Test Professionals Meetup in Tauranga

Good things happen when communities get together. Experiences are shared, information is exchanged, networks are made, and opportunities are created. This was demonstrated again at the Tauranga Test Professionals meetup hosted at the Bay Oval, Mt Maunganui in Tauranga.

Just as the previous meetup featured an external speaker, the July program hosted two local and very topical speakers. The meetup opened with Berny Roux, Head of Quality Assurance & Release Management for Zespri International. Attendees witnessed a first-hand account of what it was like to run a test programme for a programme of change that was regarded by global giant SAP as one of their top 10 global work programmes for 2022. Berny set the scene for what happens to the test strategy and plan once the work begins then highlighted highlighting the lessons learned for those taking on similar challenges. Berny’s presentation material can be seen here.

Berny was followed by Linda Castle, Senior Test Analyst for Trustpower. Linda provided the community with an overview of Trustpower’s approach to identifying and growing good Test Analysts from within the business. Her presentation also included methods for helping people from the business gain the necessary confidence to be testers and the utility of adding this skill set to their business knowledge. Linda’s presentation, which can be found here, sparked a good discussion on what were the attributes of a good tester.

Compilation of Pictures from the Tauranga Professional Test Meetup

Both Berny and Linda’s presentations emphasized the importance of business knowledge, and how business knowledge trumps technical skill. This idea is a version of the adage that you can teach skill, but you cannot teach attitude. The two topics bookended well the July 2022 Tauranga Test Professionals meetup.

Now in its third year, the Tauranga Test Professionals Meetup is established part of the local software testing community. Registrations from 25 people across 16 organisations ensured a good representation from the local community, despite the impacts of school holidays for the period. The July meetup was the second for 2022, and a third has been scheduled for November 2022. A location has already been offered, and additional information will be released soon. The Test Professional Meetup series are free to anyone with an interest in software testing. They are an open forum, supported by TTC with a ‘no sales’ approach to content and networking. If you are interested in attending future meetups or events, be sure to stay up to date with our events page.