PNSQC

02/12/2026

This year, we’re doing a lot of rethinking and reworking how things have been done. We’re going back to what truly matters, the community that built this conference and continues to shape it. As part of that, we want to hear directly from you.
Where would you like to receive our news & updates? (Drop it in the comments)

1. LinkedIn
2. Facebook
3. Instagram
4. X (Twitter)
5. Threads
6. TikTok
7. Bluesky
8. Mastodon

12/11/2025

🎓 PNSQC 2026 Free Workshop Day — Level Up Your Skills! 🎓

As part of the kickoff to the PNSQC 2026 Call for Papers, we’re excited to host a full day of free, in-person workshops designed to sharpen practical skills, spark new insights, and bring the QA community together for hands-on learning.

Join us in Portland for a day of interactive sessions led by seasoned practitioners and thought leaders. Choose from two tracks, with workshops available in the morning and afternoon.

🌅 Morning Workshops (8:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

🔍 Watching the Detectives: A Hands-On Workshop in AI Model Monitoring — Michael Larsen
A practical dive into monitoring, evaluating, and validating AI/ML systems through real-world exercises.

🔄 QA Re-Bootcamp — Heather Wilcox & Bhushan Gupta
Refresh foundational testing skills and explore modern quality practices in an engaging, activity-based format.

🌇 Afternoon Workshops (1:00 PM – 4:30 PM)

🤖 AI Orchestration: Dual Stewardship — John Cvetko
Explore how humans and AI can collaboratively manage quality, risk, and decision-making in modern systems.

📌 TBA Session Coming Soon
We’re adding one more workshop — stay tuned!

📅 Date: January 23, 2026
🕣 Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM PST
📍 Location: University Place Hotel & Conference Center, 310 SW Lincoln St, Portland, OR 97201
🔗 Registration: [https://mms.pnsqc.org/members/evr/reg_event.php?orgcode=PNSQ&evid=59880123]

This is a full day of learning, collaboration, and inspiration — free for the PNSQC community. Whether you're deepening your craft or exploring new directions in QA, we’d love to see you there! 🚀

12/11/2025

🔥 Join Us for PNSQC Quality Jam 2026 — And Our Kick-Off For The PNSQC 2026 Call for Papers! 🔥

Start the new year with an evening of fast-paced ideas, community connection, and mid-winter inspiration at the PNSQC Quality Jam 2026! This event marks the launch of our 2026 Call for Papers and brings together practitioners, leaders, and innovators for a series of 10-minute lightning talks designed to spark fresh thinking in software quality.

We’ll open with networking, complimentary food, and refreshments at 5:00 PM, followed by a rapid-fire program of talks beginning at 6:00 PM — featuring:

🎤 Premi Vinayagam (Jama Software)
Testing the Future: From Testing Code to Testing Intelligence
As AI systems evolve, QA is shifting from verifying code to evaluating intelligence itself. Premi explores how testers are moving beyond static assertions to dynamic, trust-centered evaluations — using AI to test AI, addressing fairness and accountability, and redefining the role of QA in responsible innovation.

🎤 Caroline Wong
The OWASP Top 10 Isn’t a Vulnerability List—It’s a Mirror: What 2025 Tells Us About Supply Chain Security
Caroline reframes the OWASP Top 10 as a reflection of today’s security landscape. With new focus areas like software supply chain failures and exceptional-condition handling, she breaks down what these shifts mean in an era shaped by DevSecOps and AI-driven complexity.

You still have time to propose a talk of your own to present, and we hope you will!!!

Whether you're preparing a submission, thinking about presenting for the first time, or simply eager to reconnect with the PNSQC community, the Quality Jam is the perfect space to share ideas, gather inspiration, and energize your 2026.

📅 Date: January 22, 2026
🕔 Time: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM PST
🏙️ Format: Hybrid
📍 Location: University Place Hotel & Conference Center, Portland, OR
🔗 Registration: [https://ow.ly/t09O50XHyzJ]
📍 Google Maps: [https://www.google.com/maps?q=310+SW+Lincoln+St,Portland,OR+97201+us]

The event will be held live in Portland and streamed online.
📣 Want to host a watch party in the Seattle area? PNSQC will order your pizza!

We can’t wait to see you there — and to kick off another year of innovation in software quality. 🚀

12/11/2025

✨ Join Us for the PNSQC 2025 Holiday Party! ✨

As we wrap up another year of conferring, learning, testing, and improving software quality, we’re excited to invite you to our annual PNSQC Holiday Party!

