So much good stuff yesterday! And it turns out I'm not at #testBash2025 at all, I'm at #MoTaCon2025.  Congrats to everyone for being present at the birth of something great!  #motaverse @ministryoftesting.com

Tell me where I am without telling me where I am. #testbash2025

I'm looking forward to running my new workshop "We are not Spotify: How to do metrics in smaller teams" at #TestBash2025 on Thursday morning. If you've wondered what metrics you can collect to assist your team improve quality, do come along.

Today I'm playing with temporal to build an AI agent, and it's ... interesting. As usual, setting up the project takes about 10 times longer than it should (how does that never change??), partially my own fault because of an incomplete docker uninstall. Sigh. #temporal #aiAgent #hobbyCoder

Testers often ask me: “Why don’t people listen when I raise important points?” It’s usually not about your skills. It’s about how your message lands. Stakeholders hear risk, cost, and user impact, not technical detail. 📺 Video:

Not “too much detail.” Wrong frame. Say it differently, not less. Cheat sheet → how to keep substance but shift delivery.

When stakeholders brush past your point, it’s not always dismissal. They’re filtering for relevance. Show them the connection between your risk and what matters to them to cut through the noise. Here’s a cheat sheet to help you:

In most teams, quality work is quietly carried by someone. Because they care enough to ask better questions and spot risk before it shows up on a report. If that’s you, I hope you’re getting the support you need. If not, this might help:

If it keeps happening, it’s not just annoying. It’s your next problem statement. Reopened bugs, last-minute clarifications, weird handoffs Those aren’t one-offs. They’re patterns. And patterns are where your influence starts. https://resources.kato-coaching.com/influencer-cheat-sheet

You don’t need to be loud to lead. One well-timed question can shift a whole sprint. That’s how you move from helper to strategic partner. This cheat sheet helps:

People still say QA is the gatekeeper. But gatekeepers stop things. If you’re asking smart questions early surfacing risk before it becomes rework and helping your team steer you’re not gatekeeping you’re guiding

QA is the only profession I know where people regularly say “critical thinking is our most important skill” Like that’s the crown jewel of our identity. Curious where you stand on this. Do you think we overplay “critical thinking” as a skill in QA? Or am I just in a Friday mood?

Not all quality signals show up in test reports Sometimes the real clue is a throwaway comment in planning or someone venting in retro. That’s not noise. That’s context. And context is gold I’d love to hear what you’ve picked up from the edges lately.

Keep seeing the same bug? Rework every sprint? Stories never quite ready? That’s not failure. That’s feedback. What’s one bit of team friction you’ve just learned to live with? I’m curious what patterns other folks are seeing.

Helpful doesn’t always mean heard. In this video, I talk about what shifted for me and how I stepped out of helper mode. https://youtube.com/shorts/nXrAKeaS7k0?feature=share #QED #softwaretesting #qualitycoach

You don’t need a dashboard to find quality issues. Just listen, and reframe what you hear. Try rewriting a team complaint as a real problem. See what shifts. https://resources.kato-coaching.com/influencer-cheat-sheet #QED #qualitycoach #softwaretesting

I’m off to Malmö later this month for a keynote. Travel planning felt just like testing: define the problem, weigh the signals, act on evidence. Yes, even choosing flights. I wrote about it here:

Shared responsibility for quality starts with shared language.  This helps:  

You know where the risk is. This helps your team see it too:  

Your test report didn’t fall flat because you were wrong.  It fell flat because of how it was framed.  Fix that:  

Want to be heard, not just seen?  The way you talk about quality matters.  Here’s a free cheat sheet that helps:  https://resources.kato-coaching.com/influencer-cheat-sheet  #QA #qualityleadership

One good question can change a sprint. Try this: “What’s the riskiest assumption we’re making?” You might find the real issue before it ever becomes a bug. #QED #qualityengineering

Stuck waiting to get it right? Try something small and see what changes. You’ll learn faster by doing, not perfecting.  #qed #qualityengineering

First experiments often fail. That’s not a problem, it’s the point. Small tests shrink risk. Even a “bad” outcome gives you better direction than guessing ever could. #QualityEngineering #QED

Confidence isn't the starting point. It's the outcome. You don’t need to feel confident before you act. Learn just enough to take the next step with more confidence than before. No dashboard required. Just a question, a signal, and the courage to try something small.

