Agile + DevOps USA 2024 - Concurrent Sessions

One of the great things about using the cloud is how easy it is to spin up resources and use them. The downside is it is really easy to spin up resources and forget about them. Sprawl becomes a real problem. You waste money if you fail to shut them down when you finish with them or even overnight. And it isn’t just costs. Managing a cloud infrastructure can be a real pain. Who spun this up? What project is it for? Does it need to be shut down? When? Shouldn’t it be encrypted? Cloud Custodian is an easy-to-use framework that allows simple YAML files to specify how to gather, filter,...

In the rapidly evolving landscape of agile and DevOps, traditional methods of testing business-facing features often struggle to keep pace with the demands for faster and more thorough testing. However, the fusion of traditional testing wisdom with cutting-edge AI presents a unique opportunity to enhance software quality and delivery speed, offering innovative solutions to longstanding challenges. Join Philip Daye and examine key test design techniques—such as equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision table testing, and state transition testing—and explore how Generative...

In today's fast-paced software development environment, regression testing stands as a crucial yet resource-intensive endeavor. An instance illustrating the resource-intensive nature of regression testing involved Patrick Gladney's team attempting to conduct tests across 13 distinct production servers. The challenge was compounded by the uncertainty surrounding malfunctioning servers, of which they remained unaware until customer complaints surfaced, indicating an inability to perform transactions within the application. Leveraging his expertise in software testing and cybersecurity...

In a world where both software complexity and the need for rapid deployment are increasing, traditional testing methodologies often fall short. The challenge is maintaining high-quality software while matching the pace of agile and DevOps without overwhelming the QA team. This presentation will address this problem and demonstrate innovative solutions by integrating Generative AI and Machine Learning in this interaction. Rahul will explore how these technologies can be utilized for predictive modeling in test case management, spotting operational anomalies more efficiently, dynamic test...

Testing has a bad reputation for being slow & costly. Speed, price, quality—pick two, right? How can we ensure that testing does not become the bottleneck? We first have admit that we have a problem, and then look at the root causes of why testing is slow and expensive. Among these are: lack of clear requirements and priorities, unclear testing processes and delivery procedures, misaligned goals between product, development, QA, & Ops teams, unreasonable expectations (such as 100% test coverage), inefficient (or unreliable) test automation, lack of ability to parallelize...

Integrating Generative AI (Gen AI) across the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) signifies a pivotal shift in digital product development, promising enhancements from planning to maintenance. This session explores this cutting-edge approach, revealing Gen AI's capacity to automate tasks, refine product quality, and elevate non-functional attributes like security and usability. From analyzing user feedback for feature development to auto-generating code and optimizing deployment strategies, Gen AI streamlines processes, boosts efficiency, and ensures robust, user-centric products. It...

In today's highly regulated landscape, organizations encounter numerous hurdles in risk management and regulatory compliance. Regulations are constantly emerging and changing. New risks are emerging all the time and we seek to improve our risk posture with ongoing, internal control improvements. This presentation unveils S&P Global's strategies for seamlessly integrating cross-portfolio regulatory and risk mitigation work into Agile processes. Jennifer will delve into five actionable tips that leverage Agile processes to solve this challenge. The session will address the challenges of...

Unlock the next level of agile and XP development by integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot across the software development lifecycle. This presentation unveils how leveraging LLMs from initial ideation to final deployment transforms agile practices, enriching pair programming, test-driven development, and continuous integration with innovative AI capabilities. Learn to automate and refine development tasks, enhance specification clarity, and boost testing efficiency with ChatGPT, optimizing every phase of agile workflows for superior product quality and...

"The team doesn't speak up in meetings! They don't participate! What do I do?" I've observed leaders across organizations be frustrated by this. What to do? Just be ok with silence? Make decisions for the team? Here's the thing: silence is not consent. Whether or not people articulate their opinions, everyone has them. As a leader, your role is to help create a supportive, collaborative space where information is shared more openly. So how on earth do you do this? In this combination workshop and talk, attendees will learn two techniques to help facilitate through this challenge, as well...

This session will focus on the application of containerization and orchestration technologies within healthcare and integration of HIPAA compliance and robust security measures in healthcare DevOps. These technologies not only enhance operational efficiency but also ensure adherence to critical security and regulatory standards in healthcare. Sindu will cover case studies and future strategies on evolving security and HIPAA regulations and cybersecurity threats with patient data. Attendees will walk away with: the basics of container technologies and HIPAA compliance, Microsoft...

Gen AI and LLM topics are currently on heavy rotation and the IT domain is experiencing highs and lows of excitement regarding performance breakthroughs and fears that software engineers will be replaced by prompts tomorrow. Their concerns are not unreasonable—we can think of code development as language-to-language transformation, but what about the project governance and the managers who were shaping it? Where do they fit in the new AI-based IT world? As a Head of European Quality Engineering Practice in a global company with 50K+ employees, Maryna will share her experiences in dealing...

Teams are rightfully skeptical when faced with a mandate to implement DORA metrics, especially when no effective rollout approach is considered. Kendra will outline the context, conflict, and climax of the story arc to ensure a smooth rollout. First the context: DORA metrics and their importance. A ‘burning platform’ of 'those who do not keep up will get left behind'. Then, the conflict: tension builds when distrust between a team and leadership when leadership mandates change without the why or how. Stories of two project teams will serve as examples. Finally, the climax which include...