Michael Sowers

Member for

10 years 1 month

Mike Sowers has more than twenty-five years of practical experience as a global quality and test leader of internationally distributed test teams across multiple industries. Mike is a Training Line of Business Leader and a Senior Consultant, skilled in working with both large and small organizations to improve their software development, testing, and delivery approaches. He has worked with companies—including Fidelity Investments, PepsiCo, FedEx, Southwest Airlines, Wells Fargo, ADP, and Lockheed—to improve software quality, reduce time to market, and decrease costs. With his passion for helping teams deliver software faster, better, and cheaper, Mike has mentored and coached senior software leaders, small teams, and direct contributors worldwide.

Company

Coveros

Job Function

IT Operations

Job Title

Executive VP

Industry

Training & Consulting

Interests

Agile

DevOps

Leadership

Mobile

Process Improvement

Testing

Country

United States

Michael Sowers

All Articles by Michael Sowers

All Stories by Michael Sowers

	Agile+DevOps Culture in a Virtual World Transforming and maintaining culture is hard enough when team members are somewhat co-located and in physical spaces—even harder when the majority are working from home.
	Evaluating Team Health in Agile and DevOpsThe importance of the human element in delivering great software is sometimes overlooked, as is the relationship between team health and team performance. Just like physical health checks, team checkups are important. Let's look at some factors that can affect team health and how you can evaluate the important metrics.
	Quality Engineering in Agile and DevOpsEnsuring that quality is advocated for at every step along the lifecycle can be tough. One easy response is, “Quality is everyone’s job”—after all, whole-team accountability is a key tenet of agile. But what does this really mean in practice? What approaches and roles help us embrace a culture of quality engineering?
	Architecting Your Test Automation PlatformWith all the pressure to “just automate,” we may not invest enough in architecting our test automation. You wouldn't remodel a house without doing some planning and design; our test automation journey should be treated no differently. A comprehensive architecture plan is crucial for increasing test automation coverage.
	Rethinking Your Measurement and Metrics for Agile and DevOpsIn their transition to agile and DevOps, many teams forget they also need to update their measurement and metrics plan. Some measurements and metrics from the traditional waterfall software development lifecycle may remain useful, but many may not provide value—and some may even adversely impact progress toward goals.
	Career Options for Testers in the Age of Agile and DevOpsSoftware testing expertise is still a critical need. But as we enter the age of agile and DevOps, the industry is changing. If you’re in a software quality or testing role now as a direct contributor or leader, how should you prepare? What’s your next career step? Here's how you should equip yourself for the future.
	Test Estimation in the Age of Agile and DevOpsEstimating testing in the contemporary world of agile and DevOps demands some new rules. Gone are the days of using project planning software and work breakdown structures to define and estimate each category of work and the associated tasks. Here are some modern rules, prerequisites, and advice for test estimation.
	Agile and DevOps Bring the Focus Back on QualityAs companies move to agile and DevOps, silos are coming down and there is more interaction and collaboration among teams. Quality is also becoming everyone's responsibility for the entire software development lifecycle. Quality is more than just testing: Consider a quality value stream along the overall value chain.
	Engaging Developers in Unit TestingUnit testing is key for driving early defect identification, but organizations and teams continue to be challenged when it comes to designing and implementing unit tests. Realizing a culture of sound unit testing is often more a leadership challenge than a developer one. Here's how to instill a culture of unit testing.
	The Importance of Goal Alignment in Agile and DevOpsFor agile and DevOps teams to succeed, there must be a common vision that strives for detailed customer-focused outcomes. There’s never a magic bullet to address goal misalignment, as the challenges are context-specific, but here are some approaches that help move organizations and teams toward better alignment.
	How Testers Can Collaborate with the ScrumMasterScrumMasters serve the team by providing facilitation and coaching, but they also have many challenges. Those in testing roles are in a good position to collaborate with the ScrumMaster to improve agile processes. Here are some ways testers can partner with, support, and assist the ScrumMaster—and the rest of the team.
	A Lean, Flexible Measurement Dashboard for Agile and DevOpsIf you’re moving from a more traditional software development approach to agile and DevOps, or if you’re struggling with implementing metrics, consider reviewing, revising, and refining your measurements. Leave those that add no value behind and look at a monitoring system that has these five essential categories.
