Luminary Award Nominations Close Wednesday June 30th!
Thank you to all of you that have been nominating your choice for the STP Luminary Award. As we approach the close of this portion of the award process, I thought I would outline the next steps in what we hope to be a summer of great debate, lobbying, and education about the top 3 people that have been chosen by you.
As I said, nominations close this Wednesday. At the close of business on Wednesday, we will start tallying the results of the nomination process to determine our top three nominees. Those nominees will be input into our online voting survey to be released on July 15th. Although you may not see your nominee on the list, we hope you will take a look at the top three vote getters and get involved in understanding why others have chosen one of these three luminaries.
On July 15th we will also include on the website, under the Luminary Award Crew, a little bit of information about each nominee. Some of that information will come from the comments of the people that nominated them for the award. Some information will come from the research we here at STP will do about the nominees, and then we will open it up to you. We will be opening up the Luminary discussion to all Basic Members (complimentary Membership) to comment and lobby for your choice to receive the award. We will not field the questions of “this is bogus, I don’t see (put nominee name here). He/She should have been on the list.” We can only put forth the people you nominated. If you have not nominated someone you have 2 days left to do so! Once the nomination period is closed it is closed. (Click here to nominate)
The voting will start July 15th and continue through September 2nd. You have plenty of time to vote and if you know who your candidate is “hands down” then vote immediately. But if your candidate is not in the top three, I hope you will take the time to learn why others chose these candidates, and make an informed vote for the one you would like to see win the award. I expect that the supporters of each of these candidates will have an active role in lobbying for their candidate but we will see. This debate could make the “dog days of summer” a little more tolerable and interesting!
I only ask that the debate be respectful of the nominees. I expect we will see plenty of differences in these candidate’s qualifications, and the discussion will revolve around the positive aspect of each of the nominee’s contributions to our industry. This debate should really be a great window into the qualities, values and accomplishments that we believe make for great leaders in our industry.
The final stage of the process will be the actual award presented at the 2010 Software Test Professionals Conference & Expo at the Mirage in Las Vegas. I hope you engage in the debate and the voting so that we have the opportunity to present the winner with a community award we can all agree went through a fair, robust, and open process…
Good Luck to all of our nominees!
Showing posts with label Software testers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Software testers. Show all posts
Monday, June 28, 2010
Re-cap of Local Interest Chapter Meeting in San Francisco…
The second LIC meeting kicked off in San Francisco on Thursday June 24th and it was a great success! Vladimir Belorusets shared his experience with test automation data (feel free to download if you are a Basic Member) and it offered the group a lot to think about and discuss at the conclusion of his presentation. Dave Willmer, Executive Director of Robert Half Technology shared his insights into some employment trends RHT has been experiencing over the past six months. Beyond the presentation, it was great to see Dave again having worked with him over the past several years so closely. He had a number of his team members attend the meeting and it was nice to get to speak with professionals so closely aligned with the current quality, development and IT testing employment market. They are an impressive group.
Automation continues to challenge the test and quality community in a number of areas. What to automate, what the best tools for automation are, and the relationship between test automation engineers, development, and quality assurance pros continues to dominate the conversation. There are some great practices going on out there and one in particular was shared at this meeting. One organization is driving a culture change that places stronger expectations for a higher quality of code on the developers before passing it on to the quality group. There was some conversation around the process reducing the need for testers, but again a robust debate generated interesting perspectives for the meeting attendees.
I received requests and volunteers for more LIC meetings in the SFC area. One of the attendees was active in a user group and highlighted the important differences between what we are doing at STP and user groups. Boiled down it is simply that we at STP want to encourage discussion on all topics of interest to the software test and quality community - where user groups want to focus on the topics around their tools. That is not a bad thing, just a different approach. We at STP pride ourselves in building bridges between people, process, and technology. We also know that every group and meeting will be different for each LIC. Member control and delivery will guarantee these meetings are timely and useful for the professionals in our industry.
