In 2018 we hosted a record number of eight TestBash software testing conferences around the world! If you didn’t manage to make any of those TestBashes, don't worry all our TestBash talks are available on The Dojo. Plus we've a full year of TestBashes ahead - you can see them all on our Upcoming Events page.
We heard a total of 81 talks at TestBash events this year, some of which were from new speakers, some from those who are tester famous, all of which were awesome. Despite the collective awesomeness, the MoT bosses have put their heads together and would like to share their chosen top ten TestBash talks of 2018. Here they are in chronological order:
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Experiences In Modern Testing by Alan Page at TestBash Brighton on 16th March
Having led (and still leading) teams through the transformation to modern, advanced testing, Alan packs in all he can on everything he knows about modern testing in 2018 and what it means to software testers. This talk is filled with experiences, anecdotes, and practical examples – as well as warnings about potential traps! -
Communities Of Practice, The Missing Piece Of Your Agile Organisation by Emilly Webber at TestBash Brighton on 16th March 2018
To show you why communities of practice are a vital piece of your agile organisation and what role they can play, Emily draws from her experiences of developing communities of practice at many different organisations, as well as case studies from her ongoing research into this area. -
Kill the Mutants! by Nico Jansen & Simon de Lang at TestBash Netherlands on 13th April 2018
During this talk, Nico and Simon introduce you to the concept of mutation testing and how through its techniques of evaluating and modifying programs it can reveal new issues, risks and areas of code left untested. Not only do they talk about the why, but the how, with an introduction to an open source mutation testing tool called Stryker. -
Take The Blue Pill Or The Red Pill, You Decide If You Want To Change - Leigh Rathbone at TestBash Dublin on 18th May 2018
With quality being built into a coder's work from the offset and the challenges facing testing teams seeming greater than ever, testers now have a choice to take the blue pill and do nothing or opt for the red pill and to learn and change. Leigh tells us of his exciting journey of swallowing the red pill, and of his 7-year drought taking the blue pill. His key message is that it has to be you that makes the decision to take the red pill, and change. -
Culture Is Often Framed By What You DON’T Say, Not Necessarily By What You Do Say by Ash Coleman on TestBash Germany on 14th September 2018
As well as giving her original planned talk in 999 seconds (ish), Ash rewrote her slides and tailored them for the Testbash audience based on all the awesome conversations she had with the community at the pre-TestBash meetup. It’s a 2 for 1 talk that should absolutely be watched by everyone to help us grow better, more diverse teams and build stronger cultures in our organisations. -
Jedi Mind Tricks for Testers by Alex Schladebeck and Huib Schoots at TestBash Manchester on 27th September 2018
Testers often end up needing strong leadership skills in teams where they don’t have formal (or informal) authority to do so. In this talk, Huib and Alex will take you through some tried and tested Jedi mind tricks to help you gain the standing you need whilst keeping away from becoming a quality gatekeeper... that path leads to the dark side! -
The Use and Abuse of Selenium by Simon Stewart at Test.bash(); on 28th September 2018
Like many power-tools, Selenium has a host of features that are designed to be used one way and end up being used another. In this technically focused talk, Simon covers the intended use and the observed abuse of some of these features. He takes you through everything from the proper way to wait, find and interact with elements, and even how to make your test runs fast and stable. -
Exploratory Testing: LIVE by Adam Howard at TestBash Australia on 19th October 2018
Strap yourselves in and prepare to witness a LIVE, no holds barred exploratory testing experience! Watch as Adam explores and investigates a mystery piece of software with only his wits, charter and some trusty heuristics to guide him. Throughout the live session, you’ll get a play-by-play commentary to help you get inside the mind of a skilled exploratory tester and even pick up some practical tips on how to consciously interrogate a system yourself. -
Tester at the Table and the Tester in My Head by Adrian P. Dunston at TestBash San Francisco on 8th November 2018
Whilst Adrian develops, he has a helpful, little tester in his head advising him on unit tests and warning against dodgy deploys. This little tester makes him a better developer and has been created by working with many talented testers at the table over the years. Adrian points out that as a tester at the table, you have an opportunity to set high standards of quality not only in products and processes but in the developers you work with. -
Techniques for Generating and Managing Test Data by Omose Ogala at TestBash San Francisco on 9th November
In this session, Omose shares a fresh perspective on test data management. He discusses techniques that he uses to generate reliable test data within a fraction of a second, hacks that he places into production code to make the application more testable, and tools available within his company that make testing easier.
They all sound fascinating, right? So, why not grab yourself a coffee and get stuck in?
Pssst… you’ll notice that some of these TestBash talks are available to watch with a free Club membership account but all the things are available with Pro membership, there are even top deals on Pro membership accounts for testing teams! Worth checking out for 2019 and beyond.
Enjoy!
MoT Bosses
