This Week in Quality

Ministry of Testing
  • 0.0 (0)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Stay up to date with the world of software testing, quality assurance, and quality engineering. This Week in Quality is your weekly podcast from the Ministry of Testing community, hosted by Simon Tomes and joined by testing professionals from across the MoTaverse. 🎙️ Tune in for thoughtful conversations, testing news, and community insights covering everything from QA trends to quality engineering practices. Whether you're a software tester, QA specialist, quality engineer or quality advocate, this welcoming space will help you stay informed and connected to the wider community. Join the live session every Friday or catch up on past episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

  1. DEC 19

    What is TYiQ? Wrong answers only – Ep 117 (End-of-year special)

    In this special end-of-year recording, This Year in Quality, co-hosts Rosie Sherry and Simon Tomes do something a bit different. This end-of-year special is live. It’s community-powered. It’s a quiz. The rules are simple. Wrong answers only. Instead of a polished wrap-up or a neat reflection on the year, Rosie and Simon invite the community to join in and have a bit of fun. Together, they look back on the year through questions, numbers, stats, mascots, stars, badges, meetups, glossary terms, rebrands, and all the small moments that made 2025 what it was. There are name changes, silly answers, serious pride in what the community has built, and the occasional bug with the platform along the way. Because of course there is. The episode celebrates what This Year in Quality has become. A space for shared learning, curiosity, experimentation, and showing up as a community. It’s light-hearted, messy, and very on-brand. A reminder that quality is not just about certainty and correctness, but about people thinking together. A fitting way to wrap up the year and look ahead to what comes next. #ThisYearInQuality #SoftwareTesting #QualityEngineering #TestingCommunity #MinistryOfTesting #TestingPodcast #QualityCulture

    1h 1m

  2. DEC 12

    Zen and the art of quality maintenance - Ep 116

    In episode 116 of This Week in Quality, co-hosts Ben Dowen and Demi Van Malcot are joined by Ady Stokes and Judy Mosley for a story-driven conversation about trust, systems, and what happens when reality and “what the computer says” don’t line up. Billed as the penultimate episode of the year, the discussion opens with end-of-year reflections before quickly diving into everyday quality problems. The episode centres on real-world examples where systems get it wrong. Parcels delivered to the wrong house because the scanner says so, cars confidently reporting incorrect speed limits, and checklists that are followed perfectly while the actual problem sits right in front of you. Ady shares a classic server-room story about power cables and blind checklist following, while Demi reflects on teaching computers through explicit instructions and how easily assumptions creep in when context is missing. As the conversation develops, the group explore trust in data, AI, and automation. Judy raises questions about people relying on confident but incorrect answers, relationships with chatbots, and how easily we accept what tools tell us without validation. Ben repeatedly brings the discussion back to first principles, sense-making, and the risks of outsourcing thinking to systems that cannot see the wider situation. Across the episode, the theme is clear. Quality breaks down when we stop questioning, stop validating, and defer to tools simply because they sound certain. Quality shows up when people notice mismatches, challenge assumptions, and ask, “does this actually make sense?” even when the system insists it does. #ThisWeekInQuality #TrustAndQuality #DataQuality #FirstPrinciples #QualityThinking

    52 min

  3. DEC 5

    Quality Coaching: Fizzy minds and quality problems - Ep 115

    In episode 115 of This Week in Quality, co-hosts Nataliia Burmei and Simon Tomes are joined by Clare Norman and Gary Hawkes for a conversation full of “fizzy minds” and quality problems. The group start by reflecting on end-of-year pressures, learning goals for 2026 and the launch of the new Thanks button in the MoTverse before turning toward the main topic: quality coaching and how people understand it in their day-to-day work. The discussion centres on situational quality coaching and the idea that there is no cookie-cutter coaching template. Clare talks about working with teams based on their ability and motivation, and how bridge building across roles helps people care about quality when competing priorities make it hard. Gary shares stories from his organisation, where shrinking teams have made shared ownership essential. He describes whole-team exploratory sessions, giving product managers prompts to think about quality and helping developers “zoom out” instead of getting stuck in the weeds of Jira tickets. Across the episode, the group return to a simple message: you don’t need “quality coach” in your job title to coach. As soon as you step out of your bubble, ask better questions, help teams see the bigger picture or create space for quality conversations, you are already doing the work. It’s about encouraging learning, care and collaboration so teams can tackle their quality problems together. #QualityCoaching #QualityEngineering #TeamCollaboration #ContinuousImprovement #QualityAsCare

