We recently asked 2014 PNSQC presenter Anna Royzman to tell us about what got her started in testing, why leadership is important for developing your career, and what advice she could give to other presenters. Royzman — a professional tester with over 15 years of experience, a context-driven scholar, and director of a NY-based global brokerage company’s functional testing group — also was recently a panelist for a PNSQC webinar on software quality trends.
Q: How long have you been involved in testing, and what got you started?
A: I am involved in testing for the last 15 years, and what got me started was the feeling that I found work which I sincerely enjoy doing. That made me chose testing as a professional career.
Q: What is your leadership experience? How have you used that experience in your writing, speaking, professional development, or even mentorship of others?
A: I am serving on Software Test Professionals Community Advisory Board. Most of my testing career was in management and leadership. Over time, I initiated and organized various forums, panels, workshops, special interest groups and conferences for test professionals. Few months ago, I completed Black Box Software Testing instructor training.
I use all this experience and knowledge in my public speaking, writing, and mentoring. Most of my learning came from being part of the great testing community, and being very active in it.
Q: How was your first year as a presenter at PNSQC, including the writing process?
A: I enjoyed PNSQC experience. Producing a technical paper before the live presentation was great, as it’s a different format of presenting your ideas in a more structured and disciplined manner. The feedback from reviewers eliminated areas and words that might be unclear to the audience. Thus, you are much more prepared for the “live show” at the conference.
Q: Your presentation on your changing team role after agile adoption was quite popular this past year. What advice can you give to first-time paper presenters?
A: Do your research. Be prepared that people in the audience may not agree with you. Base your presentation on your own experiences.
Q: What does a conference like PNSQC offer to speakers and attendees? What have you learned as a speaker about writing presentations?
A: PNSQC offers a rich learning experience for both speakers and attendees. As a speaker, I enjoyed an opportunity to mingle with test professionals, exchange experiences and ideas. I met amazing people at PNSQC, look forward to speak there in the future.
