Summary

Join Stu Day and special guest Chris Pratt as they explore the evolution of quality assurance, systems thinking, and the importance of systemic change in software testing. Discover how lessons from manufacturing and historical insights can transform modern quality practices, and how what we consider "new" ideas now, are actually old ideas being recycled.

Key topics

1. Systems thinking and its role in quality
2. Historical influence of manufacturing on software testing
3. The shift from inspection to prevention in quality
4. The importance of storytelling and communication in quality
5. Changing organisational culture towards quality

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Bump, Bump, Bump

02:56 The Importance of Self-Reflection in Quality

06:46 Challenging Traditional Testing Methods

11:55 The Factory School of Testing

18:03 Realising the Need for Change

22:11 Perception vs. Reality in Quality Assurance

25:19 Shifting the Narrative in Quality Assurance

28:15 The Evolving Role of Quality Professionals

31:35 Navigating Technological Change in Quality Assurance

35:28 Communicating Quality in Business

39:35 Learning from Manufacturing: Quality in Software

43:54 Making the Invisible Visible in Quality Assurance

52:16 Navigating Communication in the Tech World

55:23 The Role of Quality in Testing

58:16 Understanding Context in Quality Practices

01:01:04 The Evolution of Testing and Quality

01:04:14 Systems Thinking in Quality Assurance

01:08:26 The Future of Quality Education

01:12:15 Final Thoughts on Continuous Learning and Quality

01:21:44 Close

Resource Links

Chris Pratt LinkedIn

Chris Pratt's Blog

Deming's System of Profound Knowledge

The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt -

Donella Meadows' Thinking in Systems

Rapid Software Testing by James Bach and Michael Bolton