Testing: A Top 10 List
- Developing an Error-Based Testing Strategy

TEST AUTOMATION
- A Simple (and Revolutionary) Test Automation Dashboard
- Planning for Successful Test Automation
- Integrate Automation Seamlessly into Your Testing Workflow

AGILE TESTING
- Moving from Test-Last to Test-Driven Development
- Applying Use Case-Driven Testing in Agile Development
- Making Test Data More Agile
- Put an End to the Defect Report-Fix-Check-Rework Cycle
- A Tester's "Wonderful Life" in an Agile Development Shop

SECURITY TESTING
- The QA/Testing Perspective on Software Security
- Web Testing Circus: An Expert-Led Search for Security Defects

DISTRIBUTED AND OUTSOURCED TESTING
- Can You Find Bugs in Your Pajamas? Becoming an Effective
Telecommuting Tester
- Integrating In-house Testing with Outsourced Development

SPECIAL TOPICS
- Lightning Talks: A Potpourri of 5-Minute Presentations
- structured Testing within the Rational Unified Process
- Model-Based Testing Meets Exploratory Testing
- Test Driven Development (TDD) for Secure Applications
- "Robust Design" Method for Software Testing
- Web Services API Testing

OPEN SOURCE TEST TOOLS
- Navigating the Minefield of Open Source Test Tools
- FitNesse: An Open-Source Tool for Acceptance Testing

PERFORMANCE TESTING
- Controlling Performance Testing in an Uncontrolled World
- Rapid Bottleneck Identification for Successful Load Testing

EXPLORATORY TESTING
- Inside the Explorer's Notebook
- Face-off: Structured Testing vs. Exploratory Testing and Error
Guessing

METRICS
- Achieving Meaningful Metrics from Your Test Automation Tools
- Peanuts and Crackerjack: What Baseball Taught Me about Metrics

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