I’m heading to Malmö, Sweden soon to give a keynote. Travel planning might sound like the opposite of testing in DevOps, but I’ve found it’s a great place to practise the same habits I use with teams. My framework, Q.E.D., Question, Evidence, Develop, is designed for making better decisions about quality. But it works just […]
How I plan conference travel like a software experiment Read More »
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash Burnt Out, Boxed In, and Quietly Looking for a Way Out A few years ago, I was working in a software consultancy, stuck on a team with a client who, despite spending a huge amount of money on “change”, was completely unwilling to actually change. I’d seen versions of
Burnt Out, Boxed In, and Quietly Looking for a Way Out Read More »
Document less, share more: A modern take on test evidence Do we still need test case management tools? In my experience, not really. At least, not in the way most teams are still using them. Test case management tools are everywhere, but they’re not helping us make better decisions. In modern software teams, they’re often
Document less, share more: A modern take on test evidence Read More »
A few weeks ago I got on a video call with Rosie Sherry from the Ministry of Testing to record an episode of the “Leading with Quality” podcast. During this conversation I started musing on why there are so few senior leadership roles for quality. And I loved our chat about, but felt there’s a
Why is there no Chief Quality Officer? Read More »
You know that quality matters, and you care about it deeply.But if you’ve ever raised a concern and been ignored, or flagged a risk only to be brushed off … you also know how demoralising it is to be right and still not be heard. I’ve been there. And I’ve heard the same story from
You don’t need a new title to lead on quality Read More »
The struggle every quality professional knows too well If you’re responsible for quality in your organisation, this scenario probably sounds painfully familiar: You’ve identified critical quality issues that need addressing. You’ve meticulously documented the bugs, you’ve raised concerns about technical debt, and you’ve even suggested process improvements that could prevent these problems. But when you
From frustrated tester to respected quality advisor: The Q.E.D. method Read More »
“What do feelings have to do with quality assurance?” This question emerged from a question on LinkedIn I posted this week, asking QA engineers what feels worse: finding a critical bug right before release, or being known as the person who always blocks releases. While the post generated significant engagement, what truly caught my attention
From Gatekeeper to Guide: Why Emotions Matter in Quality Engineering Read More »
When I first joined a rapidly growing startup as the solo tester for the web team, I made every mistake in the metrics book. Fresh from an enterprise background, I tried to measure everything. Six months and countless spreadsheets later, I had plenty of data but no real insights. Here’s how I turned it around.
From Drowning in Data to Driving Decisions: A Solo Tester’s Journey Read More »
As a solo tester in a growing company, you’re bombarded with advice about what to measure. Code coverage, test execution rates, bug counts, automation percentages … the list seems endless. Add DORA metrics to the mix, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Here’s the thing: when you’re testing solo, you need metrics that provide maximum
Three Metrics That Actually Matter When You’re Testing Solo Read More »
You’ve just joined a growing startup as their first tester. Coming from a large enterprise, you’re keen to implement proper quality metrics. After all, data-driven decisions were key to your previous success. Yet three months in, you’re drowning in spreadsheets and complex tools, with little to show for it. Sound familiar? The Enterprise Metrics Trap
The Solo Tester’s Dilemma: When Enterprise Metrics Don’t Fit Read More »
