STeP-IN Summit 2025 and My Experience

Published on September 30, 2025

 

I start this blog post by expressing my gratitude.  My gratitude to STeP-IN and Vinay Baid.  I attended STeP-IN's 22nd International Conference on Software Testing, on 19th September 2025. 

This blog post is about my experience with STeP-IN Summit 2025.

I'm not paid or asked to write this.  I'm writing to document my experience and observations with STeP-IN Summit 2025.


The Conferences and Me

STeP-IN Summit 2008 is my first testing conference.

Since then, I'm seeing how the conferences around Software Testing & Engineering is shaping and continuing.  Together with the conferences and STeP-IN Summit, I'm shaping and continuing to grow.

For me, the conference[s] look as a timeline and the tree.

  • It reflects the past, present and talks about tomorrow.
  • In that, STeP-IN Summit shows the landscape of thoughts and drifts around the software testing practice for the last two decades.

I see the series of changes, transformations and trajectories in Software Testing as an industry.  I see the changes in conferences as well.

One of the conferences which is consistently attempting to capture it and get its gist to the test engineers is STeP-IN Summit.  Further, it emphasis on the practice of software testing.


Conference and Take Back

What do you take back from the conference?

Whatever you took back is what you tried to see.

If you want to experience and know the conference and your craft, you should walk in between the attendees in the conference, listen to them, and talk to them.

  • You will know what's happening -- inside and outside.
    • Inside and outside of what is said in the conference.
  • Inside and outside of the one who is attending the conference.
    • Inside and outside of you!

If you go to conference and meetup just to listen to the speakers and panel, may be you will not know about your craft, industry and what's happening.  

It is the attendees who carry the torch light. Talk to them.  Know what they are doing, why and how.  Network!

The speakers, panel, vendors booth and sponsors they attempt to show the drift, by calling it theme sometimes.  Is the drift being spoken is the actual drift? This is, uncertain.  Talk to the attendees.

To see the drift with current state, you need to find the torch light.

Find your torch light in your upcoming conferences and meetups.  Catch the drift and surf the waves.


I and STeP-IN Summit 2025

I thank the organizers and Vinay Baid for inviting me to STeP-IN Summit 2025.

This was my in-person software testing conference after 6 years.

I started at 6:30 AM to conference.

  • I reached on time and collected my tag.
  • The conference's reception was well organized.
  • I moved to the conference hall; I see, it is full. I stood at the back.
  • The conference's lamp lightened up and got a kick start!

I met my seniors in the conference.  They spotted me and gave a few minutes of their time to me.  I'm happy and grateful.  I see, people value for what you are and what you share.

I listened to talks and panel discussion.

Also, I was moving in between the people outside the hall and in the hall.

  • I introduced myself and conversed on multiple subjects.
  • I went to each booths outside the hall and learned what they are offering.
  • I looked for TestAutothon participants and conversed about the problem statements, and how did they approach their solution to it.


Talks and Distance

After the conference, I took BMTC bus [Bengaluru city's public transport] back to home. It is a long way to home.  These talks replayed in my mind as I traveled the distance to home.


1.  Rahul Verma's Man, Machine & Mischief: How I Co-Wrote a Testing Satire with GenAI

  • I see, this talk is a journey shared.
    • The journey which shares about self, writing, learning, perspectives, technology, GenAI, co-authoring, book, raising the bar each time, not giving up, design, book publishing, emotions, and testing.  There should be more to it; I could see these.
  • What I recalled from this talk is,
    • His journey of writing book - The Last Book On Testing.
    • How he used the GenAI, while learning how to use it better each time.
    • Challenging the ChatGPT models and its responses.
      • Not just functional. Beyond functional responses.
    • Taking the help of ChatGPT models to co-author.
    • Testing the responses and fine tuning the prompts by expressing the personalities.
      • Not just the persona; it is personalities.
      • He engineered the prompts.
    • How he identified the gaps in this tech and learning how to use the GenAI.
  • This talk helped me to learn the hindsight behind the book "The Last Book On Testing"
    • Per my understanding, Rahul has tested and testing the idea of GenAI.
      • In this practice, he has experimented with ChatGPT models to understand the internals and externals of GenAI ecosystem.
      • He experimented using ChatGPT models to co-author his book
      • Wow!
Meeting Rahul in-person after years is happiness!

Though, I did not converse about testing, automation, engineering, and GenAI, I spoke to him.

I'm happy and surprised to reflect that we both can talk non-tech and non-testing.  But, we understand and know testing is elemental and has its presence in each systems not just the software systems.


2.  Raveendra Chakrakodi's Staying Ahead of GenAI Humanoids

You do not forget some people to whom you listened and spoke in conferences and meetups.  JP is one such person to me.  Now, Raveendra is another such person.

  • I will remember this talk of Raveendra Chakrakodi for years.
    • It was a 15 minutes talk which reached almost everyone I hope.
    • It requires courage to do such talks and share with the audience.
    • The audience could connect and feel the connection to this talk.
    • He said, he manifested to do this talk day before the conference.
      • And it happened!
  • The another talk that I remember for years is from Jayapradeep Jiothis [JP].
    • This is also a talk in a STeP-IN Summit 2019.
    • The audience got up from chair and gave their claps to JP's.
      • I will remember this talk of JP for all time.
  • These two talks are not completely tech.
    • But, these talks are around the life of the people in the software engineering.
  • I recalled,
    • Jayapradeep's talk as I traveled back to home.
    • And, I conversed with the thoughts shared by Raveendra.