I am so heartened by the fact that this group in SFC like NYC found the meeting a great first step in creating a long term initiative within the local community. It seems like there is a definite interest in our community to get together to help each other. We are optimistic that in a year from now we could have 30 active Local Interest Chapters around the country. That would be a very satisfying result for an organization that believes in the power of connecting people.
I am currently working on a supporting document that will help STP members to host a meeting in their area. It will include the vision of the Local Interest Chapters, logistics for putting on a great meeting, along with topics and facilitation that has proven to be valuable for the attendees. We here at STP will be the backbone of the infrastructure to put these meetings on - but it is the knowledge and passion of our community volunteers that will make these meetings a great success.
My next two meetings will be in Colorado Springs (our home base) and Denver. I have received interest in PA, MI, MA, and TX. If you are interested contact me at rhand@softwaretestpro.com...
Automation continues to challenge the test and quality community in a number of areas. What to automate, what the best tools for automation are, and the relationship between test automation engineers, development, and quality assurance pros continues to dominate the conversation. There are some great practices going on out there and one in particular was shared at this meeting. One organization is driving a culture change that places stronger expectations for a higher quality of code on the developers before passing it on to the quality group. There was some conversation around the process reducing the need for testers, but again a robust debate generated interesting perspectives for the meeting attendees.
I received requests and volunteers for more LIC meetings in the SFC area. One of the attendees was active in a user group and highlighted the important differences between what we are doing at STP and user groups. Boiled down it is simply that we at STP want to encourage discussion on all topics of interest to the software test and quality community - where user groups want to focus on the topics around their tools. That is not a bad thing, just a different approach. We at STP pride ourselves in building bridges between people, process, and technology. We also know that every group and meeting will be different for each LIC. Member control and delivery will guarantee these meetings are timely and useful for the professionals in our industry.
I am so heartened by the fact that this group in SFC like NYC found the meeting a great first step in creating a long term initiative within the local community. It seems like there is a definite interest in our community to get together to help each other. We are optimistic that in a year from now we could have 30 active Local Interest Chapters around the country. That would be a very satisfying result for an organization that believes in the power of connecting people.
I am currently working on a supporting document that will help STP members to host a meeting in their area. It will include the vision of the Local Interest Chapters, logistics for putting on a great meeting, along with topics and facilitation that has proven to be valuable for the attendees. We here at STP will be the backbone of the infrastructure to put these meetings on - but it is the knowledge and passion of our community volunteers that will make these meetings a great success.
My next two meetings will be in Colorado Springs (our home base) and Denver. I have received interest in PA, MI, MA, and TX. If you are interested contact me at rhand@softwaretestpro.com...
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Conversation Begins at STP…
I am extremely excited about the reaction we have been getting to the new features on our new website. Visit the new website at www.softwaretestpro.com. I want to thank the many of you that have shared kind words, bugs, and critiques about the site. All of these comments will help the Software Test Professionals website to serve its members more effectively.
We received feedback from a tester who suggested that they would not become a member of the site because it was not “tested properly”. I was a bit confused by that comment because it suggests that the site would have to be “perfect” or “bug free” to meet their approval. I have to respectfully disagree and ask the question; isn’t finding bugs and functional issues that work better for a user the value of what testers do for an organization?
Our new Software Test Professionals website will be the most tested and functional website on the face of the earth if we get consistent feedback from the most qualified community in the world. The testing will be happening every time one of our testers shows up on the site; daily and on an ongoing basis. To suggest that a lack of testing is sufficient (what is sufficient?) to determine whether or not to become a part of STP is short sighted in my view. Our developers built the website knowing the scrutiny would be as personal and invasive as a colonoscopy, and are excited by the challenge and opportunity serving this community is. Try to get LinkedIn or Facebook to change their site to meet your needs. We are in business for the testing and quality community, not to be everything to every social group in the world.
