Rex Black
President,
RBCS

Rex Black, President, RBCS was in the country recently to help CA launch their risk-based testing as well as to present a series of workshops run previously in various CA offices in the US. Having spent over 25 years in the testing industry he is one of the few people who has been around long enough to see testing transform from a function into an industry.

“Back in the mid-1990s, people like myself, Rick Craig, Paul Gerrard, and Felix Redmill developed techniques for risk-based testing, and those techniques have gained wide acceptance over the last 15 years,” he informs. “Another strong trend is the professionalization of testing. The International Software Testing Qualification Board (ISTQB) certification program is part of that.”

Black believes that testing as a service has been a reality for some time. “We can test a client's browser-based application--both for functionality and other characteristics like performance--from anywhere in the world.”
His stamina for the long haul comes from the fact that he is a die hard road runner. “I do marathons and triathlons, about one each per year, as a way to stay in shape. I'm on the road 40 weeks a year, logging about 200,000 air miles annually, most of those miles international. That leads to some unhealthy eating and lots of stress. The exercise is really essential.”

In spite of being a hectic traveler, Black has had the run of the usual sights such as the Golconda Fort and a few other key sites while in Hyderabad. While not letting travel get in between his exercise routine, he innovates depending on the location he is at to ensure he remains in shape. A few interesting exercise routines while on the road have included a nice 20 mile run in Wellington, New Zealand, and a 50 mile bicycle ride around Botany Bay, Australia. But his most memorable event has been running the Marathon du Medoc with his wife.
He’s quite content with his work. “I'm successful at what I do, so why change?” he comments.

Quick Takes

Where I reside : Bulverde, Texas, north of San Antonio, on 11 acres of Texas Hill Country.

Marital Status/No of Children : I am married to Laurel Becker and we have two daughters, Emma and Charlotte.

My favorite vacation destination : New Zealand or Australia.

A memento I would like to take back from India : I often bring home wine. I have some interesting bottles in my small wine cellar, each of which has a story about where it came from and how I came to have it. So, I bought a bottle of Sula's cabernet-syrah blend that, on some appropriate occasion, will accompany a nice Indian dinner that I cook for my wife and me.