Facilitator – Mark Harris | 01:45 — 03:00
Abstract
To modify a common saying, “Quality is in the eye of the beholder.” It takes the whole team working together to deliver quality in the customers’ eyes. In a world where technology can do almost anything and customers don’t really know what they want until it’s delivered it is easy to fall into the trap of delivering too much or too little. Careful choreography of the relationship among developers, testers, user experience, business analysts, and the product owner can help deliver the right product.
This panel will discuss and explore with the audience techniques and strategies for delivering the right solution to the right problem every time.
Facilitator
Mark Harris realized the need for quality while shipping Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 R2 during his 15-year stint at Microsoft. After leaving Microsoft in 2010, he started a QA team at Grange Insurance and ignited the Columbus QA revolution with the “QA or the Highway” conference. Following that, he shortened his commute and sharpened his skills with open source at Manta Media. Mark has a set of strong opinions, held weakly, on software development, which he will generally share at a moment’s notice. A father of 3 and husband of 1, he spends his free time exploring brands of single-malt scotch and writing iPhone apps (usually not together).
Panelists
Kymberli Cassidy is director of product management for nChannel in Columbus, OH where she provides project leadership and strategic oversight on product development and specialty projects with enterprises and government entities. Kymberli has over 14 years’ experience in software and platform product management where she relishes strategic planning and cross-functional leadership. Kymberli previously worked as Director of eCommerce Product Development for Sears Holdings Corporate Online Business Unit with mygofer.com, the incubation/innovation eCommerce project for both Kmart Pharmacy and Kmart.com. Kymberli was responsible for strategy, execution and marketing and held P&L accountability driving a 29% YoY increase. Kymberli has also led development teams at Manta Media overseeing their premium subscription product lines, and with Electronic Arts where she led cross-functional teams to deliver graphics and infrastructure for multiple games including, Madden 08-11, NCAA 08-11, NFL Tour, and NFL Head Coach. Kymberli’s solid technical background and expertise in new product and services development enables her to work with clients to carefully gathering requirements, uncover hidden needs and help produce deliverables that exceed expectations.
Bill Gray is a former developer, tester, designer, analyst, architect, DBA, engineer, trainer, project manager, and single guy with a glorious head of flowing blonde hair…unfortunately, this was all during his waterfall days.
Bill is a current servant leader of over three dozen software craftsman/women practicing Agile at Northwoods, father of four, husband of one, and bald as the day he was born…and he wouldn’t trade it for all the blonde hair in Sweden!
I’m Jon Kruger and I am an independent consultant in Columbus, OH. I specialize in software solutions, project leadership, and Agile coaching and training and I have experience in a wide range of industries and environments. I use my experience as a leader and software developer to find ways to create better quality software, improve the software development process, and maximize value for the business. On the side, I run the Columbus ATDD Developers Group and provide test-driven development training (tddbootcamp.com). You can follow me on my blog (jonkruger.com) or on Twitter (@JonKruger).
Joe Ours is the Director of Quality Assurance and Testing Services for Cohesion. Joseph draws on 15 years’ experience providing executive-level leadership while managing high profile initiatives with a demonstrated ability to lead people towards successful delivery. Throughout his diverse career, he has built a solid reputation as a thought leader who exhibits a results-driven business approach and exceptional ability to achieve success. He is a strong leader in business processes with a proven history of providing project and portfolio management of large technology initiatives. Joseph brings both a strategic and tactical thought process to solving IT related issues. Joseph holds Bachelor’s degrees in Electronic Engineering Technology and Technical Management in addition to a Masters of Business Administration.