Ross Smith

Ross Smith

WA, US
Director of Test - Microsoft, Author, Thought-Leader, Innovator

Ross Smith's Key Accomplishments Include . . .

Ross Smith has been in the software industry for over 20 years, developing and testing software on everything from mainframe systems to handheld devices and PC's. He began his Microsoft career in Product Support in 1991 and has been a Test Lead, Test Manager, and Test Architect. Ross Smith has also been a long-time member of the Test Architect's Group, and has worked on almost every version of Windows and Office since 1995.

Ross Smith is one of the authors of The Practical Guide to Defect Prevention and holds five software patents. Over the last several years, he has nurtured a management innovation initiative called 42projects, aspiring to inject cultural change and "bring buzz to the hallways."

Ross Smith leads the Advisory Council for the Incubation Technical Community Network (TCN). His weekly iNews (Innovation News) and Management iNews – newsletters go out to 3500 Microsoft employees every week. In 2010, he co-authored two top Think Week papers. Ross has also done dozens of conference talks on Enterprise Gamification, and most recently conducted a half-day interactive workshop on the subject which was well received.

Recently, Ross won an M-Prize from the McKinsey/Management Innovation Exchange (MiX), where he is a "Moonshot Guide" for Take the Work Out of Work.

More About Speaker, Ross Smith. . .

Ross Smith has been a guest-poster on Google's Testing Blog. The London School of Business and the Management Innovation Lab published a case study of 42projects entitled, Game On: Theory Y meets Generation Y. His team's work on productivity games was mentioned in The Economist, and in the recent book Changing the Game: How Video Games are Transforming the Future of Business.

Mr. Smith is experimenting with how gaming can improve productivity among next-generation workers, and the impact of games and social networking tools on management education and requisite skills for new managers.

Ross Smith has been interviewed by the Trusted Advisor, Dr. Dobb's, MSDN, and others, and has spoken recently at the STPCon, "Future of Work" conference, Google's Test Automation Conference in Zurich, Corbis, MIT's Innovation Lab, and more. Recently, he participated in the Great Gamification Debate at the Game Developer's Conference.

Ross Smith's Key Accomplishments Include . . .

Ross Smith has been in the software industry for over 20 years, developing and testing software on everything from mainframe systems to handheld devices and PC's. He began his Microsoft career in Product Support in 1991 and has been a Test Lead, Test Manager, and Test Architect. Ross Smith has also been a long-time member of the Test Architect's Group, and has worked on almost every version of Windows and Office since 1995.

Ross Smith is one of the authors of The Practical Guide to Defect Prevention and holds five software patents. Over the last several years, he has nurtured a management innovation initiative called 42projects, aspiring to inject cultural change and "bring buzz to the hallways."

Ross Smith leads the Advisory Council for the Incubation Technical Community Network (TCN). His weekly iNews (Innovation News) and Management iNews – newsletters go out to 3500 Microsoft employees every week. In 2010, he co-authored two top Think Week papers. Ross has also done dozens of conference talks on Enterprise Gamification, and most recently conducted a half-day interactive workshop on the subject which was well received.

Recently, Ross won an M-Prize from the McKinsey/Management Innovation Exchange (MiX), where he is a "Moonshot Guide" for Take the Work Out of Work.

More About Speaker, Ross Smith. . .

Ross Smith has been a guest-poster on Google's Testing Blog. The London School of Business and the Management Innovation Lab published a case study of 42projects entitled, Game On: Theory Y meets Generation Y. His team's work on productivity games was mentioned in The Economist, and in the recent book Changing the Game: How Video Games are Transforming the Future of Business.

Mr. Smith is experimenting with how gaming can improve productivity among next-generation workers, and the impact of games and social networking tools on management education and requisite skills for new managers.

Ross Smith has been interviewed by the Trusted Advisor, Dr. Dobb's, MSDN, and others, and has spoken recently at the STPCon, "Future of Work" conference, Google's Test Automation Conference in Zurich, Corbis, MIT's Innovation Lab, and more. Recently, he participated in the Great Gamification Debate at the Game Developer's Conference.

Building Trust in the Workplace

In many industries, the unemployment rate is at an all-time high. The demographics of the workforce are changing. Education, industry experience, and globalization alter the landscape. Employees today are more talented than ever. The pervasiveness of the internet, the quality of education, and the freedom with which information flows can't help but contribute to the quality of the workforce. Yet, business processes have not adjusted to web 2.0, social media, and the skills of the Facebook...
Audience ActivityEducational / InformativeTechnical / Specific

Productivity Games (Using Games in the Workplace): How Gaming Transforms the Workplace

With widespread access to broadband, social networks and multiple connected devices and tools on a daily basis, people are increasingly engaging in a fully connected and often gaming-centered digital world. This digitally-savvy population is also entering the workforce in larger numbers than ever - inciting vast changes in the workplace and re-defining our very understanding of how work "works". Gaming and applied game elements, in particular, can make a dramatic impact on the quality of...
Audience ActivityEducational / InformativeTechnical / Specific

Game On - Score One for Quality

Have you ever wondered how to get your team more passionate about software testing? Ross Smith creatively employs the use of competitive games to increase employee engagement, participation, and productivity. Utilizing games will get your testers and developers working more enthusiastically together to improve software quality and to address testing problems that cannot be solved cost-effectively using traditional business processes.

Through a simple step by step approach, Ross will...

Audience ActivityEducational / InformativeTechnical / Specific

Management Innovation: Building a Creative Team Culture

Culture is an ambiguous term. Everyone aspires to improve the culture - the culture they work in, the culture they live in, and the culture in which they feel safe to create and innovate. A survey of innovative organizations results in a short list of key characteristics - a freedom to fail, a high degree of autonomy, an emphasis on experimentation and collaboration. How does one go about creating a culture like this -particularly if you're not the CEO - and what are the...
Audience ActivityEducational / InformativeTechnical / Specific

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