A message from the AST President

Dear Members,

First, I want to personally thank each and every one of you for the warm welcome I have received since becoming President of AST. I first heard of AST about two years ago and was intrigued by the idea of a professional association for software testers. I joined AST without very high expectations. Some people I respect greatly were members and I figured it was worth the risk of a year's membership fees to see what it was all about. I quickly learned that joining AST was a wise investment. Since then, I have learned that AST is a great organization filled with wonderful people -- people that care about testing and testers. My experience as President over the past couple months has greatly increased my appreciation for the Association and its members. I am humbled that you elected me to the Board of Directors and that the Board selected me to lead our community as President of the Association. I am committed to doing all I can to live up to the expectations you have of me; and will do whatever I can to enable you to build AST into the organization we all know it can be.

To that end, the rest of this letter is a sort of "State of the Association" address, in which I share a bit about where we've been and more about where we're going. I have seen the Association become more member focused over the past couple years. It is my intent to see that we continue that trend.

CAST 2008

The third annual Conference of the Association for Software Testing (CAST), in Toronto, was a huge success. Details on the conference, including papers and slides from our presenters, may be found at www.CAST2008.org. My sincerest gratitude goes to our many speakers, sponsors, and volunteers that contributed to an inspiring conference.

AST ELECTION RESULTS

AST elections were held by proxy leading up to the conference, and in person at the conference on July 15^th. The following are the directors you elected to care for AST on your behalf. The newly elected Board of Directors elected executive committee members from amongst themselves to the positions indicated:

• Ben Simo (President)
• Cem Kaner (Executive Vice President)
• Scott Barber (Vice President of Operations & Executive Director)
• Julie DeSutter (Treasurer)
• Anne Martin (Secretary)
• Dawn Haynes (Executive Committee Member at Large)
• Doug Hoffman (Executive Committee Member at Large)
• Jeff Fry
• Paul Holland
• Mike Kelly

I'm sure you'll agree with my assessment that you have selected an exceptional team to lead AST for the next year. Based on the amount that I've enjoyed working with both the elected officials and the numerous volunteers that keep AST moving forward thus far, I'm very much looking forward working closely with each of them to the rest of our year together as AST's leadership team.

EXPANDING OUR BOUNDARIES

At the July 16^th annual membership meeting, I outlined what we would like to accomplish in the coming year. Our theme this year is Expanding Our Boundaries . By this, we intend to expand the size of our membership, facilitate growth of our individual members, and increase the Association’s visibility and influence. We believe we can do this guided by the following principles:

• AST views software testing as an empirical technical investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with quality-related information.
• AST views software testing as a cognitively complex activity that requires critical thinking, effective communication, and rapid self-directed learning.
• AST believes willingness to work collaboratively through controversy is vital to the growth and education of the field and those in it.
• AST currently focuses on supporting all experience levels (including students and their instructors).
• AST fosters future generations of leadership in software testing through emphasis on personal growth in ethical behavior and technical competence.
• AST's leaders make decisions based on AST's ethics, AST's brand integrity, and value for AST members while being mindful of the potential for conflicts of interest for our members, volunteers, and staff.
• AST strives toward making the organization self-sustaining through means other than strictly volunteerism.
• AST finances its mission through products and services consistent with its nonprofit status, code of ethics, these eight guiding principles, and its high values of quality, relevance, and integrity.

CAST 2009

We are pleased to announce the fourth annual Conference of the Association for Software Testing, CAST 2009, to be held July 13^th through 16^th , at the Antlers Hotel in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado. We are planning to expand both the number and diversity of conference participants in 2009. The CAST 2009 theme is Serving our Stakeholders . In support of that theme, we are putting together a slate of tutorials, keynotes, presentations, and activities focused on helping testers learn to better serve those that have a vested interest in our testing.

We are currently arranging for top-notch tutorials and keynote speakers.We are already assembling a cast of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer to help in the pre-panning or on the ground execution of CAST 2009, please send an email to Jared Small (volunteer@associationforsoftwaretesting.org) who has kindly volunteered to be the CAST Volunteer Coordinator again this year. A call for papers will be going out shortly. Please visit www.CAST2009.org for updates as they become available.

