Sharon Robson

Surprisingly, I first encountered an agile approach when I joined the army after finishing high school. Instead of receiving orders, I was told, "here's your mission, work out how to do it!" I didn't know it at the time, but this empowering message is at the core of agility. 

Fast forward a few years, when I was the Testing Lead at Hewlett Packard, I came across the great work SoftEd were doing in the agile space. My relationship with SoftEd grew, and I joined the team as the Software Testing Practice Lead. I taught agile testing classes and helped test teams speed up the delivery of better quality software solutions. 

As a business and technical consultant, I led a successful agile transformation for Tatts Group, and after Tabcorp merged with Tatts Group, I became the General Manager (Technology) Strategy and Improvement. And today, I'm back at SoftEd as a consultant and trainer, where I draw on my vast experience to support teams and organisations on their agile journey. 

Helping organisations go agile, in an agile way, is where I thrive, and it's this passion that led me to create my own business. My love for connecting with people and my background in technology enable me to translate the technical into easy-to-understand language. So, it makes sense that I teach agility across all aspects of business. 

I'm a strong advocate of women in technology and agile, and I'm actively involved in both communities. I regularly speak at functions for Women in Technology and Women in Agile events in Queensland. I'm also a frequent speaker at the Agile Australia conference.

One of my career highlights was winning the Outstanding Achievement Technology Award from Women in Technology in 2021. I was also a nominee for the Pearcey Awards for Queensland, which was a real buzz.  

As one of the few agile testing experts worldwide, I research and write papers on agile test approaches, and I'm also in the process of writing three books on agility, so watch this space! 

Central to an agile approach is considering different perspectives, and I apply this principle outside of work too. That's why I love to discover the world through travel and talking to interesting people about interesting things. 

My certifications

• ICAgile Certified Expert – Agile Testing (ICE-AT)

• ICAgile Certified Professional – Agile Coaching (ICP-ACC)

• ISTQB^® Advanced Level Test Analyst (CTAL-TA)

• ISTQB^® Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst (CTAL-TTA)

• ISTQB^® Advanced Level Test Manager (CTAL-TM)

• Individual Team Coaching Accreditation, EMCC Global

• Enterprise Business Agility Strategist (EBAS), AgilityHealth

My education:

• Bachelor of Science in Spatial Analysis (Honours), James Cook University
• Graduate Diploma in Information Technology, Central Queensland University