Software Quality Engineering: Tales From The Trenches

by Og Maciel

In early 2008 I was dragged kicking and screaming from my cubicle and entrusted with the dubious honor of starting a QA team. No further instructions as to how precisely this was to be accomplished or how quality was to be quantified was provided. Armed only with a strong desire to learn and excel at my new profession, I have been tossed around, torn to pieces and, thrown at a lot of scary and difficult situations in the world of software testing! But it has been an amazing journey so far, with rewards (and I'm not talking about monetary rewards only) too numerous to count, and plenty of learning opportunities. With this book, it is my goal to tell you about some of these situations and experiences and, by sharing with you how I have turned them into life and career lessons, hopefully, help you become a better, more effective and brave professional.

Kindle Edition

Published March 16, 2019

About the author

Og Maciel (https://omaciel.github.io) is a Brazilian-American software engineer and author of fiction and short stories. His works include "Software Quality Engineering: Tales From The Trenches", "I.C.Q - A Novel", and "The Big Score." He lives in Chapel Hill, NC, with his wife and three daughters.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I worked with Og for 3 years at rPath. I was the sole (and therefore Lead) Windows Engineer on our product line. Og was in Quality Engineering and I was in Development Engineering. There was no divisive line drawn between us. Og is an amazing person to be anywhere near. His enthusiasm and positive energy are infectious to any team. He always wants to know how he can help advance the cause every day.

Even when we did have late nights at the office on some rush to get a release certified, Og remained positive and just a real pleasure to work with. His sense of humor often kept me going in stressful situations.

This positivity has led him to produce what I think is a fantastic text on what I imagine a mentor would sit down with you and say over the course of many weeks. This book is destined for world-class status in the field of Software Quality. It's an excellent guidebook and can advance your own career in QE.

Cheers!

[Peter Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Software Quality Engineering: Tales from the Trenches approaches the complex nature of defining and solidifying the mindset required to be successful in the Quality Engineering world. The book starts off with a very strong introduction to the world of Software Engineering. What it is and conversely what it is not. This helps frame the rest of the book, which comprises of an anecdotally rich journey, bordering on biographical, which serves to reinforce the ideas and concepts put across at the very start.

For those new to this role, or interesting in learning more, the initial part may seem counter cultural, or it may be that the buzz has already gotten to you and you are intrigued to learn more about a better way of approaching Software Quality Engineering. Og's story is told in his own unique style often incredibly poignant whilst remaining approachable and relatable throughout.

[Parthvi Vala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely read. There were times while reading the book where I had a sudden urge to share the book with my teammates.

[Marcelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strongly recommended to all those interested in Quality Engineering.