Welcome to episode 133 of the Testing Peers podcast.

In this episode, the Peers (Chris, Callum, David and Russell) explore the complex and often subtle art of influencing quality within teams, organisations and wider cultures.

The team share stories from early careers to more recent consulting and coaching experiences. The conversation examines how influence operates in practice and what it truly means to be a voice for quality. This is a discussion about mindset shifts, not mandates. About patience, not prescriptions.

Topics covered include:

• What influence looks like in quality-focused roles
• The difference between being responsible for quality and being a voice of quality
• Building credibility and rapport in complex environments
• How time, language and context influence
• Coaching versus prescribing solutions
• Making invisible work visible to gain traction
• Overcoming cynicism and staying curious
• How influence can ripple beyond the testing team

Whether you are coaching, testing or leading, this episode is packed with practical insights and thoughtful discussion on how to support quality in meaningful, lasting ways.

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nFocus are a UK based software testing company. They’ve been supporting businesses for 24 years by providing services that include burst resource, accelerated test automation, performance testing and fully managed testing services. In 2021, they launched a Test Automation Academy to create amazing testers and they’ve now created jobs for 48 people in our industry in just under three years!

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