Software Testing Unleashed - QA, DevEx & Quality Engineering

What does it actually take to move from finding defects to preventing them? With Zsolt Hargitai I talk about TMMI, a framework for improving test processes, and why that shift in mindset marks the difference between a team that tests and a team that has genuinely matured. We get into what the maturity levels mean in practice, how a free self-assessment tool on the TMMI website gives you a first im...

What does it actually mean to unlearn something, and why does that question matter as much as learning new skills right now? With Graziela Tonin I talk about how universities, companies, and individuals are struggling to find their footing in a world where AI can write code, run tests, and sometimes outperform human decision-making. We get into the research showing that students who offload thinki...

What happens to the teams and organizations left behind after an agile transformation that didn't deliver what it promised? With Michael Mahlberg I talk about why the word "agile" has lost its meaning, how big consultancies pushed companies deeper into rigid structures under an agile label, and what it actually takes to help an organization find its footing again. We get into the question of what...

What does a tester actually need right now, when AI tools are everywhere and QA teams keep getting cut? With Tara Walton I talk about why communication and the fundamentals of testing matter more than ever, and why being the best bug-finder in the room means nothing if you can't explain what you found and why it counts. We get into how AI's "toxic positivity" makes critical thinking a skill you ha...

How do you bring AI into a medical lab when the regulatory landscape is still taking shape? With Alexis Savkin I talk about exactly that tension, and the answer turns out to be less about technology than about focus and strategy. We get into why starting with a very specific, measurable problem makes the regulatory side manageable, and how a single-page risk diagram convinced compliance stakeholde...

What happens when 40 years of custom decisions stack so high that even the standard testing tools from your own vendor stop working? With Bartosz Filipek and Szymon Wałachowski I talk about exactly that situation: a mainframe environment so deep in its own customization that the only way forward was to build one final bridge to the outside world. We dig into how they created a Java-based unit test...

This time I talk with Dušanka Lečić about why testing chatbots breaks everything we know about traditional QA. She explains how chatbot bugs are invisible – they hide in prompts, retrieval logic, and chunks, not in code – and why the same input can produce dozens of valid outputs. Dušanka shares her framework for testing context retention, hallucination control, and accuracy, and reveals why stres...

This time I talk to Mitko Mitev, about how AI is reshaping our work as testers, without replacing us. Mitko shows exactly where AI tools save real time across test planning, test case generation, and exploratory testing, and why human expertise remains non-negotiable for context, business logic, and validation. We go into the shift from writing scripts to instructing agents in plain language, how...

In this episode, I talk with Filip Barszcz about what most companies get wrong when they claim to have a quality culture. Filip reveals why stakeholders, developers, and product owners all speak different languages when they say "quality" and how he translates between them to build actual buy-in for testing strategy. He walks through his playbook for introducing change without burning out the team...

In this episode, I talk with Marta Firlej about a topic most testers avoid: money. Marta explains why understanding how your company actually makes money is crucial for QA professionals, and walks through the real costs behind salaries, automation projects, and test activities that stakeholders care about. She shares a practical calculation method to assess whether test automation is worth the inv...

In this episode, I talk with Henri Terho, senior consultant and AI enthusiast, about why building trust in AI systems requires the same rigor we've always applied to software—just now at a whole new level. Henri explains how AI agents multiply both our successes and our mistakes, why prompting is harder than it looks, and why testers are uniquely positioned to thrive in this shift. We dig into the...

In this episode, I talk with Simon Stewart, professional software developer and former lead of the Selenium project for over 10 years, about one of the most frustrating problems in software testing: flaky tests. Simon reveals why a flaky test isn't always a bad test – sometimes it's actually exposing real production risks that your team needs to address. We dive into practical strategies for handl...

In this episode, I talk with Bartosz Czernic-Goławski, a penetration testing and cybersecurity expert, about how mobile security has evolved from Nokia's indestructible brick phones to today's pocket-sized computers. We trace the journey from analog networks that anyone could eavesdrop on to modern smartphones that demand excessive permissions and collect sensor data every second. Bartosz reveals...