This informal meetup is a great chance to:
🎄 Connect with fellow software quality and testing professionals
🤝 Share stories from the year—wins, challenges, lessons learned
🔮 Look ahead to what’s coming in QA and for PNSQC in 2026
🍽️ Enjoy good food, drinks, and great company (veg & vegan options included!)

Whether you're a test engineer, software manager, automation expert, or simply passionate about quality—all experience levels are welcome. Come ready to network, chat, and celebrate the season with the local QA community.

📅 Date: December 15, 2025
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Pacific
🏙️ Format: Hybrid
📍 In-Person Location:
Golden Valley Brewery & Restaurant
1520 NW Bethany Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97006

🔗 Registration: [https://ow.ly/pWTP50XHxMb]
📍 Google Maps: [https://ow.ly/UWta50XHxMc]

We hope to see you there as we close out 2025 and look forward to an exciting 2026 for QA! 🎉

10/09/2025

📘 Exciting news for 2025 attendees!

You’ll have a chance to meet one of the authors of Agile Retrospectives – Diana Larsen

This updated guide helps teams move beyond surface-level insights to real learning and improvement, whether co-located, hybrid, or remote.

Get your copy on Amazon: https://ow.ly/s7f850X7wiX

And don’t miss this opportunity to connect and level up your retrospectives!

👉 Register before Monday night: https://mms.pnsqc.org/members/evr/reg_event.php?orgcode=PNSQ&evid=52209629

10/08/2025

In this episode of PNSQChronicles, host Michael Larsen welcomes keynote speaker and workshop leader Allan Rennebo Jepsen to preview his sessions for the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC) — taking place October 13–15, 2025, in Portland, Oregon.

See the full video here [https://youtu.be/nbykPN9h4kc]

Allan’s keynote, “Breaking the Cycle: Leading Organizations that Thrive Amidst Constant Change,” explores how leaders and teams can adapt to an environment where change never stops. He shares practical insights on building responsiveness, embedding quality into daily work, and creating organizations where adaptability replaces fear.

He also discusses his hands-on workshop, “The 10× ROI Challenge,” which challenges traditional team structures and shows how working differently — not harder — can multiply value. Expect experiments with Lego simulations, constraint-breaking exercises, and new ways to deliver customer impact in real time.

Allan’s message is clear: when teams learn to act fast, own responsibility, and focus on continuous value delivery, change becomes a competitive advantage — and even fun.

👉 Conference Info & Registration: [https://www.pnsqc.org/register]
📅 Dates: October 13–15, 2025
📍 Location: Portland, Oregon + Virtual Attendance Available

🔗 Connect with Allan Rennebo Jepsen:
LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rennebo/]

✨ Whether you’re leading change, testing at scale, or simply trying to help your team work smarter, Allan’s sessions will inspire you to think differently about leadership, quality, and adaptability.

About PNSQChronicles:
PNSQChronicles is the official podcast of the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, where thought leaders, practitioners, and innovators share ideas shaping the future of software quality. Subscribe for more interviews with keynote and track speakers as we explore the 2025 theme: “QI: Increase Your Quality Intelligence.”

10/08/2025

✅ Already registered for ?
🤔 Still debating?

Either way, take a look at the incredible workshop lineup we’ve prepared for you on Monday, October 13, 2025. There’s something for everyone!

AM Sessions:
🔹 Change Agent Basics – April K. Mills
🔹 How Can I Automate Stuff? – Alan Ark
🔹 An Introduction to BDD – Leslie Brooks
🔹 Agile Team Chartering – Diana Larsen
🔹 Embracing the Fuzzy: Testing in the Age of Generative AI (Full Day!) – Ben Simo
🔹 The 10× ROI Challenge – Allan Rennebo Jepsen

PM Sessions:
🔹 Essentials of Software Quality Engineering – Bhushan Gupta
🔹 Test Automation for Absolute Beginners with Cypress – Kristin Jackvony
🔹 Bug Bash: Rapid Testing Right Now – Jon Bach
🔹 Getting Dirty with Data, Bots, Agents & Code – Kevin Pyles
🔹 Public Speaking for Enginerds – Philip Lew
🔹 Quality as a Living System – Gwen Iarussi

Don’t miss your chance to learn from the best and maybe find your new favorite workshop!
🎟️ Register before Monday night: https://ow.ly/P2sT50X7wkY

10/07/2025

Navigating the Career Labyrinth with Jeff Sing

In this episode of PNSQChronicles, host Michael Larsen welcomes invited speaker Jeff Sing to preview his upcoming talk at the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC).