	Data-Driven Testing Skills in an Agile and DevOps WorldFor agile and DevOps, an understanding of the role of data analysis in the test strategy is helping teams accelerate development, testing, and deployments. As we continue to enhance our testing effectiveness, data analytics skills are an important dimension in managing risks in a “continuous everything” world.
	Keep Up with Changing Technology by Making Learning a PriorityMany organizations are constantly adopting or integrating new technology, with the goal of remaining competitive. But there are so many new platforms and methods being created that it’s impossible to keep up with them all. Michael Sowers shares some tips that have helped him stay current with changing technology.
	Software Development and Testing Agility Demands FungibilityFungibility means the ability to change without needing an external catalyst. In our agile culture, fungibility is a critical characteristic. The triad of people, processes, and technology ideally should all be fungible. Just like perfection, this may never be attainable, but it’s an important goal.
	Reviving the Master Test Plan in the Age of AgileIn the competitive environment of delivering software more quickly, many teams have abandoned detailed test plans. Michael Sowers argues for bringing back the overarching master test plan—not to have more documentation, but for the questions, creative test designs, and critical thinking the planning brings.
	Maintaining Our Objective Voice in TestingAs we embrace an agile culture, we adopt the core value of whole team accountability. But while collaboration is important, testers must continue to ask challenging questions, think deeply about the “what-ifs,” consider and advocate for alternative views, challenge assumptions, and look for ambiguities.
	Which Test Metrics Are Useful in Agile Projects?Just as our measurement and metrics capabilities improve as our technology and knowledge evolve, we must also refine and adapt our software quality and testing measures as we embrace an agile culture. Our measurement and metrics strategy should shift to lower levels of the application or system under test.
	Agile Demands a Holistic View of Testing and AutomationIs your team struggling to transform your traditional testing methods, techniques, and tools in the context of an agile culture? The accountability for the right level of quality delivered at the right time belongs to the collective team. It's important to make decisions together about what value means.
	Bringing the Value of Your Test Automation Efforts Front and CenterOnce you’ve adopted test automation, you should determine whether it’s actually yielding the expected benefits—and you’ll want to keep these benefits visible to stakeholders to reinforce the value. A metrics dashboard aligned with the organization goals and business objectives shows you're on the right track.
	Building a Business Case for Automation in Your Software LifecycleTo remain competitive, organizations should consider implementing a well-integrated set of automation capabilities—not just for testing, but across the entire lifecycle. Making the investment might take some convincing, so here are some questions to ask in order to assess the potential benefits of automation.
	Is Our Innovation in Software Testing Keeping Up with Technology?The world of software testing has made many important advances in techniques and approaches, but is it keeping up with the leaps and bounds of technology's progress? Mike Sowers is an advocate for a revolutionary breakthrough in software testing, and to get there, we all need to become innovators. Here's how.
	The Importance of Just Enough Software Measurement and MetricsWhen it comes to the development, testing, and deployment of software, some argue that metrics have little value. Others take measurement to the extreme and have books of metrics, but without any meaning or action. Mike Sowers thinks metrics are vital, but it’s most beneficial to have just enough metrics.
	The Test Expert’s Role in DevOpsIf our goal as testers is to build and release code more rapidly, frequently, and reliably, we must also align and integrate our testing practices, testing tools, test cases, test data, and test environments into continuous integration, testing, and deployment. A DevOps culture yields all new opportunities.
	Mistakes We Make in Testing A tester starting in the profession recently asked Michael Sowers, "What are some of the most common mistakes we make as testers?" He wrote down some of the more common ones he could think of that are made before, during, and after testing. How many of these could you turn into learning opportunities?
	Creating a Test Strategy and Design for Testing DataThese days, data comes from multiple sources, is transformed in many different ways, and is consumed by hundreds of other systems, so we must validate more data, more quickly. Mike Sowers shares his work in progress checklist for things to consider when developing a test strategy and design approach for data.
	Testers, Tech It Up! Become More Technically CompetentAs our world becomes more complex, the demand for technical testing expertise is going up. While there will always be a need for domain specialists, we also need just as many technical testing roles—particularly with programming skills. Mike Sowers has some ideas on developing additional technical expertise.