The framework is up, the basics are built, and the journey begins at STP. I am taking in all of the critiques with an eye toward what the future holds; a site guided and built with an ultimate goal of a website and membership built on superior quality. Keep your testing hat on as you visit the website. We want every comment and suggestion because every comment is an opportunity to reach the ultimate goal; to be your home base, where everybody knows your name (and your value)…
We received feedback from a tester who suggested that they would not become a member of the site because it was not “tested properly”. I was a bit confused by that comment because it suggests that the site would have to be “perfect” or “bug free” to meet their approval. I have to respectfully disagree and ask the question; isn’t finding bugs and functional issues that work better for a user the value of what testers do for an organization?
Our new Software Test Professionals website will be the most tested and functional website on the face of the earth if we get consistent feedback from the most qualified community in the world. The testing will be happening every time one of our testers shows up on the site; daily and on an ongoing basis. To suggest that a lack of testing is sufficient (what is sufficient?) to determine whether or not to become a part of STP is short sighted in my view. Our developers built the website knowing the scrutiny would be as personal and invasive as a colonoscopy, and are excited by the challenge and opportunity serving this community is. Try to get LinkedIn or Facebook to change their site to meet your needs. We are in business for the testing and quality community, not to be everything to every social group in the world.
The framework is up, the basics are built, and the journey begins at STP. I am taking in all of the critiques with an eye toward what the future holds; a site guided and built with an ultimate goal of a website and membership built on superior quality. Keep your testing hat on as you visit the website. We want every comment and suggestion because every comment is an opportunity to reach the ultimate goal; to be your home base, where everybody knows your name (and your value)…
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Getting Ready for Software Test Professionals
We have been feverishly preparing to launch the new “Brand” Software Test Professionals, Software Test & Quality Assurance magazine, and Software Test Professionals Conference & Expo here at STP. We are taking what were simply a magazine called Software Test & Performance and a small conference called STP Con, and turning them into components that will make up what we hope to be the most trusted place to be by the Software tester and quality assurance professional. We will become people focused in the tradition of great associations. We will be launching so much throughout 2010 to support this new focus, and the speed of delivery will depend on how quickly this community embraces the concept. I have outlined a few points of focus for the new membership offering.
Our new membership focus will be to:
• Provide a framework for members to learn, share, and build their reputation.
• Provide the recognition and awards, developed by the membership to validate the achievements of individuals and organizations.
• Provide opportunities to publish works, methodologies, and information to the broader community through white papers, magazines, newsletters, and books to increase the awareness of the overall commitment of these individuals to the profession as a whole.
• Gather the membership together at conferences, local interest groups, and training events to share and recognize the professionals within an industry and their commitment to learning and developing themselves and the industry as a whole.
• Provide a voice beyond the immediate community where other professionals can reference the work being produced by the association’s members. Increasing the overall reputation of the industry.
• Validation of the profession; American Medical Association, American Bar Association; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Help Desk Institute are examples of associations that validate the role and function of an industry into a profession by providing all of the above.
We are chomping at the bit getting ready to launch the “face” of our association, the website, and today are choosing the 10 testers from nearly 60 that volunteered to make sure when we launch you get a quality experience when you visit the new website. We hope it will be user ready by June 1st!
That’s not all we are working on. We are accepting proposals to speak at our fall conference to be held October 18th – 21st at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. It will include a true “hands-on” track so testers can truly test not just talk about testing. We have a great key note line-up and most importantly a cool party for the attendees! It will shake up the industry, and the experience we plan to provide will be one that we hope will confirm in your mind, that this is the place to be if you are a software tester or quality assurance professional.
The newest edition of ST&QA (Software Test & Quality Assurance Magazine) is being edited as I write this Blog posting. It has articles explaining the new brand and “ community model” along with a great article by James Bach called the “Omega Tester” and a couple of new features, “Ask the Tester”, where Matt Heusser has engaged Michael Bolton to answer some excellent questions from software testers in our community. We have part IV of the Six Sigma article series by Jon Quigley and Kim Pries, and a couple of other features on load and performance testing you will not want to miss! And finally we have added a cartoon feature by Andy Glover who has a great Blog at www.cartoontester.blogspot.com.
