This year’s theme is “Context: TEAM” and will be hosted at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC. What a winning combination!

What does it take to win a single NASCAR race? Or to win a season championship? Is it only a good driver, or a good car? Doubtful. But, even if we teamed up with a great driver and great car, does that translate to winning every race throughout the season? Again, doubtful. Each race is unique and the cars must be tuned appropriately. The driver must be prepped. The pit crew must plan and stock the right equipment and parts. But even with all that tuning for the upcoming race’s context variables, changing conditions during the race will require the entire TEAM (manager, driver, and pit crew) to adjust strategies and make real-time decisions right up to the finish line. And the team’s spotter is one of the key sources of information throughout the race. They must know what to look out for and report on during the race to provide the greatest value to the team and increase their collective chance of success. With success, the team enjoys better sponsorship opportunities and can thrive.

So, what does it take to “win” a software development project? Will an excellent testing process and great testers alone be able to guide a team’s success? Doubtful. If the process and people don’t consider changing context factors at the outset and during the race, it’s possible to miss the mark and waste effort along the way.

What experiences, tips, and tools can you share about factors enabling a TEAM’s success? Some examples include:

• Aligning team goals for better collaboration

• Acquiring sponsorship, champions, tools, and time

• Flexibility of processes, practices, and tools that enable a team to pivot

• Playing the role of a quality coach within the team as a servant leader

• Cross-training efforts, paired work, and sharing roles and responsibilities within a team

• Relevant, timely, and effective information-gathering and sharing methods

• Tuning information for various stakeholder needs (project vs. technical stakeholders)

• Tuning information based on the stage of the project, shifting priorities, goals, etc.

The first day of the conference will be our tutorial and team-building day. During the first half of the day, we’re looking for a tutorial that will give attendees an applicable way to help their teams or provide some ways the attendee can be more in tune with their team. The tutorial will likely have between 50 - 70 people in attendance, but we think this could be a great opportunity to create a team-based tutorial. Following lunch, we’ll have a team-building exercise that lets you get some experience working with a team at the conference using equipment and activities that are all NASCAR themed.

The second day will have keynote talks, workshops, and track sessions that will focus on teamwork and helping attendees be part of a winning team.

If any of the above has you fired up and ready to roll, then submit your Proposal for a Tutorial, Track Session, Workshop, or Keynote by April 30, 2023.