COMMON POWERUp 2026: Full Schedule

Unlock the Power of IBM i at POWERUp 2026!

Join us in New Orleans, Louisiana for POWERUp 2026, the premier conference for IBM i professionals. Whether you’re an experienced expert or just starting your IBM i journey, this event offers unparalleled education, hands-on workshops, and valuable networking opportunities. Stay ahead of the curve with insights from industry leaders, explore the latest innovations, and connect with a thriving community that shares your passion for IBM i. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge, grow your skills, and power up your career!

9:15am CDT

DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLES AND HOW TO TEST THEM

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Balcony K

Evaluation Survey

As businesses modernize there are multiple types of software requiring support. We will discuss the types of software lifecycles all needing different testing. Specifically covered are the development types V-model, Waterfall model, and Iterative model. From there we will talk about component, integration, system, and acceptance testing and where and how to use each.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the various software development lifecycles. Understand test types. Design and implement structured test levels

Speakers

Yvonne Enselman

Owner, Yvonne Enselman Professional Services

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
Balcony K

Program Testing, IT Strategy

10:45am CDT

How to Think Like a Tester

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Balcony K

Evaluation Survey

Unit testing is one of the most valuable skills developers can have but, not all developers can unit test properly. Its a learned skill and a paradigm shift. This session will go over Unit testing, development practices and thought processes in relation to unit testing and finally how to break apart your code and unit test it!

Learning Objectives:

Develop the paradigm shift that will allow you to start thinking like a tester Understand what Unit testing is How you can start unit testing today.

Speakers

Marina Schwenk

Senior Programmer/Analyst IBM i Admin, Innovative Software Solutions

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Balcony K

Program Testing, Programming: RPG

4:30pm CDT

RPG Unit Testing Made Easy In VS Code

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT

Galerie 3

Evaluation Survey

Join us for an in-depth look at the IBM i Testing VS Code extension and IBM i Testing CLI. In this session, we will demonstrate how you can now write and execute RPGUnit test suites (supporting both RPG and COBOL) directly within the editor using local files or source members. We will cover the basics of the RPGUnit test framework, showcase how to generate test stubs that make it easy to get started, demonstrate how to execute tests with code coverage, and even run tests in a CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions. If you are looking to adopt new and modern tooling, come check out this exciting addition to the IBM i development ecosystem in VS Code.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to use the IBM i Testing extension for VS Code • Learn about the RPGUnit test framework • Learn how to execute RPG tests and view code coverage • Learn how to automate your unit tests in a CI/CD pipeline

Speakers

Sanjula Ganepola

Software Developer - IBM i App Dev & AI Toolchain, IBM

Sanjula Ganepola is a Software Developer at IBM working on IBM i application development tools. As an open-source advocate, he is an active contributor and maintainer of several Visual Studio Code extensions including IBM i Project Explorer, Code for IBM i, IBM i Testing, Source Orbit... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT
Galerie 3

Program Testing, Program Testing, Programmer Tools

3:45pm CDT

Improving Software Quality via Development and Testing

Wednesday April 29, 2026 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Galerie 5

Evaluation Survey

Every programmer wants to do the best job. How do you test your program and ensure that you aren't missing anything? From the simplest bug fix to large complex projects, there are key concepts that you can use to ensure that your program is properly tested. This session is co-presented by expert developer, Scott Klement, and expert tester, Yvonne Enselman so that you can see things from both a developer and tester's perspective.

Learning Objectives:

1. What are the key points in the development process where testing should be considered? 2. How developers can identify the need for support from a tester or project manager 3. How to minimize risk from software errors.

Speakers

Yvonne Enselman

Owner, Yvonne Enselman Professional Services

Scott Klement

Managing Partner, ORC LLC

Wednesday April 29, 2026 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Galerie 5

Program Testing, Program Testing, Programming: RPG

3:45pm CDT

Modern QA and Test Automation: Elevating Reliability Across the IBM i Ecosystem

Wednesday April 29, 2026 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Studio 7-8

Evaluation Survey

As technology evolves, modern Testing strategies must be integrated across the IBM i Ecosystem to improve reliability. Full Testing automation is the door to future-proof your applications from end to end. Modern Testing strategies also become pivotal to a concrete implementation of AI models, tailored to company needs. In this session we will see the "Zero Touch" automation, the different levels of capitalizations and what to do to get there, from VS code, RPGUnit, integration and end to end testing operations. We will cover: -Test strategies, Unit test, Integration test, end to end test. -Risk monitoring -KPIs -AI & LLM -DevOps -Workload -Team collaboration -Test frequency -Regression testing -Code coverage -Web app test -5250 app test -SQL app test -Dashboard -IBMi and Multiplatforms

Learning Objectives:

For project managers and programmers this session will show what framework to settle and which methodologies to adopt in order to optimize quality outcomes and reliability on QA and Testing and on the full Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

Speakers

Pascal Polverini

CTO, POLVERINI & PARTNERS

With thirty years of professional experience in North America, Europe and Australia Pascal Polverini has a strong experience in digital transformation, strategy roadmap and planning, end-to-end software architectures, with expertise on DB, programming languages, communication protocols... Read More →

Wednesday April 29, 2026 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Studio 7-8

Program Testing, Database, DevOps, Integrated File System (IFS), IT Strategy, Personal Development, Program Testing, Programming: Frameworks, Programming: General, Programming: PHP, Programming: Python, Programming: RPG, Programming: UI, Storage Technologies, Systems Mana

5:00pm CDT

How Refactoring Helps Bulletproof Your Application

Wednesday April 29, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT

Galerie 5

Evaluation Survey

Do you (or does your manager) doubt the value of refactoring your code into a modular design? This session goes in-depth about how you save time and create higher quality programs by refactoring into small, independent routines. We will discuss how this improves your ability to test and maintain your application over time, saving you tons of time in the long run. This session is co-presented by expert developer, Scott Klement, and expert tester, Yvonne Enselman to help you see it from both perspectives.

Learning Objectives:

1. How refactoring into a modular design saves you time in maintenance. 2. How refactoring into a modular designed simplifies and expedites the testing process.

Speakers

Yvonne Enselman

Owner, Yvonne Enselman Professional Services

Scott Klement

Managing Partner, ORC LLC

Wednesday April 29, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Galerie 5

Program Testing, Program Testing, Programming: RPG

9:15am CDT

i Test, Therefore i Build

Thursday April 30, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Galerie 5

Evaluation Survey

With IBM's release of the IBM i Testing VS Code extension, Unit Testing is (finally) hot and happening on the i, everything at the engineer’s finger tips, including code coverage. In this session we will show you how to take these unit tests to the next level, how to embed them in your DevOps cycle, in your pipeline – making them not only crucial to the engineer’s code quality, but also running them as automated security policy every time your product is built.

Learning Objectives:

Mastering unit test basics Showing how their value grows exponentially when run as part of your CICD pipelines. Learn how IBM i unit tests and tests from other platforms can be seamlessly combined to have a 360 view Learn how Unit tests and automated regression tests can come together for a holistic view on code and product quality See how AI can help predict future failures

Speakers

Andrew Clark

Andrew Clark is the Senior Principal Software Engineer for IBM i at Rocket Software. Andrew has over 35 years of experience on IBM i beginning with the "secret Mankato Project" on a pre-release version of OS/400, and an internship at IBM Rochester working on the Query team. He... Read More →

Herman Rensink

Thursday April 30, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
Galerie 5

Program Testing, DevOps, Program Testing

Track Student

9:15am CDT

10:45am CDT

4:30pm CDT

3:45pm CDT

3:45pm CDT

5:00pm CDT

9:15am CDT

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