Start 2026 with a Free Day of Hands-On QA Workshops
01/03/2026
Moss Drake
As part of the start of the PNSQC 2026 Call for Papers, we’re excited to invite the community to a full day of free, in-person workshops in Portland. Held the day after the PNSQC Quality Jam, this Free Workshop Day is designed to sharpen practical skills, spark new ideas, and bring the QA community together for hands-on learning and connection.
Join us for an interactive day led by experienced practitioners and thought leaders, featuring two workshop tracks with sessions offered in both the morning and afternoon. Whether you’re strengthening your core testing skills or exploring how AI is shaping modern quality practices, there’s something here for you.
Register now to save your spot!
Or... read on
Morning Workshops (8:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
AI Orchestration: Dual Stewardship with John Cvetko. Explore how humans and AI can collaboratively manage quality, risk, and decision-making in modern systems.
QA Re-Bootcamp with Heather Wilcox & Bhushan Gupta. Refresh foundational testing skills and examine modern quality practices through engaging, activity-based learning.
Afternoon Workshops (1:00 PM – 4:30 PM)
Integrate MCP into your workflow with Joe Petsche - We will work with a variety of MCP servers to connect your quality apps and find ways to do your job better and faster. Come with your apps and we will connect in to your scenarios too.
Writing Practical Test Plans, Fast and Easy with Wayne Roseberry. This workshop teaches a pragmatic, lightweight approach to writing effective test plans—fast.
Event Details
Date: Friday, January 23, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM PST
Location: University Place Hotel & Conference Center, 310 SW Lincoln St, Portland, OR 97201
Morning refreshments and we'll take a group lunch, giving you plenty of time to connect with fellow quality professionals throughout the day.
You can register for the full day, or choose only the workshop options that fit your schedule. Space is limited, so we encourage you to register early and help spread the word.
Register now!
Here are the full workshop descriptions. We hope to see you there!
Artificial intelligence now drafts our emails, summarizes reports, and answers questions—but few of us understand how these systems actually work or who is accountable when they go wrong.
This interactive workshop takes participants behind the curtain of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and shows how prediction, bias, and governance intersect.
In the first section you will learn, in plain language, how LLMs are trained, how human feedback shapes their behavior, and why cultural and ethical oversight matter.
In the second section you’ll step into the role of a university AI-governance council and face three real-world crises involving bias, misinformation, and autonomy. Working in teams, you’ll weigh trade-offs between fairness, transparency, and security to craft practical governance responses.
No coding or prior technical background required.
By the end, you’ll be able to:
This workshop is designed for professionals who make or influence organizational decisions about AI adoption but who are not AI specialists—for example:
Participants will share practical knowledge about how testing is approached across organizations—methods, tools, habits, pain points, and successes.
Seminar Philosophy
Instead of traditional instruction, this half-day program is built around guided discussions. Each topic is framed as an open question to encourage sharing of experiences, techniques, and strategies. The facilitators will keep the conversation moving, drawing out contrasting practices, and capturing insights.
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) defines a standardized framework for integrating AI systems with external data sources and tools. MCP enables developers to expose their data via MCP servers or to develop AI applications—referred to as MCP clients—that connect to these servers.
In this workshop Joe presents an overview of using this AI-driven methodology to accelerate the testing process and enhance test coverage by identifying and addressing edge cases that manual testing might overlook.
We will work with a variety of MCP servers to connect your quality apps and find ways to do your job better and faster. Come with your apps and we will connect in to your scenarios too.
This workshop teaches a pragmatic, lightweight approach to writing effective test plans—fast. Instead of treating test plans as heavy documentation exercises, participants learn how to create a usable, reviewable test plan in hours, not days, focused on clarity, shared understanding, and risk.
Participants will walk step-by-step through a proven workflow that starts with a simple feature outline, evolves into prioritized requirements, and then becomes a clear list of test ideas and issues. The emphasis is on collaboration: each stage includes structured review points with developers and other testers to uncover gaps, ambiguities, and hidden risks early.
Key topics include:
Who it’s for: Testers, QA engineers, software engineers, and quality leaders who want faster, more effective test planning without bureaucracy.
Takeaway: A practical, collaborative method for test planning that improves understanding, surfaces risks early, and keeps testing aligned with what actually matters.
Moss Drake
As part of the start of the PNSQC 2026 Call for Papers, we’re excited to invite the community to a full day of free, in-person workshops in Portland. Held the day after the PNSQC Quality Jam, this Free Workshop Day is designed to sharpen practical skills, spark new ideas, and bring the QA community together for hands-on learning and connection.
Join us for an interactive day led by experienced practitioners and thought leaders, featuring two workshop tracks with sessions offered in both the morning and afternoon. Whether you’re strengthening your core testing skills or exploring how AI is shaping modern quality practices, there’s something here for you.
