Agile Testing Days: A Journey into the World of Agile Quality Assurance

Agile Testing Days is a conference that brings together testing experts, developers, and agile enthusiasts from around the world to explore the latest trends and developments in agile quality assurance. Agile Testing Days offers a variety of formats, such as Agile Testing Days Open Air and Agile TD Zone. The event itself is much more than just a conference—it is a journey through the fascinating world of agile methods and techniques that have revolutionized software development.
Agile Testing Days offers an impressive variety of lectures and workshops presented by leading industry experts. From basic principles to advanced techniques, there is something for every participant to discover. Topics such as test automation, DevOps, continuous integration, and behavior-driven development, as well as mental health and communication, take center stage and offer insights into best practices and future trends. And there’s no shortage of fun, because Agile Testing Days is more than just a technical conference.

A Unique Event with a Unique Mascot

This year, Agile Testing Days once again proved to be the hub for everyone passionate about agile quality assurance and software development. As always, the event was dominated by the unicorn, which also forms part of the logo. But what does this mystical fantasy creature have in common with testing and the conference?

A Unicorn as a Symbol

It wasn’t that long ago that the unicorn became the symbol of Agile Testing Days. In 2012, the conference was just like any other event. It was a place where managers, testers, developers, and product owners met to talk about software quality and how to improve it, as well as to meet old and new friends.
At that time, there was repeated talk during the conference that agile testing works differently in real life than it is described in books. Eventually, the frustration became so great that Gojko Adzic, the most influential agile testing professional in 2011, asked on X (formerly Twitter), “Does everyone else live in unicorn land?” This sparked a heated debate, and participants began not only to mention the unicorn in their talks, but also to incorporate unicorn images into their presentations.
During ATD 2012, the first draft of a unicorn logo was created, which was quickly adopted by the participants. Over the years, the mascot was not only further developed, but also given a companion for its 10th anniversary. The two unicorns, “Unity” and “Akira,” evolved along with the conference and today reflect modern testing culture and diversity.

BREDEX Experts at the Agile Testing Days

For 15 years, ATD has been an integral and important part of the testing community, and for almost as long, 14 years, our BREDEX quality assurance and testing expert Alex Schladebeck has also been part of ATD. Over time, she has evolved from a participant to a speaker and workshop leader to a keynote speaker who enjoys not only the support of the testing community, but also its recognition.
During this year’s ATD, she moderated the open sessions with Huib Schoots and gave the keynote speech on “Conflict Management.” Both received very positive feedback from the community. Together with our BREDEX software expert Tim Winselmann, she also gave a presentation on “Minimalistic Development,” which dealt with the art of achieving maximum results with minimum effort in software development.

Agile Testing Days – A Conference for the Future

With its wide range of presentations, workshops, and talks, Agile Testing Days was once again a highlight for the testing community this year. This conference is not only a networking and information event, but also a journey through the exciting world of quality assurance. Once again, it offered important and exciting experiences for participants.

Even though ATD is already over for this year, there is no reason to be sad. Registration for Agile Testing Days 2024 is already open, offering another opportunity next year to expand your knowledge, improve your skills, and become part of a vibrant and innovative community. If you want to drive agile development forward, you should not miss Agile Testing Days.