The ASQF (Arbeitskreis Softwarequalität und Fortbildung) is a non-profit association that has been networking people from the field of software quality assurance since 1996. It unites over 1,000 members, who together represent around 15,000 people. Its services include specialist group meetings, conferences, a specialist magazine, certified training courses and the opportunity to actively contribute to standards.
Key Takeaways
- The ASQF was founded in Erlangen in 1996 and today represents over 1,000 direct members as well as around 15,000 people in member companies from corporations, SMEs and start-ups.
- Members can attend ASQF conferences such as the Rhein-Main-Testing-Day or the Testing Day Franken, which attracts up to 220 participants, free of charge.
- Since 1999, the ASQF has awarded a prize of 500 euros for practically relevant master’s and diploma theses in the field of software quality.
- A new specialist group on AI and testing is being planned because the use of AI agents to create test artifacts is already changing the industry.
- The newly developed certificate for Secure Software Engineering can now be booked and was developed on a voluntary basis over several years in an ASQF working group.
What the ASQF is and who benefits from it
The ASQF, which stands for Arbeitskreis Softwarequalität und Fortbildung, is a non-profit association that brings together people working in the field of software quality. Its core is networking: experts who work in quality assurance in software development meet via the ASQF, exchange ideas and develop standards together.
This networking is the unique selling point of the association. Many members have known each other for years and even decades. New people are quickly integrated and make their first contacts in the community at a low threshold.
The association currently has just over 1000 members and represents around 15,000 people through its member companies. These include global players, SMEs, start-ups and private individuals. There is a student membership, a supporting membership and a year’s free trial membership for anyone taking an ISTQB certificate.
Where the ASQF comes from
The ASQF is a Franconian child and originates from Erlangen. It was founded in 1996 on the basis of a European initiative, the European Software Process Improvement Training Initiative (SPI). Next year, the association will be celebrating its 30th anniversary.
In its pure form, the ASQF is a non-profit organization. Initially, it had two subsidiaries: ASQF GmbH for events and conferences and the International Software Quality Institute (iSQI), founded in 2004, in which the ASQF is still a shareholder.
How the Certified Tester emerged from the ASQF
The well-known Certified Tester Foundation Level has its origins in the ASQF environment. During the founding phase, it was discovered that there was a lack of standardized further training in software quality assurance. The ASQF was precisely the breeding ground for this.
The German Testing Board (GTB) began in the ASQF’s Software Testing Division. This certified further training and the cooperation with other associations have strongly influenced the association.
The network as the greatest added value of membership
The most important benefit of ASQF membership remains the personal network. Those who join can familiarize themselves at a low level, make initial contacts and check in which direction they want to develop in quality assurance.
The ASQF has accumulated a wealth of knowledge over almost 30 years. Members have access to a database of specialist articles and can continue their education there.
There are also numerous partnerships with events. Conference tickets can often be booked at a lower price through these partners. Members can take part in their own ASQF events without having to pay a ticket price.
It’s not just about being able to take something for myself, but also to give something. I learn and at the same time see how a product can be developed in the further education sector.
Felix Winter
Specialist groups and events: two ways into the community
The range of events is divided into two areas. The first is the specialist group meetings. The ASQF currently divides its topics into nine specialist groups, from software testing to industry-specific groups such as medical technology and automotive.
Both members and non-members can take part in specialist group meetings. They are the place to discuss specific practical issues: How to automate, how to test manually, what to consider in the automotive industry, what makes medical technology different.
The second area consists of larger and smaller conferences that members can attend free of charge. These include the Rhine-Main Testing Day in Frankfurt, the Quality Night in Berlin and the Testing Day Franconia, which had up to 220 participants at its peak.
During the Corona phase, the ASQF also launched the online format ASQF Network, which bundles various topics related to quality assurance over a whole week. Presence and online complement each other today.
Why cross-industry exchange works
The greatest benefit often comes when people from different industries meet. The Software Testing specialist group brings together not only medical engineers or mobility experts, but also people from a wide variety of companies.
They discuss similar problems and realize that they are not so far apart. The automotive sector has something to offer the medical technology sector, while the financial sector provides a tip on automation. This cross-industry perspective is a sustainable principle of the association.
The ASQF is also suitable as an introduction for young speakers. If you have a topic, you can try out a presentation in front of 20 or 30 people instead of standing in front of a large audience.
The SQ magazine as a platform for publishing
The ASQF co-publishes the SQ magazine. It was created at the time when ASQF and iSQI jointly organized the Conquest and was the brainchild of Stefan Görike, the then Managing Director of ASQF and iSQI.
The SQ magazine is now published bilingually. Members can contribute specialist articles via the editorial team and thus publish their ideas. In this way, the ASQF covers reading as well as listening and seeing.
Education and training: from project management to secure software engineering
The ASQF is active in certified training and further education and has launched several programs on the market through its own initiatives. One well-known program is the Certified Professional for Project Management, a further training course for project management in software projects, which can be booked via the ASQF and corresponding training providers.
The association is also the holder of the QAMP, the Quality Assurance Management Professional. In this program, you can store your personal learning history and prove that you are an expert or prospective expert through the certificates you have acquired.
A new program shows how such offers are created in the ASQF. The Secure Software Engineering working group was formed from a specialist group and has developed a syllabus and training course over several years. The syllabus is available and the first training courses can be booked.
The typical path runs in stages:
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Expert group | Exchange on a topic |
| topic identification | an exciting topic is identified |
| working group | formation to develop a program |
| curriculum and testing | development over one to two years, often on a voluntary basis |
| release | syllabus available, training courses bookable |
The development of a certificate is not a matter of three evening sessions, but a process that takes one to two years, especially when it is first set up. Much of this is done on a voluntary basis after work.
Sponsorship awards recognize young talent and lifetime achievement
The ASQF has been awarding a sponsorship prize to colleges and universities since 1999. It is endowed with 500 euros and honors master’s and diploma theses that are particularly relevant to practice and demonstrate very good performance. The award is often presented at graduation ceremonies in front of a large audience.
The German Award for Software Quality, which was established by the ASQF, is aimed in the same direction. It honors individuals and institutions that have made a special contribution to software quality. It is awarded today together with other partners, including the GTB.
AI and testing will shape the next few years
The coming years of the ASQF will be characterized by asserting itself in the world of AI and testing. At conferences, practitioners are already showing how they test with AI, write their own agents and assemble test artifacts from repositories of legacy projects and legacy code.
An AI specialist group is planned. The key questions: How do we test with AI? How do we test AI ourselves? Anyone who wants to contribute specialist knowledge is invited to do so, as there is a lot of knowledge to be gathered.
This is precisely the character of the association. The ASQF thrives on the active participation of knowledge carriers. Anyone with an exciting topic can learn and help shape it at the same time, whether as a member, speaker, author or in a working group.
