Episode 25: How to Build a Successful QA Team with Natalie Cole

08/07/24 • 46 min

Welcome to episode 25 of Inside The Outer Loop. In this episode, Rich Jordan and Ben Riley are joined by special guest Natalie Cole, a QE Team Manager and Quality Advocate. Together, they discuss the people, processes, and technology involved in building a successful QA team!
Natalie Cole, starts the discussion by sharing her experience managing a team of 10 QAs and software engineers. She highlights the importance of people, process, and technology in building a successful team.
Natalie emphasizes the need for the right people with the right skills and work ethics, implementing best practices and processes, and utilizing the right technologies. She also discusses the challenges of shifting towards a test pyramid approach and the importance of involving QA in all phases of the software development life cycle.
Natalie advocates for QA and emphasizes the financial and brand benefits of quality testing. The most important aspect for Natalie is catching the majority of defects in QA before critical defects reach production. She emphasizes the importance of conducting root cause analysis and post-mortems to understand and prevent defects. Rich Jordan adds that psychological safety is crucial in using metrics effectively and avoiding blame.
The conversation also covers Natalie’s approach to hiring, focusing on work ethic and asking detailed questions about past projects. Natalie also mentions the importance of self-education and staying up-to-date with industry trends.
The team also touches on the benefits of practising Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) and the importance of communication and collaboration in eliminating defects early. Natalie advises QE managers to believe in themselves, understand their leadership style, and continuously improve their processes.
Listen to the full episode to learn more!

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Episode 24: How to Manage IT Technical Debt with Marcel Mersie

Welcome to episode 24 of Inside The Outer Loop. In this episode, Rich Jordan and Huw Price are joined by Marcel Mersie, Technical Lead - Test, and Executive Advisor to the Dutch Tax Administration. Together, they discuss how effective communication and collaboration are crucial for managing knowledge transfer.

Organisations face significant challenges when employees retire, as this often leads to knowledge leakage. To mitigate this, modelling and documentation can effectively capture and transfer critical knowledge before it’s lost. Effective communication and collaboration between teams are also crucial for seamless knowledge sharing and addressing these challenges systematically is essential.

In government organisations, implementing AI and modernising technology can be particularly difficult due to the fear of making large decisions and the complexity of legacy systems. Additionally, a lack of resources and skilled personnel often poses significant obstacles. Resistance to change and comfort with existing processes further hinder progress. Therefore, improving communication and collaboration between teams is vital for the successful implementation of new technologies.

Also, refactoring and addressing technical debt are important strategies to maintain efficiency and prevent future problems. Intelligent use of technology can enhance testing processes and overall organisational efficiency. At which point it's the visionary leaders who can drive essential changes for successful transformation.

By adopting a systematic approach and fostering an environment of open communication and collaboration, organisations can better manage knowledge transfer and technological advancement. This ensures that critical knowledge is retained, efficiency is maintained, and future challenges are proactively addressed.

Listen to the full episode to learn more!

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Episode 26: Addressing Outer Loop Productivity Blockers with Nishil Patel

Welcome to episode 26 of Inside The Outer Loop. In this episode, Rich Jordan and James Walker are joined by special guest Nishil Patel, CEO & Founder of BetterBugs. Together, they discuss the evolution of quality engineering and the importance of taking a holistic approach to approach outer loop quality.
Nishil Patel starts the conversation by explaining how Betterbug helps improve QA productivity by streamlining bug reporting and providing developers with all the necessary information to debug issues. Bug reporting and feedback collection enhances QA productivity and improves collaboration between testers and developers. It allows testers to record bugs and provide detailed information for debugging, making the bug triaging process more efficient.
The conversation between James and Nishil highlights the importance of proactive quality assurance and the role of tools like Betterbug in supporting the quality engineering process. The team then explores the challenges of achieving developer productivity and the need for organizations to focus on the outer loop of software delivery.
The team concludes by stating the key to improving quality is not just tooling, but also process optimization and a focus on people. Organizations should identify the gaps in their SDLC and address them through process improvement and collaboration. The goal is to augment people's abilities and productivity, rather than replacing them with technology.
Listen to the full episode to learn more!