Managing the Test People: A Guide to Practical Technical Management [Paperback]

Judy McKay (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1933952121 | ISBN-13: 978-1933952123 | Publication Date: May 4, 2007 | Edition: 1

Managing the Test People was written for managers, leads, and people who may soon find themselves in a technical leadership position. It focuses on some of the unique problems in the software quality assurance profession, yet the bulk of the book is applicable to any technical management job. It provides practical advice for the novice and affirmation for the expert. It contains real world stories illustrating the concepts discussed in the text.

This book is written from a practitioner's viewpoint. The author has been in software management for over 20 years, working in a variety of companies, and has always been struck by the lack of practical, real world advice found only in general management books. Yes, all those methods should theoretically work, until you add in the politics of the environment, the technical work that must be done and, of course, those pesky people who seem intent on fouling up your plans. Managing the Test People is real - it's about the real world where there are real problems and real people, and it provides viable solutions that can actually be implemented.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Judy McKay has spent the last 20 years working in the high tech industry with particular focus on software quality assurance. She has managed departments encompassing all aspects of the software lifecycle including requirements design and analysis, software development, database design, software quality assurance, software testing, technical support, professional services, configuration management, technical publications and software licensing. Her career has spanned across commercial software companies, aerospace, foreign-owned R&D, networking and various Internet companies. Judy has been conducting training seminars nationwide for seven years. Her informative courses are based on the real world application of practical data. Her courses cover the spectrum of software quality assurance, including creating and maintaining a world class quality assurance team, designing and implementing quality assurance and effective testing, and creating and implementing useful test documentation and metrics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Rocky Nook; 1 edition (May 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933952121
• ISBN-13: 978-1933952123
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #982,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Judy McKay Tells It Like It Is, with a Big Smile, May 8, 2007

By 

Rex Black (Bulverde, TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Managing the Test People: A Guide to Practical Technical Management (Paperback)

I have had the pleasure of working with Judy for almost a decade now, first as a consultant working in her test team at a (long defunct) dot-com era start-up, and more recently with her as an associate working with RBCS from time to time. Judy is always ready to tell the honest truth, and always in a friendly, happy way, and that's the way reading this book feels: Like a friend giving you honest advice, advice you really need and advice you're really happy to receive.

You can tell Judy's been there, done that, and gotten the silly launch T-shirt quite a few times. Here, she shares with you what she's learned about managing a test team in that process. Some of it is painful, but it needs to be said. Much of it is hopeful, positive, and downright funny, though. She'll inspire you to do your best work as a manager, even under tough circumstances.

I already knew this from working with her, and now everyone who reads this book will know: Judy clearly loves being a test professional, and she really wants to see test teams that are well-lead by fellow enthusiasts for the profession. If you are a test manager, whether (though especially) you are new to test management or an experienced old hand, you should pick up this concise yet wide-ranging book. You'll have fun reading it, and you'll be a better test manager for having done so.

Rex Black
President, Rex Black Consulting Services, Inc.
CTO, Pure Testing, Pvt Ltd
President, American Software Testing Qualifications Board
President, International Software Testing Qualifications Board

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the new technical manager, June 14, 2007

By 

Gregory A. Reichwein "DYNGAR" (Uniontown, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Managing the Test People: A Guide to Practical Technical Management (Paperback)

I am a 23 year veteran developer who got behind the technology curve and ended up in management. Having been self-employed, my people skills were pretty good, but, having been a loner for the most part, my management skills were nil. To the rescue was the book Managing the Test People. The Perfect Beast is the metaphor for an organization charged with testing developed software. The beast must be congenial on the outside and tenacious on the inside in order to accomplish its task. The book is concise yet thorough in the coverage of management topics related to creating and nurturing the beast. It has an easy reading style that makes it ideal for a management neophyte like myself and could easily apply to the management of any technical organization.

4.0 out of 5 stars Technical management is quite a challenge, December 6, 2011

By 

Cedric - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managing the Test People: A Guide to Practical Technical Management (Paperback)

This is a good book for those that have chosen to manage technical people. It provides the truth about how it really is as opposed to how it is theoretically supposed to be in any technical leadership role. With the ups and downs in the world of software quality and software development this book is a required tool for those in technical leadership roles that have maintain a world in whic both type of professionals must live. Selecting the right employees, promotions, layoffs, and the aftermath of it all is what a technical leader has to deal with as they rise and fall. A roller coaster ride does not halfway describe the life that one lives in carrying out the required responsibilities and duties in a high tech environment as a leader. Fortunately the author of this book, Judy McKay has over twenty years experience in software management and tells the truth about the profession so what she conveys will help anyone that will be, or has already been in technical management. I would strongly suggest to keep this book at your desk at all times, you will need it as you hold tight for the high tech roller coaster ride. This book is strongly recommended as a reference guide as you begin to or continue to blaze your trail.