STAREAST 2025 - Quality Assurance

Ever struggled to communicate test progress or persuade a stakeholder on the quality improvement initiative you have? Do you struggle getting developers to appreciate the need to build testing into the lifecycle? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then this session is for you. Julie Gardiner shares key ingredients for getting your message across more effectively. She shares a communication model she has used for nearly 20 years in her career to get her message across and, more recently, how the science of timing can play a major part of how communication is received. Through...

In the era of DevOps, agile methodologies, and the ever-expanding landscape of intricate technologies, the traditional bulky test automation strategy document has rapidly lost its relevance. Testers are grappling with the challenge of succinctly communicating intricate testing objectives. Yet, a beacon of optimism shines through! A streamlined, actionable, and impactful test automation strategy tailored for agile, DevOps, and even the notorious waterfall approach is within reach. Join Janna as she draws upon real-world test strategies from her experience, deconstructing the essential...

Software development is trending toward building systems using small, autonomous, independently deployable microservices. Leveraging microservices makes it easier to release software early, more frequently, and even continuously, which aligns well with Agile and DevOps. But how does the microservices architectural pattern affect software testing and testability? How can you ensure microservice-based applications have an adequate level of test coverage at each level? Does this paradigm change the test automation pyramid, and if so what does that look like? Join Tariq King as he walks...

Automation is critical in today’s software delivery lifecycle, and yet many organizations struggle to keep their automation running. How can we mitigate difficulties and get consistent automation runs and results we can trust? The secret is implementing a solid automation framework, but that isn’t as easy as it seems. Chris Loder has built several automation frameworks over his career and has learned what works—and, more importantly, what doesn’t. This tutorial will cover what an automation framework is, the benefits of having one, and the keys to a successful framework, including...

Have you ever been assigned a test case whose steps just didn’t make sense? Perhaps you’ve even been so guilty as to write such a test! Writing clear, concise functional tests can be challenging, but it’s not impossible if we maintain a behavior-driven mindset. In this tutorial, we will learn how to break down complicated behaviors into runnable, repeatable test cases using the Gherkin language. We will frame tests using classic “Given-When-Then” scenarios that follow the Arrange-Act-Assert pattern. Through group exercises, we will hone our linguistic prowess to write expressive scenarios...

Web applications are often security critical or serve as front-ends for security critical applications, making web testing for vulnerabilities an essential part of software testing. Unfortunately, most software testers have not been taught how to identify web security issues while testing applications. Join Tom Stiehm as he shares what you need to know to security test web-based applications as part of your overall testing process. Learn about the most common web security vulnerabilities and how they are introduced into web code and exploited by hackers. Explore test techniques for...

With the sudden rise of ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs), professionals have been attempting to use these types of tools to improve productivity. Building off prior momentum in AI for testing, software quality professionals are leveraging LLMs for creating tests, generating test scripts, automatically analyzing test results, and more. However, if LLM's are not fed good prompts describing the task that the AI is supposed to perform, their responses can be inaccurate and unreliable, thereby diminishing productivity gains. Join Tariq King as he teaches you how to craft high-quality AI...

Avoiding siloed development is a tricky business. It’s so easy for agile teams to fall into the rut of testers only doing traditional testing activities and programmers strictly doing their time-worn coding activities. But there are actually many places testers can be influential and contribute value on cross-functional teams. Robert Sabourin will share several examples of how testing skills can be applied to a wide variety of activities in an agile project. For instance, testers are among the most skilled team members in story grooming, elicitation, and exploration. Risk analysis in self-...

To be most effective, leaders—including development and testing managers, ScrumMasters, product owners, and IT managers—need metrics to help direct their efforts and make informed recommendations about the software’s release readiness and associated risks. Because one important evaluation activity is to “measure” the quality of the software, the progress and results of both development and testing must be measured. Collecting, analyzing, and using metrics are complicated because developers and testers often are concerned that the metrics will be used against them. Join Mike Sowers as he...

