Conference Schedule

Sunday, April 27

Breakfast—7:30am–8:30am
7:30 am to 8:30 am
Registration—7:30am–5:00pm
7:30 am to 5:00 pm
Multi-day Training Classes Begin—8:30am–5:00pm
8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Software Test Management, Planning, and Measurement
Mike Sowers
8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Learn how to achieve a consensus on important test strategy issues such as resource allocation, risk prioritization, automation, and more. This course is appropriate for Test Managers, Test Leads, and experienced testers tasked with developing testing strategy for their organization.

  • Discuss the importance of corporate culture and the economics of test and failure
  • Learn proven test planning methods and techniques
  • Learn to create customized Master Test Plans and Level-specific plans
  • Explore the issues that affect the test strategy
  • ...
Fundamentals of AI—ICAgile Certification (ICP-FAI)
Thomas Stiehm
8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Unravel the complexities of machine learning and AI. Attendees will be awarded the ICAgile Professional- Foundations of AI (ICP-FAI) designation. 

Software Tester Certification Foundation Level—ISTQB CTFL
Jeff Pierce
8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Launch your software testing career with this comprehensive course covering the latest ISTQB® CTFL v4.0 syllabus!
Fundamentals of Agile Test Automation
Hajer Ben Moussa
8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Explore the many ways automation supports agile testing in this course with real-world, vendor-neutral examples of agile test automation approaches and tools.

AI for Leaders
Jeffery Payne
8:30 am to 5:00 am

This workshop equips leaders with the knowledge and skills to navigate the complexities of AI, build AI-driven strategies, and cultivate an AI-centric culture.

Security Testing for Test Professionals
Derrick Roach
8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Explore security testing in an interactive workshop setting. This course is appropriate for software development and testing professionals who want to begin doing security testing as part of their assurance activities. 

AI for Testers
8:30 am to 5:00 pm

This hands-on course helps testers understand how to verify Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based systems and use AI during testing and software quality assurance activities.

Agile Tester Certification—ISTQB/ICAgile
Robert Sabourin
8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Explore agile testing processes in this interactive course designed for dev and testing roles. Learn technical and team skills testers need for success, as well as key agile testing techniques. Successful attendees earn the ICAgile Certified Professional—Agile Testing (ICP-TST) designation and can optionally sit for the ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level—Agile Tester (CTFL-AT) exam.

Lunch—12:00pm–1:00pm
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Training Classes Continue—1:00pm–5:00pm
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Monday, April 28

Registration—7:00am–5:00pm
7:00 am to 5:00 pm
Breakfast—7:30am–8:30am
7:30 am to 8:30 am
Multi-day Training Classes Continue—8:30am–5:00pm
8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Full & Half-Day Tutorials—8:30am–12:00pm
8:30 am to 12:00 pm
Lunch—12:00pm–1:00pm
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Full & Half-Day Tutorials Continue—1:00pm–4:30pm
1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Speed Networking—5:15pm-6:00pm
5:15 pm to 6:00 pm

Tuesday, April 29

Breakfast—7:30am–8:30am
7:30 am to 8:30 am
Registration—7:30am–5:00pm
7:30 am to 5:00 pm
Multi-day Training Classes Continue—8:30am–5:00pm
8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Full- and Half-Day Tutorials—8:30am–12:00pm
8:30 am to 12:00 pm
Lunch—12:00pm–1:00pm
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Full- and Half-Day Tutorials Continue—1:00pm–4:30pm
1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Welcome Reception—5:00pm–6:00pm
5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Test Lab Kick-Off—5:30pm-7:30pm
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Wednesday, April 30

Morning Yoga—6:45am-7:30am
6:45 am to 7:30 am
Registration—7:00am–5:00pm
7:00 am to 5:00 pm
Networking Events—Test Lab (All Day) | Speaker One-on-One (All Day)
7:30 am to 5:00 pm
Breakfast—7:30am–8:30am
7:30 am to 8:30 am
Keynote K1 Heuristics to Help You Design, Build, and Choose Test Tools
Isabel Evans, Independent Consultant
8:30 am to 9:45 am