Jeff’s talk, “Navigating the Career Labyrinth: From Intern to Director,” is a candid look at how careers in technology evolve—often through unexpected turns, lucky breaks, and lessons learned the hard way.

Drawing from his own 20-year journey from QA intern to engineering director, Jeff shares what he’s learned about leadership, growth, and finding your place in tech.

Jeff and Michael discuss:
- The unpredictable path from QA intern to director
- How conferences and community helped shape Jeff’s career
- The truth about moving into management—and why it’s not the only path forward
- Finding meaning and success, whether you’re an individual contributor or a people leader

Jeff emphasizes that the key to thriving in tech is self-awareness—knowing what drives you, what roles fit your strengths, and how to grow on your own terms.

His talk offers encouragement and practical insight for anyone navigating their next career step in software quality and IT.

Whether you’re an intern just starting out, or a seasoned professional charting your next move, this conversation offers insights, inspiration, and a reminder that every step—right or wrong—can lead to growth.

Watch the full conversation with Jeff Sing HERE [https://ow.ly/gX8u50X7Slv]

10/07/2025

✨ Can you believe it? kicks off next week!
But don’t worry, there’s still time to join us.

Registration stays open until Monday night, so you might just snag a last-minute travel deal or, if you’re local (hey, Portlanders 👋), attend in person.

Prefer to tune in from home? You can still register to attend online, it’s never too late!

👉 Register here
https://mms.pnsqc.org/members/evr/reg_event.php?orgcode=PNSQ&evid=52209629

10/03/2025

💡 W11: The 10× ROI Challenge – at
You don’t need to work harder to create more value – you need to work differently.

Most agile teams measure success by output. The real outliers measure success by value created and some achieve >10× ROI.

In this 90-minute, game-based lab, led by Allan Rennebo Jepsen, you’ll:
- Play through 2 LEGO sprint simulations
- Explore 7 proven patterns that shift teams from output-focused to outcome-driven
- Experience the difference between delivering more and delivering real impact

What makes this session unique?
- Experiential learning, no boring lectures
- Field-tested design with powerful takeaways
- Hands-on, LEGO-based simulation that sparks real insights

👉 Walk away with one concrete experiment you can try immediately to help your team evolve into a high-impact, value-driven team.
Register here: https://ow.ly/NQgP50X44Oo

10/02/2025

Excited for PNSQC 2025!

The conference features three amazing tracks for anyone passionate about software quality:

1️⃣ Quality Engineering – Explore best practices, tools, and processes that ensure top-notch software from design to deployment.
2️⃣ Management & Enterprise IT Quality – Learn strategies for building motivated teams, leading effectively, and scaling quality across complex IT systems.
3️⃣ AI & Emerging Technologies – Dive into the future with insights on AI, IoT, VR/AR, blockchain, robotics, and more—while keeping quality at the core.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, PNSQC is the place to share, learn, and grow with a vibrant community of quality-focused professionals.

Register here: https://ow.ly/A7y350X44O2

The links on this page allow you to access the abstract of each paper. This is provided to make your attendance as enjoyable as possible. Full text of all papers and slides will be publicly available sometime after the conference. All times are Pacific time zone.

10/02/2025

Don’t miss Millan Kaul’s talk: “Transforming Teams and CTOs through a Quality Engineering Mindset”

He’ll be sharing real-world stories from leading QE transformations at large-scale banking organizations, shifting organizational mindsets, influencing CXOs, and building trust-driven innovation at scale.

Key takeaways include:
🔹 Shifting organizational patterns & influencing leadership
🔹 Embedding QE principles to build trust & drive innovation
🔹 Empowering high-performing teams to deliver business value
🔹 Scaling QE in regulated environments like banking

📄 Millan’s insights will be available as both a paper and a presentation.

Millan is a seasoned Quality Engineering leader with experience across startups, scale-ups, and enterprises on four continents. His expertise spans banking, IoT, and payments technology—always with a focus on driving quality-first cultures and high-performing teams.

Learn more and explore his writing at qualitywithmillan.github.io

To attend Register Today: https://ow.ly/lgGT50X5xXJ