Register now to save your spot!
Or... read on
Morning Workshops (8:30 AM – 12:00 PM)
AI Orchestration: Dual Stewardship with John Cvetko. Explore how humans and AI can collaboratively manage quality, risk, and decision-making in modern systems.
QA Re-Bootcamp with Heather Wilcox & Bhushan Gupta. Refresh foundational testing skills and examine modern quality practices through engaging, activity-based learning.
Afternoon Workshops (1:00 PM – 4:30 PM)
Integrate MCP into your workflow with Joe Petsche - We will work with a variety of MCP servers to connect your quality apps and find ways to do your job better and faster. Come with your apps and we will connect in to your scenarios too.
Writing Practical Test Plans, Fast and Easy with Wayne Roseberry. This workshop teaches a pragmatic, lightweight approach to writing effective test plans—fast.
Event Details
Date: Friday, January 23, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM PST
Location: University Place Hotel & Conference Center, 310 SW Lincoln St, Portland, OR 97201
Morning refreshments and we'll take a group lunch, giving you plenty of time to connect with fellow quality professionals throughout the day.
You can register for the full day, or choose only the workshop options that fit your schedule. Space is limited, so we encourage you to register early and help spread the word.
Register now!
Here are the full workshop descriptions. We hope to see you there!
AI Orchestration: Dual Stewardship
with John CvetkoArtificial intelligence now drafts our emails, summarizes reports, and answers questions—but few of us understand how these systems actually work or who is accountable when they go wrong.
This interactive workshop takes participants behind the curtain of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and shows how prediction, bias, and governance intersect.
In the first section you will learn, in plain language, how LLMs are trained, how human feedback shapes their behavior, and why cultural and ethical oversight matter.
In the second section you’ll step into the role of a university AI-governance council and face three real-world crises involving bias, misinformation, and autonomy. Working in teams, you’ll weigh trade-offs between fairness, transparency, and security to craft practical governance responses.
No coding or prior technical background required.
By the end, you’ll be able to:
- Explain the core workings of generative-AI systems in accessible terms.
- Identify where data, design, and culture introduce risk.
- Apply a simple governance framework (based on the EU AI Act) to guide responsible AI use in your own organization.
This workshop is designed for professionals who make or influence organizational decisions about AI adoption but who are not AI specialists—for example:
- Managers and team leads in technology, education, or government
- Executive mgt, risk managers, data-governance professionals
- Educators or trainers introducing staff to AI tools
- Anyone seeking a practical understanding of AI ethics and oversight
Testing Re-Bootcamp: A Collaborative Seminar for Software Quality Professionals
with Heather Wilcox & Bhushan GuptaParticipants will share practical knowledge about how testing is approached across organizations—methods, tools, habits, pain points, and successes.
Seminar Philosophy
Instead of traditional instruction, this half-day program is built around guided discussions. Each topic is framed as an open question to encourage sharing of experiences, techniques, and strategies. The facilitators will keep the conversation moving, drawing out contrasting practices, and capturing insights.
Integrate MCP into your Workflow
with Joe PetscheThe Model Context Protocol (MCP) defines a standardized framework for integrating AI systems with external data sources and tools. MCP enables developers to expose their data via MCP servers or to develop AI applications—referred to as MCP clients—that connect to these servers.
In this workshop Joe presents an overview of using this AI-driven methodology to accelerate the testing process and enhance test coverage by identifying and addressing edge cases that manual testing might overlook.
We will work with a variety of MCP servers to connect your quality apps and find ways to do your job better and faster. Come with your apps and we will connect in to your scenarios too.
Writing Practical Test Plans, Fast and Easy
with Wayne RoseberryThis workshop teaches a pragmatic, lightweight approach to writing effective test plans—fast. Instead of treating test plans as heavy documentation exercises, participants learn how to create a usable, reviewable test plan in hours, not days, focused on clarity, shared understanding, and risk.
Participants will walk step-by-step through a proven workflow that starts with a simple feature outline, evolves into prioritized requirements, and then becomes a clear list of test ideas and issues. The emphasis is on collaboration: each stage includes structured review points with developers and other testers to uncover gaps, ambiguities, and hidden risks early.
Key topics include:
- Rapidly outlining features and sub-features
- Identifying and reviewing common testing concerns (security, performance, accessibility, integration, etc.)
- Writing and prioritizing product requirements without over-specifying
- Turning requirements into meaningful test ideas
- Using test planning as a tool for discovery, communication, and risk identification—not just documentation
- Knowing when to stop planning and when deeper test case design is actually worth the effort
Who it’s for: Testers, QA engineers, software engineers, and quality leaders who want faster, more effective test planning without bureaucracy.
Takeaway: A practical, collaborative method for test planning that improves understanding, surfaces risks early, and keeps testing aligned with what actually matters.