SIGiST Testing Conference – December 2009

It’s surprising how quickly time flys.  It feels like just the other day that I was sitting in the audience of the December 2008 SIGiST conference and here I am giving an update of December 2009!

In my opinion, the best talk of the day was by Steven Ramsay who spoke about overcoming various obstacles to set up a testing practice at LinkLaters.  What I liked about Steve’s talk was that it was a description from the front-line, worts and all.  Steve suggested at the beginning that he was feeling nervous, but it didn’t show.  When it comes to creating the programme for the 2010 conferences (11th March, 29th June, 16th September and 8th December), I’ll certainly be voting for him to come back and give us an update.

Another good talk was by Martin Gijsen.  Martin spoke about how to make use of a Domain Specific Test Language (an advanced form of keyword driven testing) to increase the maintainability of automated tests.  I use a similar technique for my own automation so it was nice to listen to somebody who shares my ideas.

For me, my attention now shifts to the publication of the March edition of The Tester.  I’m always on the lookout for good articles.  If you have an article you believe would be suitable, feel free to email me.

Goodbye Ivar Jacobson, Hello Express Software

As many people are already aware, I have left Ivar Jacobson International to offer my services (and the services of a few close associates) to organisations on a freelance / contract basis.

We will trade under the name of Express Software Ltd and I am pleased to say that work is already successfully underway at our first client – a niche finance company that builds software to monitor the health of defined benefit pension schemes by performing sensitivity analysis on the underlying assets and liabilities.

With my new Head of Marketing hat firmly on, I’ve updated my About Page to showcase the organisations that have paid for my services in the past.  It currently stands at a respectable 20, with some impressive boasts across a number of different market sectors.

Finally, I couldn’t write this post without at least one shameless tout for new business.  If you have worked with me in the past and would like to work with me again, or like the sound of the ideas in this blog and would consider a contract resource to help with their introduction, please feel free to contact me on my new email address (shown below as an image to avoid the spam).