ONLINE TRAINING

Over the past year, two online BBST (Black Box Software Testing) courses have been rolled out to AST members: Foundations and Bug Advocacy. Each of these courses lasts four weeks, and are FREE for AST members. Each course includes exercises, video lectures, quizzes, peer review, and a final exam. The feedback on these courses has been very positive, and most students report that the classes have been a valuable learning experience.

We plan to roll out an additional eight classes over the next year. The continued success of this program relies on volunteer instructors. If you would like to become an instructor, please contact bbst@training.associationforsoftwaretesting.org.

The next two Foundations classes begin September 28^th and November 9^th. The next Bug Advocacy class begins September 20^th. Please visit http://training.associationforsoftwaretesting.org/schedule for more information and to place yourself on the waiting list for these courses.

AST LIVE!

We are excited to be rolling out live AST tester training by top-notch testing instructors. AST wants you to choose our Live! Training for one reason: because it’s the right topic, with the right instructor, at the right price, to help you achieve your personal, project, or business goals. The following courses are currently scheduled:

* AST Member Price. Training is coming to the following cities.

• Atlanta: December 1-5, 2008 (Registration Open)
• Denver: February 16-20, 2008

More cities and dates will be added based on demand. Please tell your friends, colleagues, and managers about AST Live! Visit http://training.associationforsoftwaretesting.org/live for more information and to register.

AST UPDATE

We are transforming the AST newsletter into an ad-supported quarterly software testing magazine. It will be delivered free online. Once sufficient funding materializes, we plan to mail printed magazines to AST members at no charge. The current edition may be found at http://update.associationforsoftwaretesting.org.

AST members are invited to contribute to the magazine. Please contact our editor, David Christiansen, at editor@associationforsoftwaretesting.org if you would like to contribute.

COMMUNITY

As many of you have already read in the monthly Around the AST email, we have launched the beta release of CAST 24/7, an AST members-only professional networking site. This will serve as an online home for AST SIGs (Special Interest Groups) and a platform for conferring with members after the conferences. Please join us at http://www.CAST247.org. Your participation and feedback is greatly appreciated.

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

AST Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are groups formed by AST members with a desire to pursue significant, long-term activity in an area of interest to the Association.You are invited to join existing SIGs or propose creating a new one. AST currently has the following Special Interest Groups (SIGs).

If any of these topics interest you, please contact the SIG chair – they can be found at either www.CAST247.orgor www.AssociationForSoftwareTesting.org.

SCHOLARSHIP

Thanks to the hard work of the Undergraduate Scholarships SIG, AST will be awarding scholarships – in the form of money for school, CAST registration, and AST membership – to undergraduate college students with an interest in software testing. Applications are now being accepted for our first scholarship. We will be awarding a $2,000 scholarship to the most outstanding applicant for the spring 2009 semester. Please see http://scholarship.associationforsoftwaretesting.org for more information. Applications must be received by November 30^th , 2008. Please help us spread the word.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

The Testing in Financial Services SIG has sent out a call for participation for the sixth Software Testing in Financial Services (STiFS) workshop.This workshop’s theme is Out of the Shadows and Into the Spotlight: Visibility and Transparency of Testing within Financial Services Firms. The workshop is September 3^rd and 4^th, 2008 in New York City. See http://www.cast247.org/group/tfs for more information.

MEMBERSHIP

We plan to not only provide the above services to the membership over the next year, but to grow the membership to 1000 members. Growing the membership enables AST to better support software testers around the globe. We ask for your help in spreading the word about AST. Put AST membership on your resume. Talk to friends, colleagues, and managers about AST. Put AST on your blog.

AST is committed to advancing the understanding and practice of software testing.In short, the Association exists to server you: software testers. AST membership provides the following benefits:

• Free quarterly AST Update newsletter
• Free online BBST training
• Significant discounts on CAST
• Exclusive members-only pricing on AST Live! training
• Access to CAST 24/7, the association’s members-only online community

In addition to the tangible benefits, members become part of a community; and identify themselves with that community’s ethics and values. For more information about membership, see http://join.associationforsoftwaretesting.org. Refer your colleagues.

In closing, thank you for your membership in the Association for Software Testing. I urge you to get involved in the organization in whatever capacity you can – whether it is contributing to discussions on www.CAST247.org or leading a SIG. I am sure that there are other initiatives you, the members, want to see. Tell us about them. Feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,

Ben Simo
President, Association for Software Testing

719-648-6613 Tel
561-658-8152 Fax
ben.simo@associationforsoftwaretesting.org