Testers, stuck with a quality problem you can’t shift? I’m offering a few free Case Study Coaching Sessions: you bring the problem, I’ll help you work through it, and (with your ok) share the story so others can learn too. Add yours here:

Your testing must be relevant.  The Seed Launch model, taught in Jeff Walker’s free Masterclass (Lesson 2, out today), shows how to start small and smart if you're a tester or engineer building something of your own. 

Jeff Walker is going live today at 4 pm ET. He’s sharp, humble, and genuinely believes we’re all capable of more than we think. Bring your questions, your half-baked ideas, and a bit of curiosity. 📺 Link’s here:

One shift changed how I share my work: Jeff Walker’s Sideways Sales Letter. Teach first, frame problems in their language, link to business goals. That’s how you get heard. Lesson 1’s released, all free. Watch now, Lesson 2’s tomorrow. https://tinyurl.com/PLFquality

Why did I sign up for the PLF Masterclass? Because yelling “BUT QUALITY MATTERS” into the void wasn’t getting the traction I hoped for. PLF (Product Launch Formula) gave me the tools to build my own business. https://productlaunchformula.com/go?p=a5562&w=launch_masterclass25

The free Masterclass that helped me stop overthinking. If you’ve been sitting on an idea, waiting for the right time, this will give you a better way to start. https://productlaunchformula.com/go?p=a5562&w=launch_masterclass25 (affiliate link - I only share what I’ve used myself)

The invisible tester: You stopped a mess before it happened.  No one noticed.  Q.E.D. helps you surface that invisible work and show your value.

Stop waiting to be asked. No one will invite you to lead on quality. You step in by showing up with insights, not opinions. Q.E.D. helps you do that, week by week.

Metrics are not neutral. Measure the wrong thing, and you incentivise the wrong actions. Q.E.D. shows testers how to co-design metrics that actually help.

You can't lead change from a place that fears it. A brief reflection on my journey to get started. youtube.com/shorts/vY3x3... #changeIsConstant #firstSteps #plf

Not every problem is yours to fix Tried to raise the risk, quantify the impact, share with the right people, and it’s still ignored? Then it’s not yours to carry.

Don’t just run tests. Run experiments. Tests check what you know. Experiments explore what you don’t.  Q.E.D. gives you fast, focused ways to improve quality with data.

Strategy isn't a job title You don’t need a promotion to lead on quality. Q.E.D. is for testers who want to drive better decisions without waiting for permission.

Fix the question, not the estimate Estimates are messy because we ask the wrong things. Q.E.D. teaches better questions, ones that uncover risk, not false certainty. #qed #qualityLeadership #testing

Inspired by a chat with @rosiesherry.com  from @ministryoftesting.com . If quality really matters, why isn’t it represented at the top table? Bit of a rant, bit of a reflection, and hopefully the start of a bigger conversation.

Your metrics might be making things worse. Some metrics look good but mislead. Want ones that drive change, not dashboards? Q.E.D. helps you define what actually matters.

You’re not imagining the resistance. It’s not that your bug isn’t real. It’s that your framing doesn’t land. In Q.E.D., we teach testers how to get taken seriously.

The most valuable QA skill isn't technical - it's knowing how to ask the right questions at the right time. Quality is about perspective, not just process.

The most valuable QA skill isn't technical - it's knowing how to ask the right questions at the right time. Quality is about perspective, not just process.

15 years in QA taught me this: The best testing prevents bugs, not just finds them. Quality isn't a phase - it's a mindset that shapes every step of development.

There’s a moment when you realise that waiting for the “right time” is just another way to stay stuck. If you’re tired of raising the same quality concerns with no impact, Q.E.D. Mastery is for you. Doors close tonight. 👉 courses.kato-coachin...

Thinking about joining Q.E.D. Mastery but not sure? 🛑 Company doesn’t listen? ⏳ No time? 🤷‍♀️ Not sure it’ll work where you are? That’s exactly why I built this course. It’s for real testers in real teams. Join now — doors close Friday: courses.kato-coachin...

If you're a tester doing everything right but still struggling to be heard, you're not alone. Q.E.D. Mastery is a 6-week live training to help you lead with evidence, connect with decision-makers, and make quality a shared responsibility. Register here: courses.kato-coachin...

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 blogged, read it here. kato-coaching.com/yo...

“It gets nasty when bugs are rejected.” If that’s you, too, you’re not alone. Learn how to turn testing tension into trust. Q.E.D. Mastery is open — but not for long. 👉 bit.ly/3ZwBNpN