Andy Hird

Andy is standing for election to the AST board 2023.

Andy has been working in the testing field for over a decade, including some of that time as a test manager. He enjoys the creativity and open ended nature of the testing craft and continues to push himself to learn more and improve his testing skills. He thinks this is best done with the collaboration of others which is why he enjoys interactive testing courses – like BBST – but also why he likes engaging with and learning from others in the community in less formal ways as well.

He can be found on LinkedIn and in the AST and RST Slack communities.

1. Please share your vision for the future of the AST, and how would you help to accomplish this vision in case you were part of the AST Board of Directors?

I see AST as a crucial member of the testing community, one that encourages a community of serious testing professionals who are striving to improve, and doing so in a way that promotes respect and integrity. I’d like to help find ways to demonstrate the value of AST to the testing community, and become an organization that more testers seek out as a place to get connected to other testers and grow in their professional skills.

2. Is there an area where you feel AST is lacking in its role as a professional organization? If so, what would you suggest doing to begin to change that and increase the value to AST members and the testing community at large?

The BBST courses, although treasure troves of important information, don’t seem to be widely known. This is an untapped resource for the testing community. We need to find ways to expose more testers to this content, and see the value. My feeling is that may require looking at how the courses are presented to make them more accessible for students or easier for instructors to be involved.

3. In what ways have you supported the mission of AST?

I have been a member of AST for over 12 years, and not only have completed all 3 of the main track courses (as well as the Instructor course) but I also recommend coworkers check them out too. As part of being active in the AST Slack community, I have assisted in some smaller projects such as reviewing AST website pages as part of a recent redesign.