We have planned, created, and are about to implement the newest community for software testers and quality assurance professionals. It will only work if we are embraced by you. We are about people sharing with people. We are about promoting you and your knowledge to benefit the community. We are about publishing and vetting the latest and hottest trends in our industry you are discussing. We want to provide Local Interest Chapters around the country, the best conference experience bar none, and the best website infrastructure to support your ability to connect to other trusted testers and quality professionals.
We hope the industry is ready. We hope you are ready. We will be ready June 4th.
Rich Hand
Director of Membership & Publications
Software Test Professionals
Our new membership focus will be to:
• Provide a framework for members to learn, share, and build their reputation.
• Provide the recognition and awards, developed by the membership to validate the achievements of individuals and organizations.
• Provide opportunities to publish works, methodologies, and information to the broader community through white papers, magazines, newsletters, and books to increase the awareness of the overall commitment of these individuals to the profession as a whole.
• Gather the membership together at conferences, local interest groups, and training events to share and recognize the professionals within an industry and their commitment to learning and developing themselves and the industry as a whole.
• Provide a voice beyond the immediate community where other professionals can reference the work being produced by the association’s members. Increasing the overall reputation of the industry.
• Validation of the profession; American Medical Association, American Bar Association; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Help Desk Institute are examples of associations that validate the role and function of an industry into a profession by providing all of the above.
We are chomping at the bit getting ready to launch the “face” of our association, the website, and today are choosing the 10 testers from nearly 60 that volunteered to make sure when we launch you get a quality experience when you visit the new website. We hope it will be user ready by June 1st!
That’s not all we are working on. We are accepting proposals to speak at our fall conference to be held October 18th – 21st at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. It will include a true “hands-on” track so testers can truly test not just talk about testing. We have a great key note line-up and most importantly a cool party for the attendees! It will shake up the industry, and the experience we plan to provide will be one that we hope will confirm in your mind, that this is the place to be if you are a software tester or quality assurance professional.
The newest edition of ST&QA (Software Test & Quality Assurance Magazine) is being edited as I write this Blog posting. It has articles explaining the new brand and “ community model” along with a great article by James Bach called the “Omega Tester” and a couple of new features, “Ask the Tester”, where Matt Heusser has engaged Michael Bolton to answer some excellent questions from software testers in our community. We have part IV of the Six Sigma article series by Jon Quigley and Kim Pries, and a couple of other features on load and performance testing you will not want to miss! And finally we have added a cartoon feature by Andy Glover who has a great Blog at www.cartoontester.blogspot.com.
We have planned, created, and are about to implement the newest community for software testers and quality assurance professionals. It will only work if we are embraced by you. We are about people sharing with people. We are about promoting you and your knowledge to benefit the community. We are about publishing and vetting the latest and hottest trends in our industry you are discussing. We want to provide Local Interest Chapters around the country, the best conference experience bar none, and the best website infrastructure to support your ability to connect to other trusted testers and quality professionals.
We hope the industry is ready. We hope you are ready. We will be ready June 4th.
Rich Hand
Director of Membership & Publications
Software Test Professionals
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Some People Just Get IT!
I love to learn, and my favorite way of learning is to share ideas and information with like minded individuals. Today I learned a boat load of great information and knowledge from a social media master, Chris Dancy of ServiceSphere. He is a humble man and will tell you he is learning all the time as well, but when you compare where he is in the social media space, he is light years ahead of many; especially me!! I wanted to thank him for his time and eye opening discussion around the many perspectives and current uses of social media. If you don’t know him you will find him in the twittershere under the ServiceShere moniker.
I have also been reviewing the nearly 200 applications for the Strategic Advisory Board for our Software Testing Professional (STP) Collaborative. I am always honored but never surprised by the willingness of people to get involved in their profession. There will only be a handful of people that will be chosen due to the logistics of managing such a group, but I will find a way to harness the passion of the people that want to offer their time to help others in the software testing community.
The beauty of membership is it is about people. And people are what it is all about. Today was a really good day in my world of people.
Thank you Chris and thanks to the 200 applicants that have offered their knowledge to help the STP community!
