Katja Obring

Why the Experimenter’s Mindset Outlasts Automation in Software Testing

The experimenter’s mindset beats the automation mindset A few months ago, someone at a conference asked me whether I thought testers would still have jobs in five years. It wasn’t a joke. You could hear the anxiety in the room, because the arrival of generative AI has reignited a very old fear in our industry: […]

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A wall with many monitor screens showing graphs in red and green.

Optimising QA Workflows with DORA’s Lead Time for Changes Metric

The pressure to deliver high-quality software quickly has never been greater. Quality Assurance teams often find themselves walking a tightrope between maintaining thorough testing practices and meeting aggressive delivery timelines. This is where DORA’s Lead Time for Changes (LTC) metric can be a valuable tool for QA teams looking to optimise their workflows without compromising

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A dashboard, all stats are green

If your application is bug free, do you need a tester?

In a recent poll on LinkedIn, a thought-provoking question was posed: What goes through your mind when you see an automated test dashboard showing all green? The responses, mainly falling into the ‘other’ category, revealed a telling sentiment: suspicion. Many believe that a fully green dashboard signals hidden defects lurking beneath the surface. This perspective,

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Breaking the Soft Skills Trap: What You Really Need to Learn

The conversation around career development in software testing often circles back to the importance of soft skills. Be it in workshops, online courses, or even job descriptions, the focus on communication, adaptability, and teamwork is hard to ignore. While no one would argue against the value of these attributes, an unbalanced emphasis on them can

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The Real Power of Automation in the DevOps World: It’s Not Just Testing!

You’ve probably heard it countless times: “Automation is key in DevOps.” But let’s clear something up. It’s not just about testing. Automation, my friends, is the secret sauce that takes the human error out of those oh-so-tedious tasks and cranks up the quality of your software. 1. Understanding DevOps and Automation Listen up: DevOps isn’t

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Mastering Versatility: Why the Shiniest Software Testing Tool Isn’t Always the Best

In the dynamic landscape of software testing, it’s no surprise that there is always a shiny new tool waiting around the corner, promising the moon and the stars. As tempting as it might be to grab onto the latest, most hyped tool, it’s crucial to pause and think, especially when this tool does only one thing.

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Level Up Your Testing Game: Master Code, Not Just Soft Skills

From Soft Skills to Hard Skills: A Call to Action for Software Testers Software testers often take pride in their “soft skills” – excellent communication, problem-solving abilities, and a knack for critical thinking. These skills are undoubtedly important, but they are no longer enough. In an increasingly complex and technology-driven world, software testers need to

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A corner office, with a CEO facing a group of financiers, his desk covered in money.

Rethinking ROI: Why We Should Stop Asking About the Return on Investment in Software Testing

As a seasoned software engineer, one question that I encounter quite often is, “What is the ROI of investing in testing?” While this question seems to be a reasonable one on the surface, delving deeper into the complexities of software development and testing reveals that it may not be the right question to ask. Let’s

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