Keep Austin Agile 2019

In the six decades since its first usage, the term Knowledge Worker has become synonymous with Software Engineers. With an almost singular emphasis on STEM skills and an excused lack of people skills, the reputation of the successful software engineer evolved into that of the genius in a cubicle. Two factors have caused us to re-examine the relative importance of hard and soft skills in Software Engineering. First, the very nature of how we produce software changed dramatically with the advent of Agile practices compelling us to develop software…socially. Second, Automation and AI are reshaping the tasks which can be performed by machines putting even more emphasis on soft skills. This confluence doesn't diminish the demand for Engineers. According to Geoff Colvin, tomorrow’s most valuable engineers will not be geniuses in cubicles; rather, they’ll be those who can also build relationships and collaborate. Colvin calls these Relationship Workers.
 
So how do we as test engineers thrive in an environment where we were never taught, nor encouraged to develop, these skills? Join Geoff as he goes beyond the "whys" and explores the "hows" of relationship building such as establishing a "How can I help?" mindset and other tips and tricks that he's gathered from the research of contemporaries such as Simon Sinek, Geoff Colvin, and Rob Lambert and his own personal and professional experiences in his 35+ years in software engineering.