In this episode, I talk with Line Ebdrup Thomsen, quality engineering manager, about why software testing attracts more women than other tech roles – and why that's still not enough. Line shares how she coaches testers to be assertive but kind, especially when they're the only woman or the only tester in a team of developers. We discuss what prevents women from speaking up, how curiosity and commu...

In this episode, I talk with Maciej Kusz, program chair of the Testwarez conference in Poland, about why Playwright doesn't have to mean TypeScript. Maciej has been using Playwright with Python for years and shows that Python testers can leverage the framework just as effectively—if they know which PyTest plugins to use and where the documentation actually lives. We dig into the practical trade-of...

In this episode, I talk with Natalia Romanska about why our biggest professional disasters often teach us more than our polished success stories. She shares how a 70,000 złoty accounting mistake early in her career forced her to develop the self-awareness that now guides her QA work—and why that painful learning stuck harder than any training ever could. We dig into the uncomfortable truth that te...

In this episode, I talk with Žaklina Polak Matanović, an experienced QA manager who discovered that raising three daughters taught her more about software testing than most training courses ever could. She shares concrete stories about how skills like clear ownership assignment, prioritization under pressure, and proactive thinking emerged naturally from parenting chaos – from navigating playgroun...

In this episode, I talk with Callum Akehurst-Ryan, a quality coach with nearly 20 years of experience, about why exploratory testing is far more than random button-pushing—and how teams waste it by using it in all the wrong places. Callum walks us through practical exploratory testing techniques that help uncover risks in non-functional requirements like performance and security, especially when n...

In this episode, I talk with Vitaly Sharovatov about the economics of testing. We ask how testers can sell quality to managers who think in money, risk, and time. Vitaly frames testing like insurance. You pay now to lower the chance or impact of pain later. He shows where to find numbers that speak. Churn, support hours, rework in Jira, failed handoffs, and regulatory risk. Start small. Pair with...

In this episode, I talk with Maryia Tuleika about stepping on stage in tech and testing. We explore why people speak: joy of sharing, stage energy, and community. The hard part is fear and stress. If you fear the stage, you will hear simple moves that help. Maryia shows how to switch stress to excitement: prep well, record dry runs, collect feedback, use box breathing, slow down, and stand tall.

In this episode, I talk with Kostiantyn Teltov about design patterns in test automation. Kosta shows why test code needs the same care as product code. Page Object to cut duplication. Builder to shape data like choosing a burger. Facade as a reception that guides you to the right service. We touch creational patterns and even pools for drivers. DRY, KISS, and YAGNI keep us honest and stop overdesi...

In this episode, I talk with Linda Van De Vooren about impostor syndrome, mental health, and growth in testing. Linda shares stories, from eating disorders to the inner critic she named Hannibal Lecter. We look at how doubt hits our work, like writing a test plan that feels too easy. Her tactics: Share openly. Check basic needs. Treat your comfort zone like a rainbow and pick a color you can handl...

In this episode, I talk with Steve Watson about critical thinking in the age of AI in testing. Steve says treat AI like a smart teammate. Useful, but you still check its work. We talk bias, missing context, and why lazy shortcuts tempt us. He shares where AI helped, like clustering survey responses, and where it missed ambiguities in requirements. We look at our craft: Ask better questions. Focus...

In this episode, I talk with Jani Grönman about KPIs for quality. We ask what to measure, and why. Jani shares pairs that keep teams honest. Test pass rate with escaped defects or flaky tests. Mean time to recovery with reopen rate. Lead time to production with customer impact. One team, one number. Keep it to three or four KPIs, own them, and act. We talk about agency at work and product sense. Y...

In this episode, I talk with Laveena Ramchandani about thought leadership in testing and the changing role of testers. Laveena sees testers as engineers who lead by example, ask smart questions, and break silos. She coaches teams to share knowledge, speak up, and aim for team goals, not vanity KPIs. We touch hard calls too, like stepping in or reshaping a team when delivery slips. On AI, we agree...