In the realm of software development, the challenge of maintaining high-quality standards while meeting tight deadlines is ever-present. GenAI enabling developers to produce code and potentially even more defects in shorter time clearly calls for more rapid test automation development. One of the most complex and time consuming activities is designing and building an effective test automation framework. Péter will provide some theoretical background, then the attendees will implement a UI test automation framework in Java. One of the key aspects covered in this tutorial is proper...

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Software Development Engineer in Test. What a title! But what does that person even do? Are they using AI/ML to test software? Are they testing AI or ML? This isn’t just a title change for a software tester, this is really a mind shift and tool change. What if you don’t even have a UI in which to test your product? What if you don’t ship a UI or even a product? The world of software is changing with advancements in AI/ML and it is time to make sure we level up our testing abilities to match the revolution. Join Kevin as he walks you through his...

In today’s microservices-driven landscape, ensuring seamless communication between services is critical. Traditional testing methods often fall short when it comes to detecting integration issues early in the development cycle, leading to unexpected failures in production. Contract testing is emerging as a powerful solution to this challenge, providing a way to verify that services meet agreed-upon expectations without relying on full end-to-end testing. This session will delve into the fundamentals of contract testing and how it enhances API quality assurance by detecting inconsistencies...

Sluggish tests, flakiness, and maintenance headaches can be signs of test automation anti-patterns creeping into your codebase. In this session, Anna Patterson will identify the most common pitfalls developers and testers encounter in Cypress—such as excessive reliance on UI interactions, hard-coded waits, unstable test data, and lack of isolation. She will break down how these issues impact your test reliability and offer actionable strategies to overcome them. By the end of the talk, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to optimize your test suite for speed, stability, and long-term...

Delivering performance applications is a multi-layered challenge these days. Teams must assure that the application performs on multiple fronts. Each new function must have quick responses and be as slim as possible from the coding moment. It must be quick and light for a single request, handle concurrency, and coexist with multiple other processes even in micro-serviced applications spread all over the place. Not to mention, it must handle lots of loads once in production. It must stay performant and available within the agreed thresholds. The impressive amount of tasks to tackle and co-...

In Paul Burnside's organization, there was a need for a new load testing approach in the age of microservices a few years ago and the decision was made to develop a new free open-sourced tool. Join Paul, as he discusses why "virtual users" are outdated for modern service testing and how endpoint testing is the solution. The session will cover the decision to open-source and the key features and benefits including cost savings on AWS, access to raw data, customizable reports for monitoring and analysis, built with Rust for performance and a user-friendly design. Paul will demonstrate a...

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, quality assurance is undergoing a major transformation. QA professionals must maintain software quality while adapting to the rapid pace of development, accelerated by AI. To keep up, the shift from manual testing to automation and AI-driven solutions is essential. This transition is not just about speed—it’s about fostering innovation, adaptability, and future readiness. However, adopting automation is complex, requiring team-wide processes and long-term maintenance for success. Where do you start? In this session, Amanda will share a five-...

Less than two years ago, Anupama's team faced a legacy portfolio with under 12% automation, minimal test coverage focused only on-screen verifications, data validation limited to spot checking few records resulting in low release confidence. Join her as she shares the organization's transformative journey towards robust test coverage and reliable releases through continuous automation. This strategy addresses process, people, and technology including: evaluating applications from user perspective to identify key automation opportunities, mapping production data flows allowed them to create...

Dive into the exhilarating world of Chaos Engineering, where chaos is not a threat, but a catalyst for resilience and innovation of product and security practices. This talk explores the transformative power of Chaos Engineering in navigating the unpredictable landscapes of software testing for product resiliency, which also directly impacts operational security. Organizations are often stuck on the “build it quickly and move on” mindset, leaving opportunities for competitors and security threats to set up their home base. Learn how leading organizations harness controlled chaos to uncover...

Are you navigating the challenges of leadership in the ever-evolving software quality industry? Join this dynamic panel discussion featuring seasoned leaders who will share their expertise, experiences, and actionable advice. This session is designed for professionals at all levels, from aspiring leaders to seasoned managers, seeking to enhance their leadership capabilities. The panelists bring diverse perspectives on fostering innovation, maintaining quality in fast-paced environments, building high-performing teams, and leading through change. Attendees will gain practical insights into...