How well do we design and acquire our tools? Drawing on compelling evidence gathered from a series of interviews, workshops, surveys, and case studies with industry gurus and hands-on practitioners, we’re diving deep into a set of heuristics. Each one is a gateway to discovery, backed by explanations and enriched with engaging exploratory activities based on solid research. As an attendee, you will gain access to resources that can help enable critical thinking and reflection about tools and the problems they solve. We will see how sometimes heuristics can pinpoint when a tool might...Read more

Visit the Expo—10:30am–2:00pm
10:30 am to 2:00 pm
Networking Break in the Expo—11:00am-11:30am
11:00 am to 11:30 am
Concurrent Sessions—11:30am–12:30pm
11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Concurrent Session W1 AI/ML SDET: A Title Change or a New Role?
Kevin Pyles, FamilySearch
11:30 am to 12:30 pm

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...Read more

Concurrent Session W2 Building a QA Team from the Ground Up
Stephanie McSwain, Kickfin
11:30 am to 12:30 pm

At some point in your career - especially at newer companies and start ups, there might come a time when you are hired onto a development team as the very FIRST QA hire! With such an exciting opportunity, there is so much at stake. Your performance will not only depend on your testing skills, but your ability to add value to the development process AND the product! In this presentation Stephanie will go over her own experience building a QA team, and some important milestones and challenges she hit along the journey. She will talk about how to evaluate the team you are being hired into,...Read more

Concurrent Session W4 SQL Server Indexing Strategies Using Query Store for Improved Performance in Retrieving Data
Navya Alapati, VISA USA, INC
11:30 am to 12:30 pm

In the realm of database management, optimizing query performance is crucial, especially for SQL Server environments dealing with large datasets. The challenge lies in identifying and implementing effective indexing strategies that can significantly enhance data retrieval performance. During her talk, Navya will address the common issues of slow query performance and inefficient indexing, often exacerbated by the complexity of modern data systems and the dynamic nature of query patterns. To tackle this problem, she leveraged SQL Server's Query Store feature, which provides a powerful tool...Read more

Lunch in the Expo—12:30pm–1:30pm
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions—1:30pm–2:30pm
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Concurrent Session W7 Is Your Playbook for Generative AI in Test Automation on Point?
Julio de Lima, Capco
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm

Generative AI allows us to create test automation scripts really fast, but how can we be sure the outcome is truly complete? In this talk, Julio will discuss the critical process of how to define your prompts and evaluate if the results from AI-driven test automation creation cover all the necessary bases. He will bring a playbook for GenAI in test automation created based on the results of research that collected advice and feedback from dozens of test automation engineers. In the session, Julio will discuss practical examples of the mindset, a set of steps to be followed when using GenAI...Read more

Concurrent Session W10 Expanding Your Testing Scope: Thinking Beyond System Health
Tod Golding, Amazon Web Services
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm

A big part of testing is ensuring that you're anticipating and proactively detecting problems before they appear. This means thinking beyond bugs and errors and considering tests that assess your system's ability to meet the needs of the business and customers. For example, most businesses and architectures are designed to deliver operational and cost efficiency. The challenge is, many organizations don't actively test/measure their efficiency. Customers also have expectations about their experience. What testing do you do to evaluate how the system is meeting its experience goals? This...Read more

Concurrent Session W11 Path to Becoming a Test Automation Engineer Rock Star!
Lee Barnes, Forte Group
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm

So… you want to become a Test Automation Engineer (or hire and develop one)? While there’s quite a bit of information available about important technical and tool skills to master, there’s not enough discussion around the path to becoming an effective Test Automation Engineer that knows how to add VALUE. This had led to a proliferation of engineers who are proficient with tools and building frameworks but have skill and knowledge gaps, especially in software testing, that reduce the value they deliver with test automation. In this talk, Lee will share his lessons learned from over 30 years...Read more

Concurrent Sessions—2:45pm–3:45pm
2:45 pm to 3:45 pm
Concurrent Session W14 Elevating Test Leadership: Strategies for Effective Team Management and Career Growth
Srinivas Rao Labhani, EPAM Systems India Pvt Ltd
2:45 pm to 3:45 pm

