In an episode delayed by a horrible cold which Neil is audibly still not over, we bring two-thirds of the Tech Team Weekly podcast together as Gwen Diagram arrives for a long overdue (and colourful) testing discussion.

We talk about Gwen’s career and tech passions which have burned from a young age, her path from Australia into the UK, and the chance events which led her into IT, into testing, and subsequently into test management and engineering management. We talk about the challenges of big career jumps, speaking at conferences/online, speaking truth to executives, and representing the rights of the humans in our teams, in a session which was 100% not designed to be cathartic for Neil. Honest.

Among Gwen’s raucous musical selections, there’s punk, garage rock, songs which cause us to bemoan the passage of time, and the shortest song that’s ever appeared on the podcast (played in its entirety). Plus, Gwen’s Leeds musical roots give Neil the perfect opportunity to finally wax lyrical about his favourite band that nobody’s heard of.

Podcast Links:

Leeds Testing Atelier

Tech Team Weekly podcast

The Jesus and Mary Chain

YouTube: The Music - Jag Tune (Live at Big Day Out, 2003)

YouTube: (EXTREME STROBE WARNING) The Music’s farewell gig in Leeds, 2011

The Simpsons: Wang Computers

StepChange

Sky - Technology Careers

TestBash Manchester 2016: Gwen Diagram - Is Test Causing Your Live Problems?

Twitter: Stephen Mounsey

Wharf Chambers, Leeds

Leeds Testing Atelier 2017: Jurassic Park panel discussion

YouTube video for Gwen’s second song selection (as it’s not on Spotify)

Neil’s talk “How Testers Can Shape the Next Normal”

TestBashX Edinburgh (28 April 2022)

Richard Bradshaw - The Future of TestBash

LinkedIn: Ministry of Testing Returns to Profit (and What it Means)

Monzo

Guide Dogs UK

LinkedIn flashback photo to 2012 on the London Underground

Meri Williams on the Humans+Tech Podcast

LeadDev Conferences

Glean Careers

LeadDev Berlin 2019: Kevin Goldsmith - How does salary work?

YouTube: Trailer for Filmage - The Story of Descendents

The Phoenix Project

Gwen’s website: Diagram Industries

Gwen on Twitter: @gwendiagram

Regular Links:

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