Blog Posts
I have strong (loosely held) opinions about quality!
This is where I share what I think about testing, quality engineering, leadership and AI in development. Some posts are practical, some are reflective and all of them come from my real experiences working with real engineering teams.
If something here resonates with you (or you think I’ve got it wrong) then reach out and let’s discuss. That’s the whole point.
Recent Posts
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AI readiness radar: Framework for engineering teams
In this post I describe a model for engineering teams to use in assessing their readiness for AI adoption safely.
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An example abstract for conference talks
The post provides guidance on crafting conference talk abstracts, emphasizing title importance, core messages, and speaker credentials.
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Creating a Playwright framework with AI
A Playwright E2E test framework using AI was developed, achieving near-complete workflow coverage with minimal team involvement and effective reviews.
Quality Engineering
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AI readiness radar: Framework for engineering teams
In this post I describe a model for engineering teams to use in assessing their readiness for AI adoption safely.
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Creating a Playwright framework with AI
A Playwright E2E test framework using AI was developed, achieving near-complete workflow coverage with minimal team involvement and effective reviews.
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Guest Blog: You don’t want Quality Engineers
The blog discusses the challenges faced by Quality Engineers, emphasizing communication, accountability, and the need for a collaborative quality culture.
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You’re not ready for Quality Engineering
Quality professionals must adapt to engineering’s evolving needs to rebuild trust and credibility, ensuring valuable collaboration and impactful influence.
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Why aren’t we Talking about Shift Right in Quality Engineering?
Shift right in Quality Engineering focuses on post-deployment testing, emphasizing the importance of learning from real user data and feedback.
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Want to be a better Quality Engineer: Lose the Ego
To become a better Quality Engineer, prioritize humility, teamwork, and open communication over ego-driven competition.
AI & LLM
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AI readiness radar: Framework for engineering teams
In this post I describe a model for engineering teams to use in assessing their readiness for AI adoption safely.
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Creating a Playwright framework with AI
A Playwright E2E test framework using AI was developed, achieving near-complete workflow coverage with minimal team involvement and effective reviews.
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Quality Engineering with AI
Quality engineering must adapt to AI’s influence, focusing on pragmatic end-to-end testing and clear requirements to ensure robust software delivery.
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Using AI to help teams shift testing left
Teams are leveraging AI to enhance testing processes, improve quality, and boost engineering velocity through user story evaluations.
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What does AI say about software testing?
AI influences perceptions of software testing, often prioritizing scripted validation over the nuanced roles testers play in agile environments.
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Considering Generative AI in testing
Generative AI in testing presents risks like maintainability, code inconsistencies, and bias towards hiring prompt writers over skilled developers.
Exploratory Testing
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Testing Doesn’t Just Happen at the End
Testing doesn’t just happen at the end of a project. In this post I discuss testing ideas, designs, and code…
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How to Involve Developers in Exploratory Testing
Asking developers to start exploratory testing can be hard; many testers haven’t had the opportunity to practise this type of…
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100% Tested is not 100% Covered
The misconception that 100% test coverage ensures a fully tested system can lead to false confidence among stakeholders. Various forms…
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Testers – Don’t wait to be asked
The whole point of being a tester is the ability to not only find but share information to teams. In…
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Don’t wait to test – Go explore!
The biggest shift in mindset between traditional testing and modern Agile testing is the drive to investigate, rather than waiting…
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Setting your own Testing Scope to Work With Uncertainty
One of the things that’s been on my mind recently is how testing in an Agile team means setting your…
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Why adhoc testing is not exploratory testing
Following a conversation on Twitter about whether exploratory testing is structured there are testers who are confusing adhoc testing for…
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Ask Me Anything: Exploratory Testing
Back in April 2021 I contributed to the Ministry of Testing Ask me Anything on the topic of exploratory testing…
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Why checking an AC isn’t enough
I’ve recently had the realisation that even within agile environments testers and developers can take the view that we can…
Strategy & Testing Skills
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Not having an Approach causes Problems in Your Testing
We all know what a test approach is, it’s that document that we write to say what we’re going to…
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In testing context is important
In this post I discuss how good doesn’t always mean perfect and how context should be used as a tester…
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I Got it Wrong – Did the How not the What
But recently I fell fowl of the very thing I talk about; when writing a new test approach I got…
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Using AI to help teams shift testing left
Teams are leveraging AI to enhance testing processes, improve quality, and boost engineering velocity through user story evaluations.
