Form, Storm, Norm, & Perform: My Experience at the Øredev Developer Conference

By Raul Riti, QA Lead, Cognizant Softvision

At the end of last year, I had the opportunity to attend the Øredev technology conference in Sweden, a three-day event that focuses on the software development process, from programming to project management.

Any specialist in any field should develop continuously and constantly. But with myriad options for training and development, how do you choose which ones to participate in? You may be familiar with the concept of Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing (FSNP), which are the stages a team goes through while working on a project. To select which learning opportunities are the best fit for you, try the FSNP framework.

Forming

At this stage, do your research. What is this conference? Why, where, when, how?

In this phase I discovered our colleague Paul Grizzaffi would also be in attendance, giving a presentation on automation. I took note of the fact that the user-friendly website gave all the pertinent information, such as directions, where to eat, Wi-Fi access, and other answers to FAQs. The site also provided an easy breakdown of sessions by technology/area of interest — .Net, AR & VR, Mobile, People & Teams, Web, Security, and so on.

Storming

Storming is where the most change occurs in team dynamics, and could be considered the “make or break” stage.

Compare the storming phase to the adaptations you make on the fly in a chosen development approach. Back with my conference attendance example, there were adjustments; from changes in daily routines, to getting acquainted with new surroundings, fellow attendees, and speakers.

Øredev passed this stage with flying colors. The event was well organized, with clear signage and friendly staff, and an immersive corridor lent an innovative experience, as a virtual hologram led participants to the exhibition center. As with interpersonal relationships, first impressions and quality communications are key.

Norming

The initial excitement has passed at this stage and teams work together to make things happen. In the context of development conferences, this is about what happened and how it happened.

Here is when you engage in the activities necessary to complete your project, or in the case of a conference, your development. I attended several talks that expanded my knowledge and skills. I gained insights into usage analytics, testing, and teamwork, and discovered how to elevate UX and accessibility. I watched live debates on Software development and had the chance to meet a lot of great people with awesome mindsets and ideas. And of course, I thoroughly enjoyed my colleague Paul’s session, “Myths About Myths About Automation.”

Performing

If we have reached this stage, it means that we’ve successfully answered “why this conference?” and we are now using the lessons we learned to bring value.

The setup of the Øredev conference was innovative, with different global topics of interest, the event was well organized and delivered quality learning and networking. But for me, the true test of a valuable learning and development event is whether or not I would do it again.

In this case, I would say yes. But the question is, as a guest or as a speaker?