CAST, the Conference of the Association for Software Testing

What makes CAST unique?

  • It’s for testers, by testers
  • We strive to advance and improve the science of software testing
  • We share, discuss, and question
  • Meet industry leaders (authors, bloggers, and personalities)
  • Network with peers, and experts
  • Reasonably priced, high ROI

Who should attend CAST?

  • Software Testers, Practitioners, and Managers
  • Scholars and Researchers
  • Students
  • Developers

The core mission of The Association for Software Testing (AST) and CAST is to help build an active community of software testing scholars, practitioners, and learners who can in turn positively influence and advance the practice of software testing.

CAST is more than a conference, it’s a unique opportunity to learn and discuss not found anywhere else. Each scheduled session is split into two parts. Half of the session is a presentation by a speaker, however the balance of the time is a facilitated “open season”. This open season allows attendees to question, discuss, and test the presentation.

What makes CAST truly unique is what takes place in the hallways, at receptions, during meals, and at Lightning talks. For many the true value of CAST is the ability to discuss topics you are interested in with peers, experts, and academics that are leading change in the industry. At CAST you are among friends…let’s confer!

Mission and Style of CAST

The conference is designed not only to allow but also to encourage a high-level of interaction among presenters and participants. Flexibility is built into the schedule to facilitate productive brainstorming and impromptu debates. The conference organizers are observant and responsive: when this interaction builds the interest and energy for a particular topic, the flow of events and allocation of time to topics will be fine-tuned. Trained, seasoned moderators will help ensure that discussion sessions are productive.

CAST is free from thinly veiled sales pitches and offers up fresh content:

CAST sessions are about experience, practice, and ideas — not just products. All sessions are related to the conference theme to enable in-depth exploration of each topic. Most of the presentations and tutorials at CAST are first-run content. We’ve assembled a cast of practitioners and thought-leaders with interesting stories and provoking ideas.

CAST is accompanied with unique tutorials:

AST lines up unique interactive full-day tutorials — each led by recognized thought leaders in their areas of expertise.

Our hope is that CAST helps you advance the understanding and practice of testing — at your organization and around the globe. You’ll have opportunities to share your ideas and learn from thought-leaders, trainers, authors, and peers. CAST is a participatory conference where everyone is encouraged to participate and enjoy.

CAST puts CONFER back into Conference:

What makes CAST unique is that we focus on the confer part of the word conference over anything else. Each scheduled session consists of a presentation followed by facilitated discussion about that presentation. Unless instructed otherwise, you may only ask clarifying questions while a speaker is presenting. Once a speaker is done, it becomes Open Season – at which point the floor is opened for discussion.

We include colored index cards in your welcome packet. These K-Cards are used to signal the facilitator. When you want to join the discussion, please use your cards as follows:

Green: The New Stack/Thread card signals that you have a question or comment unrelated to the current discussion thread.

Yellow: The On Stack/Thread card signals the facilitator that you have a question or comment that relates to the current thread of discussion.

Red: The Burning Issue card is to be used only when you are urgently compelled to interrupt a speaker. It can be a point-of-order, an argument, a problem with facility acoustics, or something you need to say quickly because you’ve been provoked in a meaningful way. If you use your red card, the facilitator may confiscate it for the remainder of the conference – so use it wisely.

NOTE: Space is available if a group would like to continue discussing a topic beyond the allotted time.