Inspired, a Dynamic Technologies group company, has this year facilitated and hosted in-person software testing meetups in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban to bring the testing community together in a social and structured way.

Testers attend the meetups for a variety of reasons, including socialising with like-minded people, networking and, of course, sharing knowledge. The events are an invaluable tool for the industry – offering opportunities to share lessons and experiences and hear presentations on industry-specific topics.

The meetups are not limited to testers, however. People considering a career change often attend to gain a better feel for the industry while making those all-important contacts.

Like the attendees, the speakers come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are partners, some are clients, some are connections and others are influencers in the testing industry. When planning a meetup, Inspired follows a format of two individual presentations followed by a panel discussion to encourage robust discussion and thoughtful dialogue.

Siduduzo Manqele, Intermediate Automation Engineer at Inspired, recently attended a meetup. He says, “In-person meetups are important because they create opportunities to connect with people outside of our usual work environment. We get to meet testers and technology professionals from different companies, share experiences and learn how others approach similar challenges. Networking is especially valuable because, hearing how other teams solve problems gives us fresh perspectives that we can take back and apply in our own workplaces.”

For Siduduzo, the meetup was also a great reminder that learning doesn’t only happen within your own teams or companies. Connecting with people in the industry helps everyone stay informed about new trends, tools, and ways of working.

He says, “The meetup had a positive impact on the way I think about testing and my professional development. One of the key topics we discussed was intelligent testing and how AI can be used to support testers and minimise repetitive or time-consuming work. AI is of course becoming an important part of how we approach technology and testing.

“We also discussed the importance of continuous learning and professional qualifications, as well as tools and platforms such as BrowserStack, reinforcing the value of staying up to date with developments in testing. Discovering different approaches to common problems and finding ways to implement the learnings in my everyday work has been really helpful.”

The meetups encourage collaboration, improve testing best practice and ensure that quality solutions continue to be delivered. They provide critical peer problem-solving opportunities and shared insights on industry changes such as test automation and artificial intelligence, which is precisely why Inspired goes the extra mile to make sure these events are available to their testers across the country.

“Software testing is about more than following the software development cycle, it’s about continuously learning, adapting and improving,” says Leon Lodewyks, Managing Executive at Inspired. “By sharing insights from our peers, we can collectively strengthen the QA profession.”