    53 min

  4. NOV 28

    The mobile testing paradox - Ep 114

    In episode 114 of This Week in Quality, co-hosts Ben Dowen and Simon Tomes are joined by Dan Caseley and Maithilee Chunduri for a focused and practical conversation about the realities of mobile testing. The group begin by reflecting on recent discussions in the community before shifting into the core theme of the episode: how mobile testing has become both simpler and more complex at the same time. Dan brings experience from years of mobile work and talks through the shift from physical device cupboards to cloud device farms, the limitations of both, and why testing on “all the things” is neither practical nor necessary. Maithilee adds insight from distributed teams, where reproducing issues across locations, devices and settings becomes a real challenge. Their stories highlight how mobile testing often stretches further than teams expect. The conversation explores why teams increasingly build and run apps locally, how analytics guide device choices, and why API-level checks remain essential. The group also dig into the constraints of mobile releases, the difficulty of rollbacks, and the need to balance depth, breadth and pragmatism when planning mobile test coverage. Across the episode, the discussion stays grounded in day-to-day practice. It encourages listeners to rethink their approach to mobile testing, make risk-based decisions, and accept that chasing every device permutation isn’t the path to quality. Instead, thoughtful choices and clear collaboration help teams move faster with confidence. #MobileTesting #QualityEngineering #RiskBasedTesting #ModernTesting #DistributedTeams

    52 min

  5. NOV 21

    Why shoot for gold when bronze is good enough! - Ep 113

    In episode 113 of This Week in Quality, co-hosts Simon Tomes and Ben Dowen are joined on stage by Callum Akehurst-Ryan for a thoughtful and humorous exploration of what “good enough” really means in software quality. The trio begin with a story about a restaurant refusing to serve a dish that didn’t meet its own standards, which sparks a wider discussion about transparency, honesty, and the courage to say no. That story leads into a deeper look at quality thinking traps. Simon, Ben, and Callum unpack why teams often chase perfection when bronze-level quality is all that’s needed, how ego can get in the way of good decisions, and why pragmatism is an essential quality enabler. They reflect on Cloudflare’s recent outage report as an example of human-centred communication done well, and connect it to the importance of clarity, ownership and care in engineering teams. Callum brings insight into the broader impact of quality beyond end users, highlighting how marketing, support and engineering teams all experience quality in different ways. The group talk about outcomes over output, how to avoid over-engineering, and why narratives are more powerful than reports when influencing culture. The conversation also touches on the risks of “gold-plated” delivery, the curse of knowledge, and how testers can move from tragedy takers to narrative givers. Throughout the episode, the discussion stays grounded in real situations from day-to-day work. It encourages listeners to reflect on their own expectations, question how they set quality bars, and consider where saying “this is good enough” is the most responsible choice. It’s a warm, honest session that invites the community to rethink what quality looks like in practice and to embrace care, clarity and healthy pragmatism in their work. #QualityCulture #QualityNarrative #GoodEnough #Pragmatism #Transparency #QualityEngineering #HumanFactors #QualityMindset

    54 min

  6. NOV 14

    Existential crisis: What is quality engineering? - Ep 112

    In episode 112 of This Week in Quality, co-hosts Judy Mosley and Ben Dowen welcome Scott Kenyon and Ady Stokes to the stage for an honest and energetic conversation about the meaning of quality engineering in today’s teams. The group explore how the term is used across companies, why definitions vary so widely, and what happens when people bring different expectations to the same role. The discussion begins with a light detour into biscuits and snacks, which quickly becomes a reflection on how familiar words can mean very different things in different contexts. This leads into the main theme of the episode. The panel talk about the blurred vision of quality engineering, the mix of strategy and execution in the work, and the confusion caused when companies use the title to describe very different jobs. Scott shares a moment that sparked his own existential crisis about test leadership and identity. Ady adds perspective on the difference between testing the product and influencing the systems that build it. Judy and Ben help surface the real tension many testers and quality engineers face when role titles shift or expectations grow without support. Throughout the episode the conversation stays grounded in lived experience. The panel explore the rise of tool focused job descriptions, the pressure to fit automation heavy roles, and the growing need for curiosity, resilience, collaboration, and clear communication. They also highlight ongoing work on the new Software Quality Engineering Certificate and invite the community to share audio stories about their day to day work. It is a warm, thoughtful session that encourages listeners to look beyond titles and focus on purpose, clarity, and the real impact of their work.

    53 min

  7. NOV 7

    Quality feedback over testing artefacts - Ep 111

    In episode 111 of This Week in Quality, co-hosts Ben Dowen and Simon Tomes welcome Christine Pinto and Jesper Ottosen to the stage for a lively conversation about the role of quality feedback in modern software teams. The group explore how testers and quality advocates can influence product direction early, not just through testing artefacts, but through meaningful conversations, shared understanding, and timely insights. The panel discuss why testing artefacts such as test cases and plans can become outdated, heavy to maintain, and sometimes disconnected from the real value testers bring. Instead of collecting documents for the sake of documentation, they focus on the usefulness of feedback loops, learning through collaboration, and asking the right questions at the right time. Christine and Jesper share stories from their own experience where feedback changed decisions, shaped better outcomes, and reduced waste. Throughout the episode, Ben and Simon spark discussion with a quick quiz on leadership ideas from recent Leading with Quality conversations. The guests reflect on shifting perceptions of testing, influencing teams without authority, and supporting quality as a shared responsibility. It is an energetic, thoughtful session that encourages listeners to prioritise learning, alignment, and improvement over artefacts that no longer serve a purpose.

    51 min

  8. OCT 31

    TWIQ or treat: Ghostly bug stories - Ep 110

    In episode 110 of This Week in Quality, co-hosts Simon Tomes and Demi Van Malcot host a spooky Halloween special filled with ghostly bug stories from across the MoTaverse. The episode opens with a chilling introduction from the “digital graveyard” before diving into community tales of fright and fun. From “Wrong branch deployed to production on a Friday” to “It worked on my machine,” testers share their creepiest and most relatable quality nightmares. On stage, Judy Mosley tells of a haunting MUI upgrade that removed all her test IDs and broke dozens of checks. Gary Hawkes recalls a true testing horror from a police system project gone wrong, filled with catastrophic bugs and painful lessons. Ady Stokes brings comic relief with The Rise of the Zombie Emails, a flood of thousands of messages he could not stop. Heleen Van Grootven reminds everyone why you never test in production, after one mistake triggered 100,000 phone calls at once. Between scares, laughter, and community wisdom, Simon and Demi celebrate how testers turn mistakes into learning moments. Episode 110 shows that even in testing’s darkest corners, curiosity, collaboration, and a sense of humour keep the MoT community alive and well.

    50 min
See All (59)

About

Stay up to date with the world of software testing, quality assurance, and quality engineering. This Week in Quality is your weekly podcast from the Ministry of Testing community, hosted by Simon Tomes and joined by testing professionals from across the MoTaverse. 🎙️ Tune in for thoughtful conversations, testing news, and community insights covering everything from QA trends to quality engineering practices. Whether you're a software tester, QA specialist, quality engineer or quality advocate, this welcoming space will help you stay informed and connected to the wider community. Join the live session every Friday or catch up on past episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

Information

  • Creator
    Ministry of Testing
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    This Week in Quality