Mastering test leadership involves not only guiding your team through complex testing scenarios but also fostering their professional development and advancing your own career trajectory. In today’s fast-evolving tech landscape, test leaders face the challenge of balancing rigorous quality assurance with identifying the talent, development of team’s skills and career trajectories. During his tenure as Practice Head of Quality Engineering at a major tech firm, Srinivas Rao Labhani implemented a comprehensive strategy of implementing a sense of belongingness to the organization, learning...Read more

Concurrent Session W15 Revolutionizing Load Testing: Our 5-Year Journey with PewPew
Paul Burnside, FamilySearch
2:45 pm to 3:45 pm

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 real...Read more

Concurrent Session W17 How to Automate Your Desktop Apps with Ruby and Appium
Augustin Gottlieb Pequeno, Merkle
2:45 pm to 3:45 pm

Desktop automation is not easy, and for a while, Augustin Gottlieb Pequeno found automatically testing desktop apps a challenge. In this talk, he will share his automation journey with you so you can avoid the pitfalls and pain points common to desktop automation and properly build an automation framework for your desktop apps that can run on a CI/CD pipeline, while being able to support cross-platform testing. In addition, he will also explore the use of Ruby for test automation and how this often overlooked niche language is perfect for desktop automation testing when combined with...Read more

Visit the Expo—3:30pm–6:30pm
3:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Networking Break in the Expo—3:45pm-4:15pm
3:45 pm to 4:15 pm
Keynote K3 Panel - Revolutionizing Test Automation: The Impact of Generative AI on Quality Engineering
Adam Auerbach, EPAM Systems
4:15 pm to 5:15 pm

As Generative AI rapidly reshapes how we work, its impact on quality engineering and more specifically test automation is profound. Join our panel of AI and testing experts as they dive into how Gen AI is transforming testing practices, from creating smarter automation frameworks to redefining manual testing roles. Explore cutting-edge tools, discuss the challenges of integrating AI into test strategies, and debate the ethical implications of AI-driven quality engineering. This thought-provoking session will be driven by your questions and thus provide actionable insights, inspire...Read more

Expo Reception & Passport Game Prize Drawings—5:30pm–6:30pm
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Thursday, May 1

Morning Yoga—6:45am-7:30am
6:45 am to 7:30 am
Networking Events— Test Lab (All Day) | Speaker One-on-One (All Day)
7:30 am to 5:00 pm
Breakfast—7:30am–8:30am
7:30 am to 8:30 am
Registration—8:00am–3:00pm
8:00 am to 3:00 pm
Concurrent Sessions—9:45am–10:45am
9:45 am to 10:45 am
Concurrent Session T4 Enhancing Automation Testing with Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) and the Screenplay Pattern
Junuen Villa Colin, Esri
9:45 am to 10:45 am

In Esri's quest to improve automation testing, they faced a significant challenge: integrating Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) into the existing framework without discarding established tools. The goal was to maintain a shared business language while simplifying the testing process. To tackle this, Junuen's team adopted the screenplay pattern and rebuilt their XCUITest framework from the ground up. This innovative structure focused on tasks, interactions, and abilities, all elements of the screenplay pattern, enabling them to prioritize what truly mattered in their tests: the end-user...Read more

Concurrent Session T5 Navigating the Future: Embracing Automation Testing in a Rapidly Evolving Digital World
Amanda Curtis, Gold Bullion International (GBI)
9:45 am to 10:45 pm

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-...Read more

Concurrent Session T6 Navigating the Intersection of Security Testing and Secured App Testing
Karen Hsu, Blockchain by Women, Appdome
9:45 am to 10:45 pm

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, ensuring the security of applications has become paramount. However, the traditional manual approaches to security testing and functional testing of apps once they have been secured is time-consuming, error-prone, and often fails to keep pace with emerging threats. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of automating security testing and testing secured applications. Karen will delve into a real-world case study where her team faced the daunting task of securing a complex application. By using multiple...Read more

