“Two hours to test a two‑day dev task” sounds like a moan … until you have data. Measure wait time before testing and bugs after code freeze. Then try a 2‑week rule: no story enters dev without test scenarios. What is stopping you from trying that?

I've been thinking about how AI fits into my actual work, not the hype, and NotebookLM after ignoring it for ages.  Curiosity sometimes turns into very convenient procrastination, and I learned something to boot. 

Blame cultures in software rarely come from bad people. They come from invisible systems. When quality issues hit production and all eyes turn to QA, it is usually a sign that the team has no shared view of how work flows or where risk accumulates. What new metric would you pick to expose this?

Had a team with flaky booking workflow tests. Classic noise. No one cared. So I stopped talking about test failures and talked about rollback risk during peak traffic. That got attention fast. Now we were solving the same problem. Developers tune into outcomes, not artefacts.

Some teams normalise chaos. I saw one where every sprint had vague stories, rework, Thursday panic. Nobody questioned it. Turns out the problem was upstream. Different assumptions. Missing detail. Rework baked in from the start. Quality signals hide in the friction everyone ignores.

Refinement moment last week. Dev says, “Something feels off.” Old me would chase AC. New me asks, “What breaks downstream?” It’s the small questions that change how people see your role.

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.

Video gamers have known for ages that spiders live in colonies in caves. Finally science has caught up! euroweeklynews.com/2025/11/08/w...

Most teams have dashboards full of quality metrics that no one outside QA actually cares about. That’s not because the metrics are wrong. It’s because they don’t speak the language of outcomes. I used NotebookLM to create a video from my framework, check it out here

Had a chat with some fellow testers about why so much advice online feels dated. The internet never forgets, and AI keeps recycling what it learned from the past.

I built Stakeholder Ready for that moment when you see something that matters and hesitate to speak. It is a short, practical course that helps testers find their voice and speak with confidence when it counts. Get notified when it launches (soon): courses.kato-coaching.com/stakeholder-ready

The hardest part of being a tester is not finding the problem. It is having the confidence to speak up in a way that gets heard. Confidence is not about being louder. It is about being clearer. That is what Stakeholder Ready is about: courses.kato-coaching.com/stakeholder-ready

Have you noticed how easily testers get boxed into “support” roles, even when they are driving real decisions? It often comes down to language. If you link your insight to a business outcome, people start listening differently. Sign up here courses.kato-coaching.com/stakeholder-ready

Have you ever shared a concern about quality, only to watch the conversation move on as if you never spoke? The problem is rarely skill. It is translation. Turning what you see into something others care about is the real challenge. I have been working on something to help with that. More soon.

After two days at home I'm now in Copenhagen for the #ISTQB GA, and to meet my workgroup for the Quality in DevOps syllabus, which is now officially on the ISTQB homepage and is currently in it's beta review phase.  Exciting times!

It's almost time for my presentation "Your metrics are lying", and I am excited to present this new thing here today: a lightweight framework that can shape how you use metrics to actually learn stuff.  #hustef #hustef2025

A lovely day in Budapest, and I have a few free hours to enjoy the beautiful weather. Tomorrow it’s #hustef time!

Everyone’s talking about how AI will change testing. But I think we’re asking the wrong question. I’ve just written about why the future belongs to testers who learn faster than they code.

I just taught my new workshop, We’re not Spotify: Imperfect Metrics. The big takeaway? AI can generate more data than ever, but it can’t tell you what matters. That’s where testers add real value. Not in counting bugs, but in translating data into decisions.

I’ve just come back from two testing conferences, and nearly every talk circled the same question: How do humans add value in an AI-driven workflow? AI gives you data. Humans give it direction. The future of testing isn’t automation, it’s discernment.

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