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You don’t need so many E2E tests (or do you?)
We’ve all seen the testing pyramid, a diagram that shows us that proportionally we should reduce the amount our larger…
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Is it really an edge case?
It’s a tale as old as time, as testers we raise a risk or a bug only to be told…
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14 Ways testers can be technical without writing code
We can sometimes forget that technical skills in testing isn’t just about automation. In this post I’m going to highlight…
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A Beginners Guide to API Testing
I’ve had some chats to some awesome testers recently and the topic of wanting to “be more technical” has come…
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Presentation Usability (with Ramone the Testing Otter)
Are you presenting at a conference? Want some tips to make your slides more usable? then Ramone the Testing Otter…
Coaching & Career
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Want to be a better Quality Engineer: Lose the Ego
To become a better Quality Engineer, prioritize humility, teamwork, and open communication over ego-driven competition.
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Quality Coaching Scenario: This code won’t take tests
In this post I’ll take a hypothetical testing scenario and then set out the thinking I’d take around it to…
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Quality Coaching Scenario: No testing happening
In this post I’ll take a hypothetical testing scenario and then set out the thinking I’d take around it to…
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Being a good senior tester means having an opinion
More than just measuring and sitting apart from the actual “goodness” of your product, a senior tester should be opinionated.…
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How to identify the right senior tester for your new Team / Company
NOT ALL TESTERS ARE THE SAME. This can make looking for and hiring a senior in your organisation very tricky.…
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Hiring a first QA into a startup – Why you need a senior
I’ve been the first QA hire and an early hire for start ups and engineering organisations. Here’s what I’ve seen…
Opinion Pieces
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Quality job titles matter… because they say something to other people
Job titles in the testing and quality community serve as essential marketing tools, helping us to tell others what we…
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Testers have to be the ones to advocate for quality
There’s a prevailing commentary that quality professionals not only are the only ones thinking about quality but also need to…
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A lack of standard (testing) terms hurts us all
A lack of standardized terminology in the testing industry complicates communication among testers, hiring managers, and other engineers. This discrepancy…
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Slow burn – Changing things takes time
One of the things that we’re not always taught, so can be under prepared for, is how speed of change…
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Being a good senior tester means having an opinion
More than just measuring and sitting apart from the actual “goodness” of your product, a senior tester should be opinionated.…
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Testers – Don’t wait to be asked
The whole point of being a tester is the ability to not only find but share information to teams. In…
Diversity & LGBTQIA+
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Video – Being LGBTQ+ in Tech and STEM
In this talk with the BCS I describe my experiences of being an LGBTQIA+ engineer and how diversity and inclusion…
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I Get So Emotional – The time I got dismissed for being myself in engineering
In this blog post I share a story of how I’ve been dismissed in the past for being “too emotional”.…
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I am proud
Happy Pride month everyone! In this post I call out some LGBTQIA+ computer engineers that make me proud to be…
Dungeons & Dragons
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Testers as Dungeons and Dragons Classes
What if Dungeons and Dragons classes were testers; what roles and abilities would they have? In this post I put…
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Let’s charm our teams with Charisma testing
We’ve all heard the test vs. dev discussion; that developers think that testers only bring bad news, want to break…
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Dungeons and Dragons helped me become a better team member
Dungeons and Dragons enhances adaptability, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.
Other Blog Posts
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Testing Flashcards
Here’s my collection of flashcards that I’ve been adding on LinkedIn recently.
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5 Tips for Starting a New Role as a Tester
This week I’ve started working in a new role at Adarga as their new Lead Quality Engineer. This will be…
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Making your messages more engaging
The content advises enhancing communication by adding creativity and flair, making messages more engaging and memorable, particularly in presentations.
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Introducing Ramone our Testing Mascot!
All over my Twitter and blogs you’ll see mention of Ramone the Testing Otter™️. But who is that? What’s that…
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Let’s Learn Together – Reposting My Online Talks
In this post I’m linking to all the talks that I’ve made over the last few years that are available…