Visit the Expo—10:15am–3:00pm
10:15 am to 3:00 pm
Networking Break in the Expo—10:45am-11:15am
10:45 am to 11:15 am
Concurrent Sessions—11:15am–12:15pm
11:15 am to 12:15 pm
Lunch in the Expo—12:30pm–1:30pm
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions—1:30pm–2:30pm
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Concurrent Session T13 Automating the Testing of AI/ML Models: Tools, Skills, and Best Practices
Ayisha Tabbassum, Otis Elevator Co
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm

As AI and ML models become integral to software systems, ensuring their accuracy and reliability through effective testing is paramount. Traditional testing approaches often fall short in addressing the unique challenges posed by these models, such as handling large datasets, verifying model predictions, and maintaining robustness against data drift. This presentation explores Otis Elevator's journey in automating the testing of AI/ML models using cutting-edge tools and techniques. Ayisha Tabbassum's team faced significant hurdles in manually testing their AI models, from the sheer volume...Read more

Concurrent Session T17 Playwright Tips & Tricks—Why Does Microsoft's Framework Perform So Well in Testing?
Michal Slezak, Sii Poland
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm

This session aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Playwright, Microsoft's powerful framework for test automation. Michal will explore its core functionalities and delve into practical tips and tricks to enhance its usage. The session will begin by defining what Playwright is and highlight its key features that set it apart in the testing landscape. The session will then cover advanced usage techniques, including how to effectively utilize the Trace Viewer for generating detailed test reports and implementing concurrency in tests to boost efficiency. Furthermore, Michal will examine...Read more

Networking Break in the Expo—2:30pm-3:00pm • Closes at 3:00pm
2:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Concurrent Sessions—3:00pm–4:00pm
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Concurrent Session T21 The Revolution Was Not Televised: Software QA in the Era of Streaming and Livestreaming Services
Ramy Loaiza, Testlio, Inc.
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

You heard about it—Netflix's Love is Blind Live event fiasco last year, Pluto's VMA's blues in LATAM, and other subpar experiences for some streaming services, both live and on-demand. How is software QA involved in those? Or, how was it NOT involved? As content production and distribution companies consolidate and grow their streaming services and peripheral activities including: user personalization, loyalty, and engagement; tailored quality assurance and testing efforts become critical to ensure a fully immersive and optimal experience. In this session, Ramy will explore how to scope,...Read more

Concurrent Session T22 Why Testing Needs to Be Part of Your Brand Loyalty Strategy
Marcus Merrell, Sauce Labs
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Every experience counts – In a recent Sauce Labs study, 57% of consumers said they’d consider switching to a competitor after just 3-4 negative interactions with a company’s website, software, or mobile app. With all the options available, consumers are growing less forgiving, putting a bigger emphasis on the need for a clear brand loyalty strategy that takes the execution of the digital experience into bigger consideration. Design and engineering are key to the equation and the culmination of that is implementing a testing strategy – one that makes the rollout and updating of new features...Read more

Testing & Quality Leadership Summit Reception 5:30pm-6:30pm (Summit Registration Required)
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Friday, May 2

Registration—7:30am–3:00pm
7:30 am to 3:00 pm
Breakfast—7:30am–8:30am
7:30 am to 8:30 am
Women Who Test
8:30 am to 3:30 pm

Friday, May 2, 2025 | 8:30am-3:30pm ET Available as a Free Bonus session for In-Person Registrations Only.

Women Who Test will take place in Orlando and is designed for women to network with other women who work in software testing. It is also a unique way to learn from and be inspired by each other. The program will cover testing topics and will support women’s personal and career journeys and include content like: reengineering your life, growing your personal brand, setting goals, discovering your career superpowers,...Read more

Testing & Quality Leadership Summit
8:30 am to 3:30 pm

At the 2025 Testing & Quality Leadership Summit, program chair Jeffery Payne brings together senior industry leaders for an interactive exchange of ideas and experiences. Each of these leaders brings a unique perspective to the table and will provide Summit participants with lessons learned and practical techniques for leading teams, addressing management challenges, and gaining senior management buy-in.Read more

Lunch—12:00pm–1:00pm
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm