How Testers Build Trust Across Software Teams - Kat Obring

Stop saying everything is broken: Speak in outcomes and get taken seriously

"So I think the first step is always trying to understand who you are talking to, trying to understand what matters to them, what do they really care about. Bad quality is something that hurts the business, but how does it hurt this particular person? What is the impact on this person or on the team that this person works with?" - Kat Obring

In this episode, I talk with Kat Obring about the tester as an influencer. We explore how to stop saying everything is broken and start speaking the language of stakeholders. Bring evidence, not opinions. Say "the Safari sign up button fails and 20 percent of users are blocked". We share a 15 second check before stand up, and pairing early so testing is part of development, not a mini waterfall at the end. Pick small battles and run one or two week experiments. If it works, keep it. If not, drop it. Influence without authority grows from trust and habits.

With over 20 years in the software industry, Kat Obring now focuses on what matters most: teaching teams and individuals how to measurably improve the quality of their work. Her practical frameworks combine insights from her diverse experience as a DevOps QA engineer, Head of Delivery, and, surprisingly, her early career as a chef. She's learned that evidence always beats guesswork, and a well-designed experiment will reveal more truth than months of planning ever could.

Highlights:

• Speak stakeholder language and link bugs to user impact
• Bring evidence, not opinions, to drive decisions
• Pair early to make testing part of development, not a late phase
• Run small experiments for one or two weeks and keep what works
• Influence without authority grows from trust and consistent habits

More Links with Insights:

• Free Ebook about the QED Framework