Does this sound familiar?

• Your company hasn't paid for you or anyone on your team to attend a training event in two or more years, yet expects you to stay current in software testing.

• Your management always seems to release software even though you have worked hard to find problems that are still not fixed.

• No matter how much you test, you feel you can't make a dent in the amount of testing that could be done.

• Your test schedule continually gets reduced because the developers are late, but the deadline doesn't change.
• You are asked to provide accurate testing estimates, but they usually get reduced to meet a deadline.

• You know you're capable of doing far more than you are allowed to do, but you never get the chance.

• Your team needs a boost in their skills and attitudes.

If any of these sound like you, you're not alone. In fact, the sad, unfortunate truth is you're probably in the majority of test teams.

I’m Randy Rice, and I was once a frustrated software tester and test manager. I had no knowledge of what worked or didn't work in software testing, no training, no tools, no idea of how the software was supposed to work and very little time to perform testing. I was being asked to find all the defects in the software at our company, but given very little budget and no authority. 

“How do other people do it?” I would go to the free meetings at my local QA chapter and hear people talk about the measurement programs and process improvement models and wonder, “This all sounds great, but they are at Level 5, while I'm firmly at Level 0! What’s the best thing (or things) I can do right now to make a difference?”

Sound familiar? Don’t blame yourself. Nobody said it would be easy, but it doesn’t have to be so hard, either.

One day while listening to a self-improvement program, I heard something that changed my life!

"If you spend 30 minutes a day reading or listening to any topic, in 5 years, you'll be an expert on that topic."

So, I started reading everything I could get my hands on about software quality and software testing. Believe it or not, even after 13 years as a software developer I had never once seen a functional requirement. I had to go to a university library to see an example! By the way, at that time there were only five books available on software testing!

However, I kept at it and five years later I was getting my feet on the ground as an independent testing consultant. Now, I have written over 50 courses on software testing and software quality so people like you can profit from my mistakes and my collection of knowledge over the years.

Now, I help software test teams all over the world build their skills and re-ignite their passion for testing software. I want to bring those skills and excitement to your company!

Being recognized as skilled test professionals in your organization adds value to your career and to your company!

You know you’re a skilled professional when…

• The number of projects you take on and your inspiration to work on them is in perfect balance.

• You are sought after for your advice - and your advice is followed!

• You have high credibility - people trust you.

• You command respect from your peers and from senior management.

• You are knowledgeable but don't act like a "know-it-all".

You might be thinking, "These aren't secrets. I already know these things." Perhaps you do. However, the fact is only a very small minority of people take action on them.

This entire site exists to help people like you build your skills and advance your career so you can be successful in software testing and software quality. Although I have many free resources on this site, such as articles, podcasts, narrated conference presentations and The Software Quality Advisor Newsletter, I also offer ways to go much deeper such as my very popular and affordable live and e-learning courses!

If you’re ready to get unstuck, become a skilled professional, advance your career, stand out from the crowd and change the habits that got you where you are, don’t stop now.

Option #1 - Have me come to your company and perform an assessment of your existing software testing practices.

This will let you know the best ways to gain test effectiveness quickly.

To learn more about my assessment and consulting services, click here.

Option #2 - Have me or one of my skilled and experienced trainers come to your company.

You will experience a training event that is practical, engaging and relevant to what you do. Your team will learn the most recent testing techniques because I will personally work with you to design a custom course to meet your specific needs. (By the way, I encourage you to contact any other training providers for a quote on a custom course with detailed course notes - not just slide prints - presented by a recognized testing authority. Then, compare prices.)

My pricing structure is simple and designed to give you the most value possible. If you have 15 to 20 people to be trained, you will find my training a very affordable way to build your team's skills.

Getting a custom quote is easy!  Just contact me here.  Let me know some of the above details (location, desired dates, desired topics and how many people you would like to have trained) and I'll respond within 24 hours with a quote. Yes, I conduct training outside of the USA!

Here's my course catalog. These are over 50 courses that I have written and present.

Then, we can discuss your needs further by phone to make sure you get the outcome you desire.

Remember that with a live in-house class, I am also available to provide additional consulting either as an add-on engagement, or by answering special questions while I'm at your location. I welcome the opportunity to have lunches and dinners with your team!

Contact me now because my calendar gets full quickly!

Option #3 - Help me sponsor a public course in your city.

If you only have a few people to be trained, but have some friends that also need training, I'll come to your city if we can get at least 10 people enrolled. Pricing is per student and depends on the course and expected numbers of students.

This is a great option if you like a live course, have 6 or fewer people to be trained and can't justify the cost of an in-house course.

If this sounds interesting to you, contact me and let's get a class scheduled soon for your city!

Option #4 - Consider my e-learning and "e-learning plus" offerings.

For smaller teams and those teams distributed geographically, e-learning can be an effective option. For a nominal hourly fee, my "e-learning plus" option is available. In this program, I conduct live conference calls with your team to answer questions and to reinforce key points.

I have been working the past five years experimenting (and, yes, testing!) to see what makes e-learning effective. I have arrived at a combination of ways to deliver ten of my most popular courses PLUS engage with you in the learning process.

Click here to learn more about my e-Learning couses.

Click here to register and pay for an e-Learning course. (We have team and site licenses available. The prices are on the e-Learning page. Just contact me to complete your team registration.)

Still Have Questions?

Just check the Frequently Asked Questions page. If you don't see an answer to your question, just contact me!

Still not sure, but want to start building your team's skills?

The one thing you don't want to do is wait and do nothing!

Waiting until next week, next month, next year does nothing to move you closer to your goals. Just think of what you want your next performance review to look like. Do you want it to show that you have built the skills of your team to be a high-performing team (and get a raise or promotion)...or, do you want to maintain (and hopefully not get worse) the current levels of performance?

Even if your team is already good, remember that the very best performers are always working to be better!

Last Updated on Friday, 06 March 2009 21:08