I have also been reviewing the nearly 200 applications for the Strategic Advisory Board for our Software Testing Professional (STP) Collaborative. I am always honored but never surprised by the willingness of people to get involved in their profession. There will only be a handful of people that will be chosen due to the logistics of managing such a group, but I will find a way to harness the passion of the people that want to offer their time to help others in the software testing community.
The beauty of membership is it is about people. And people are what it is all about. Today was a really good day in my world of people.
Thank you Chris and thanks to the 200 applicants that have offered their knowledge to help the STP community!
Friday, January 8, 2010
People are the new IT…
I was in a very engaging conversation with one of my favorite people, a social media guru, ITSM expert, and overall great guy, Chris Dancy, and he made the statement, “people are the new IT” and followed up with “Membership is the new CMDB.” Now I admit we were both drinking (only kidding) when we went off discussing this “revelation” but as I thought more about it, this is a concept worth vetting (It’s Friday after all).
Years ago man controlled machine, and the promise of new technology was a more leisurely world for man at the expense of technology. But if we look at the world today, technology is running the world, and man is being run by technology. Technology is rampant, and it offers endless, new, and different opportunities to do business, connect with people, pay your bills, watch your movies, get your news, and it seems that there is very little we do in life that doesn’t involve technology. It can seem overwhelming, and it is. It seems we are constantly being distracted and driven by technology.
So how does this relate to membership? Membership is the new CMDB. For those of you that are not in technology, CMDB is the acronym for Configuration Management Data Base. It is a way for technology professionals to manage all of the technology in their organization. It is the “connective tissue” that provides the infrastructure needed for technology to work. Your PC is connected to a router, which connects to a server, which hosts the software you need to interface with your database, which connects to the web, which allows your customers to connect to your website and buy your product or service. In a nutshell it is every technology component needed to produce the outcome you or your business is engaged in and important for you to “succeed.”
Membership organizations have become the people CMDB that bring together the service management professional, software tester, developer, knitter, or any other group of people that have a common purpose, into connected “components.” The “components” that make up a successful software tester for example is; access to content that is relevant and validated, trainers that provide relevant training on skills needed to be a successful tester, conferences that provide sessions and speakers, and meetings that bring people together in local groups to discuss important topics to the testers. Membership provides and connects the “components” (people) with the technology, training, and people they need to be successful in their profession.
As I argued in a previous post, membership is where the cutting edge professionals gather to move an industry forward. Membership is disruptive to an industry and is where cutting edge ideas are developed, vetted, and implemented throughout the organizations of the membership. It is where all of the components of a successful industry are “housed.” Just like a CMDB, except today configuration items (CI’s) are people in one place working to provide a service by connecting people, ideas, and excellence.
A bit of a stretch? Maybe but I had an entire 6 pack to get through (just kidding)…
Years ago man controlled machine, and the promise of new technology was a more leisurely world for man at the expense of technology. But if we look at the world today, technology is running the world, and man is being run by technology. Technology is rampant, and it offers endless, new, and different opportunities to do business, connect with people, pay your bills, watch your movies, get your news, and it seems that there is very little we do in life that doesn’t involve technology. It can seem overwhelming, and it is. It seems we are constantly being distracted and driven by technology.
So how does this relate to membership? Membership is the new CMDB. For those of you that are not in technology, CMDB is the acronym for Configuration Management Data Base. It is a way for technology professionals to manage all of the technology in their organization. It is the “connective tissue” that provides the infrastructure needed for technology to work. Your PC is connected to a router, which connects to a server, which hosts the software you need to interface with your database, which connects to the web, which allows your customers to connect to your website and buy your product or service. In a nutshell it is every technology component needed to produce the outcome you or your business is engaged in and important for you to “succeed.”
Membership organizations have become the people CMDB that bring together the service management professional, software tester, developer, knitter, or any other group of people that have a common purpose, into connected “components.” The “components” that make up a successful software tester for example is; access to content that is relevant and validated, trainers that provide relevant training on skills needed to be a successful tester, conferences that provide sessions and speakers, and meetings that bring people together in local groups to discuss important topics to the testers. Membership provides and connects the “components” (people) with the technology, training, and people they need to be successful in their profession.