3.  Rajarajeswari Rangasamy's Autonomous Testing: The Next Frontier in Quality Engineering

  • What struck to me and probably to all others is her body language and voice modeling, when she started.
  • I recalled,
    • Her body language, short punches, eye contact, and stage presence
    • And, Wagile :)
      • Waterfall + Agile
When I come across her upcoming talks, I will listen to it.


4.  Ramit Manohar Kaul's Metaphors and Audience Engineering


Ramit co-hosted the summit.  

He conversed with audience.  I have hosted the conferences and meetups.  So I say confidently, he conversed with audience.  He made it look so easy while it is not.

I want to call his hosting as -- Audience Engineering and not Audience Engaging.  As a host, he just did not converse; he shared insights.  This cannot be experienced in all conferences and meetups.

He gave the metaphors to the audience.
  • The metaphors of daily life to relate with the tech stacks around the Transformers and GenAI ecosystems. 
    • This was a bang, to me!
  • I could easily recall and connect to these metaphors and visualize the ecosystem of Transformers and GenAI.
    • I wish he gives a talk with the metaphors and it gets recorded, and will be on social media.  I have requested him for this. :)
He engineered the attention of the audience with his wits, humor, messages and insights.  I admire this personality of Ramit too.

I recalled those metaphors and our conversations.

I met Ramit after years.
  • I see, we both see the journeys, time and transformation, and embraced each other.
  • I feel good!


Conversation with Shrinivas Kulkarni


I met Shrini, my senior.  I got to know there is something called blog by reading his blog in 2007.

I could ask what all I had in my mind at that point in time.
  • He shared and explained his perspectives and thoughts on career, roles, industry, layoffs, job, and life.
  • I'm happy that I could talk about this with him.
I recalled the insights he shared and the examples he gave, especially the one of manager mindset and individual contributor or engineer mindset.  This example helped me to simply my thoughts around the job roles.



Found The Preface For Book - The Last Book On Testing

When Rahul announced he is authoring a book, I saw the book title having the word "testing".  I pinged him saying, I will be happy to review his book and it is a privilege and honor for me to do so.

Later, reading the teaser he posted for the book, I realized, I could not have reviewed it.  Today, I'm not equipped and skilled to do so.

When he published the book, I read the sample on Amazon Kindle.  I said to myself -- I'm not yet ready to read this book!  

But, how and when to be ready?  I had no answer nor clue to it.  Hence, I did not buy one.  I did not want to buy the book and keep it untouched.

The talk of Rahul in STeP-IN Summit 2025 helped me to see the book.  If I had not listened to this talk of him, I would have said myself -- I'm not yet ready to read this book!

Each book has a preface.  I see, this talk of him is an excellent preface to the book.
  • An excellent preface to tell about,
    • The book -- The Last Book On Testing,
    • GenAI, ChatGPT models,
    • Conversation with models, and
    • Rahul Verma's experiment in book writing using ChatGPT models and the experiences.
I understand, if one do not listen to this talk, one might not get the author's intent and its pitch voice.  

Is that fair?
  • When co-authoring a book together with an assistance of a software technology, it is necessity.
    • Why?
      • That's how you will see the inner side of the author and what did he do with the technology.  How? Why?
And, for someone who is peeling the layers of GenAI and Transformers in her or his practice,
  • The narration of this book will be intriguing.
    • Because, it is the reviewed and fine tuned versions of dialogues,
      • Between, 
        • The probing engineered prompts of the author, and, 
        • The responses [to the prompts] from the Transformers and its attention.

I could see the dots now.  I saw, maybe a 1% of what Rahul saw and he is seeing.  

This is enough for me to find other dots and connect for reading the book.  Now, I have the context to read the satire -- The Last Book On Testing.  I'm ready!

I moved to the counter and bought one with a discount.  I wanted to pay for the book, buy, and read it.  That is one of the ways I can show my respect to the book's author.

But, Rahul had said, he will give me one copy of his book.  His humbleness!  Thanks, Rahul. :)

I collected it from him and he signed it for me.  Here, you see it.


Picture: The book that I got from Rahul Verma. :)


This, the one I bought, I got it signed it as well.  I will be gifting to a test engineer who deserves it.  I am yet to find one, now. 


Picture: The book that I bought and got it signed to gift.


In short, this talk of Rahul Verma is an excellent preface to the book and for his experiences of co-authoring together with GenAI technology.  

I wish, this talk's video recording will be published on the social media.

When I get the essence of the book and can consume its perspectives, I will share my experience as a blog post.

Ah! I forgot to say this.  As I listened to Rahul's talk, I got an idea on how to see this book, read this book, and reflect.  I shared the same with him.  And, he did say one of the reader and reviewer did that.



To summarize,
  • Thanks STeP-IN and Vinay Baid.
  • Gratitude!
  • Thanks Rahul, Ramit, Shrini, Vipul
  • Thanks to my seniors who gave me their few minutes and a pat.
  • Thanks to attendees who gave me their time as I moved between them and conversed.
  • Thanks Raveendra Chakrakodi for standing up and speaking your soul.
  • I will be travelling distance with the dots I have collected [and collecting] in STeP-IN Summit 2025.
  • I got a much needed preface to read the book -- The Last Book On Testing
  • One request that I have for STeP-IN is to publish the videos of talks.
    • This is a long standing request. :)
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