	How Do We Sell the “Test Early” Principle? Many companies are striving to test earlier. But goals and principles are always easier to articulate than they are to implement. Often, this is less of a technical issue and much more an organizational, change management challenge. Michael Sowers talks about the steps to take to make things happen.
	Where Are All the Great Software Testers?It can be difficult to find great software testers for senior roles; often, the people you want to hire are the ones who are already gainfully employed. Michael Sowers gives his suggestions for identifying qualified and experienced software engineers who can deliver on senior testing role accountabilities.
	Software Testing: A Social ResponsibilityAs businesses and consumers embrace big data and analytics, mobile, cloud, the IoT, and other rapidly emerging technologies, the expectation that software "just works" is rising exponentially. Equipping our technical workforce with the best education and training, tools, and approaches is critical.
	"What Is Code?" How I Explain What I DoAs software engineering professionals, we each have a role in educating everyone in our circle of influence about just what software is and how critical it is to our everyday lives. Mike Sowers explains how you can answer the question "What is code?" without making your listeners sorry they asked!
	Testing Nonfunctional Requirements in an Agile LifecycleAs organizations embrace agile, requirements become a challenge because they must be considered and validated in each (short) sprint. Ideally, nonfunctional requirements should be a continuous focus throughout the project. Here are some ways to better address NFRs in an agile development lifecycle.
	An Agile Approach to Managing Your Software Testing Career Testers are very much still needed. However, with so many new technologies and roles becoming available, some testers may want to explore options for their career paths. Michael Sowers offers an agile approach to determining your career direction, evaluating the alternatives, and developing a plan.
	More Slack Time, Please!As we seek and achieve efficiency, we eliminate "slack"—purposeful time to allow our brains individually and our organizations collectively to create, think, reflect, analyze, contemplate, plan, learn, grow, and change. This story gives some ideas for building more slack time into your routines.
	The Value of Checklists in Our Software Testing WorkSome may see checklists as unnecessary, but consider the growing complexity of many of our software development and testing tasks. Ignoring the use of a tool such as checklists (when appropriate) can increase the risk in our already risky world of software testing. Sometimes, simpler is better.
	Own Your CareerOwning your career means being accountable for your actions, both current and future. This is critical in today's dynamic environment. Gone are the days when companies employ people for a lifetime and employees stay in the same spot. Read up on some of today's software testing industry dynamics.
	Transitioning from a Traditional Tester to an Agile TesterShifting from being a tester in a traditional lifecycle model to in an agile methodology is not easy. There is a spectrum of differences, ranging from redefining the testing role and responsibilities completely to making only minor changes in context and accountability. Read on for some key changes.
	Maintaining Tester Independence in an Agile WorldAs organizations adopt agile methodologies, one of the key challenges is reinventing traditional roles. The entire agile team is now accountable for quality—carrying the quality flag is not the sole responsibility of the tester. But we also want to ensure that we maintain tester role independence.
	Be Big, Bold, and Brave in Your Testing EffortsOur organizations, management, teams, and customers desperately need each of us to step up and lead. Regardless of whether you have an official title as a leader or you are an individual contributor, you must exercise leadership in your role. Are you taking the initiative in your testing projects?
	Tools—Some Assembly Required A tool architecture is simply a picture of all your development, testing, and deployment tools and how they fit together. Creating a "current state" diagram and then looking forward and creating a "future state" diagram helps you understand where tool integrations would be beneficial.
	My Love/Hate Relationship with Dev and Test ToolsAfter you make investment decisions for homegrown, open source, or commercial tools that yield little or even negative return, those "learning experiences" reinforce the old saying—"A fool with a tool is still a fool." Here are some things to keep in mind as you reach for that next cool tool.
	Five Predictions: What the Future Holds for Test ProfessionalsNo one has a crystal ball, but it's critical for test professionals to seriously ponder what the future holds as they plan their career journeys. Where is technology headed? What testing roles will be in most demand? Where will a tester spend the most time? Here are some predictions.
	Is Your Career Rewarding?Titles are only business labels for a defined set of responsibilities and accountabilities. What really fulfills you in your career is far more complex than simply a job title. This presents a question: What life goals are important to you? Is your career rewarding you by helping you meet them?