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SEI’s Robert Binder Honored for Software Testing Excellence

SEI’s Robert Binder Honored for Software Testing Excellence
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November 1, 2016—The International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) recently named the SEI’s Robert Binder winner of the 2016 ISTQB® International Software Testing Excellence Award. The ISTBQ presented the award to Binder on October 21 at its annual General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. In making this award, the ISTQB award committee recognized Binder’s long commitment to software quality and the testing profession.

The ISTQB is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the testing profession and has become the world leader in software testing certification. The organization’s International Software Testing Excellence Award is an annual prize recognizing outstanding contributions to the field of software quality.

“This is a unique recognition, and I’m truly honored to have been selected,” said Binder. “The ISTBQ has done more to define, communicate, and broadly facilitate application of the testing body of knowledge than any other person or organization.”

In his acceptance speech, Binder reflected on present-day software testing challenges. “Excessive compression of testing and development is often touted as a good thing (it isn’t) and often accompanied by the trivialization of test design. This happens because testing isn’t an early and equal partner with development. When testing and development are equal partners, testing can provide rapid feedback not just about bugs, but contribute insights that drive better and more robust implementations.”

“Early and cooperative application of the testing perspective can provide unique value, but only if developers and testers have the necessary relationships. We need to continue to advance the practice of testing and change its role from reactive to additive…as the world certainly needs good reasons to trust the ever wider and deeper reach of software.”

Binder joined the SEI in 2015 and serves as senior engineer responsible for client engagements and applied research related to architecture, assurance, and automated testing. Before this, he founded two consulting businesses and a test automation startup. He is the author of three books including Testing Object-Oriented Systems: Models, Patterns, and Tools and more than 30 papers and articles.