As I argued in a previous post, membership is where the cutting edge professionals gather to move an industry forward. Membership is disruptive to an industry and is where cutting edge ideas are developed, vetted, and implemented throughout the organizations of the membership. It is where all of the components of a successful industry are “housed.” Just like a CMDB, except today configuration items (CI’s) are people in one place working to provide a service by connecting people, ideas, and excellence.
A bit of a stretch? Maybe but I had an entire 6 pack to get through (just kidding)…
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Does Technology Encourage Rudeness?
Have you ever written and e-mail, blog, or posted a comment on a social networking site that you felt “bad” about after the fact? I find myself considering what I write these days more carefully than I used to. In my latest book, “The Teenager’s Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; A Parent’s Gift…” I warn teenagers about this phenomenon that I call APC “Alternate Personality Communication.”
APC is created when the communication is filtered through technology. We tend to be less human than we would be if we were sitting across the table or in the same room as the person with which we are communicating. I have become more aware of this and try to keep it in mind every time I post or comment on a post.
It is very pervasive in the political arena and its impact is corrosive on the entire process of governing. And even in my research of Blogs in the Software Testing community, I have found the same phenomenon. I would bet the mortgage that it is universal and pervasive in all social interaction that is filtered through technology.
So what can we do? As everything in life we can only control our own actions and the first step is awareness. We need to be cognizant when we communicate through technology of the “tone” we are taking. We need to ask ourselves if we were standing in front of this person would I “say” the same thing I am about to write? If I write this can it be “misconstrued” in any way?
I am not saying, don’t be honest. I am saying be as honest and respectful as you would be if the person you are communicating with was standing right in front of you. We need to debate, challenge, and participate in the conversation if we are going to grow both personally and professionally. But we will move forward faster as communities, industries, and individuals if we do it respectfully.
Arguing the concepts without degrading people is what we should promote. If people comment, post, or engage in an inappropriate way we need to take them to task the way the new media has determined is the most effective; ignore them!
As technology professionals we need to lead the way. I am working hard on this every day I post or comment which is most days, several times a day. Most of you that are reading this are probably in the same place as I am. But even if you are not engaged in writing in the social medium, you probably write e-mails every day and can apply this concept.
If you would like to post a comment please do but I hope you take the above advice when you take me to task. Write on!
APC is created when the communication is filtered through technology. We tend to be less human than we would be if we were sitting across the table or in the same room as the person with which we are communicating. I have become more aware of this and try to keep it in mind every time I post or comment on a post.
It is very pervasive in the political arena and its impact is corrosive on the entire process of governing. And even in my research of Blogs in the Software Testing community, I have found the same phenomenon. I would bet the mortgage that it is universal and pervasive in all social interaction that is filtered through technology.
So what can we do? As everything in life we can only control our own actions and the first step is awareness. We need to be cognizant when we communicate through technology of the “tone” we are taking. We need to ask ourselves if we were standing in front of this person would I “say” the same thing I am about to write? If I write this can it be “misconstrued” in any way?
I am not saying, don’t be honest. I am saying be as honest and respectful as you would be if the person you are communicating with was standing right in front of you. We need to debate, challenge, and participate in the conversation if we are going to grow both personally and professionally. But we will move forward faster as communities, industries, and individuals if we do it respectfully.
Arguing the concepts without degrading people is what we should promote. If people comment, post, or engage in an inappropriate way we need to take them to task the way the new media has determined is the most effective; ignore them!
As technology professionals we need to lead the way. I am working hard on this every day I post or comment which is most days, several times a day. Most of you that are reading this are probably in the same place as I am. But even if you are not engaged in writing in the social medium, you probably write e-mails every day and can apply this concept.
If you would like to post a comment please do but I hope you take the above advice when you take me to task. Write on!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
You Can’t Fake It…
The most important thing about building membership is the people responsible have to like people! I would even venture to say the organization building a membership has to be in it to SERVE members. Most big companies see membership as a list of people to sell services to. If this is your organization, you will never succeed. Get out of the business now.
