About WWST

The Waterloo Workshops on Software Testing, WWST, are an ongoing series of free workshops for experienced software testers and related professionals, co-founded and co-hosted by Selena Delesie and Kristin Goetz.  WWST strives to build skills in software testing and allows people who are interested in topics in software testing to network with their peers.  The emphasis is on mutual learning, sharing hands-on experiences and solving practical problems.

We aim to provide an intensive opportunity for experienced test people who are both passionate and thoughtful about their work to get together and share their experiences and insights.  We also want to promote contributions to the field, and help to move thinking about testing forward.  All participants are encouraged to publish the workshop’s discussions and findings. The only restriction is that you must credit the WWST workshop and all of its participants in your publication.

Each workshop will focus on one topic in software testing.  We will try to select a topic that is narrow enough in scope that we can reasonably cover it in the limited amount of time we have. Following the workshop itself, more discussion can take place on the topic via the Waterloo Workshops on Software Testing LinkedIn Group, or on the WWST website.

Workshop Format

A small group of committed people gets together for a couple of days over a weekend, to explore in depth a single topic important to software testing. Each participant is asked to come prepared to present informally and briefly on their experience with the topic. The meeting is facilitated by a single volunteer.  While there are no formal minutes, participants are invited to share their notes on the WWST website.

Each workshop includes regular breaks for networking and refreshments, and is limited to 15 to 20 people. Each workshop has a facilitator who manages discussion and presentation questions, and a content owner who determines the topic and the speakers for that topic. These two roles will serve to guide the discussion and format, but it is the attendees who ultimately determine what we focus on and what is interesting to them.

The primary building block of the workshop format is the experience report. In an ER someone stands up and informally tells a story. While they share their experience, we encourage attendees to only ask clarifying questions. Once they are done, we have a facilitated discussion based on the experience report where attendees can dig deeper into something said, present counter experiences, or can share affirmations about something experienced by the speaker.

Attendees get regular opportunities to network.  We also perform a check-in and check-out at every workshop where you get a chance to learn about each attendee. We think building the community is just as important as talking about the content.  We may often have dinner together; but nothing is formally planned and attendance isn’t required.

Attending

Workshop attendance is by invitation only to ensure a high level of participation and professional commitment, and is limited to a maximum of 20 participants. All participants are expected to make a presentation on the workshop topic based on their own experience.  There is no fee to attend any workshop (though you pay for your own travel & meal costs).  Presentations are typically on advanced topics in software testing or on topics we feel need to be discussed in the Waterloo region.  We strive to give every serious inquirer a fair chance to attend at least one of the year’s workshops and encourage newcomers who have a passion for the field to attend.

Note

WWST is modeled after TWST (the Toronto Workshop on Software Testing), which is modeled on LAWST (the Los Altos Workshop on Software Testing), which is itself modeled on a particular type of academic conference.  WWST is not affiliated with any organization.