Microsoft ranked in top 10 training organizations

I have been tardy in my writing...too many irons in the fire these days. This week I have been teaching new SDETs in the morning, then rushing downtown to teach evening classes on software testing at University of Washington. These days I spend a great deal of my time teaching (mostly about systematic testing approaches and test automation), consulting on testing practices, designing and developing hands-on technical training, and talking about the future of the discipline. This role is personally satisfying, and it is certainly one of the most challenging positions I have ever had. So, as a member of the Engineering Excellence group at Microsoft I am very proud to announce that we are in the top 10 of the world's most successful learning and development organizations. When Microsoft embarked on its journey in 2004 to refocus our product teams on engineering practices including the drive to increase the technical skills and acumen of our software testers our training was not even listed in Training Magazines Top 125 awards. In 2005 we were listed in 38th place. In 2006 we moved up to 23rd place, and 19th place in 2007. Last week, Microsoft was ranked 9th among the top 125 rated training organizations around the world. Companies are ranked based on various factors including number of training hours per employee, detailed formal programs, use of various learning technologies, and quantitative and qualitative case studies demonstrating strategic business impact. I must admit, I consider myself very lucky to be part of such a great team of professionals who are incredibly passionate about their discipline and strive to have a positive impact on how we design, develop and test our products.