Membership is built on honesty, trust, listening, and then delivering on the services most important to the membership you serve. This is not to say you need to deliver everything the membership asks for, but if you can’t deliver, explain why. People will understand that it takes human and financial resources to deliver services and products. Let your membership know you have to prioritize based on the needs of the members, and be honest!
As a membership director myself, I am in the early stages of building out the infrastructure of the Software Test & Performance (STP) association and I have to prioritize. We are working on developing a process for our magazine that focuses on delivering on time, valuable, pertinent, relevant, and cutting edge information to deliver to the industry. But how do you do that? Get the industry experts in the process. I am responsible to drive the operational process but the most important part of my job is to highlight the luminaries in the industry and cultivate new talent.
I believe it is critical to elevate as many practitioners in the field to highlight their knowledge of the industry. Often organizations make the mistake of using the same participants all the time. I agree it is easier but the entire industry is served when many perspectives are delivered. This is not to say the respected leaders of the industry are not important, they are critical. But it is important that a membership knows that everyone is considered and valued when it comes to knowledge sharing. There are a lot of ways to attack any issue, and the more perspectives you have on a subject, the better the industry is served.
We are engaged in debates every day, whether it is software testing, IT support, customer service practices, politics, or quilting, everyone has something to share. If you want to get people recognized allow them to participate. Then recognize them as a valued member of the community.
This being my first post as the Director of Membership for Redwood Collaborative, I wanted to extend an open invitation to software testers, and social media experts to engage in our new start-up. You will find that the group of people that make up our company love membership, people, and delivering value. We have worked together for many years and have a track record that speaks for itself.
Our team here at Redwood Collaborative created the largest and most respected Membership, Event, and Training business in the IT Support industry. We are honored to do it again for our software testers, and social media experts. We know we can be successful if we do the one thing that big organizations can’t do; deliver the services you need with quality and consistency. And we do it because we love helping people to be the best they can be.
You just can’t fake it; you have to really care about people…
Membership is built on honesty, trust, listening, and then delivering on the services most important to the membership you serve. This is not to say you need to deliver everything the membership asks for, but if you can’t deliver, explain why. People will understand that it takes human and financial resources to deliver services and products. Let your membership know you have to prioritize based on the needs of the members, and be honest!
As a membership director myself, I am in the early stages of building out the infrastructure of the Software Test & Performance (STP) association and I have to prioritize. We are working on developing a process for our magazine that focuses on delivering on time, valuable, pertinent, relevant, and cutting edge information to deliver to the industry. But how do you do that? Get the industry experts in the process. I am responsible to drive the operational process but the most important part of my job is to highlight the luminaries in the industry and cultivate new talent.
I believe it is critical to elevate as many practitioners in the field to highlight their knowledge of the industry. Often organizations make the mistake of using the same participants all the time. I agree it is easier but the entire industry is served when many perspectives are delivered. This is not to say the respected leaders of the industry are not important, they are critical. But it is important that a membership knows that everyone is considered and valued when it comes to knowledge sharing. There are a lot of ways to attack any issue, and the more perspectives you have on a subject, the better the industry is served.
We are engaged in debates every day, whether it is software testing, IT support, customer service practices, politics, or quilting, everyone has something to share. If you want to get people recognized allow them to participate. Then recognize them as a valued member of the community.
This being my first post as the Director of Membership for Redwood Collaborative, I wanted to extend an open invitation to software testers, and social media experts to engage in our new start-up. You will find that the group of people that make up our company love membership, people, and delivering value. We have worked together for many years and have a track record that speaks for itself.
Our team here at Redwood Collaborative created the largest and most respected Membership, Event, and Training business in the IT Support industry. We are honored to do it again for our software testers, and social media experts. We know we can be successful if we do the one thing that big organizations can’t do; deliver the services you need with quality and consistency. And we do it because we love helping people to be the best they can be.
You just can’t fake it; you have to really care about people…
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)