00:00 Introduction

02:00 Happy to be Employed

05:00 Vernon Wrote a Book

08:00 Talking at a Developer Conferences

16:20 PeersCon

20:24 Our Podcast

21:50 Agile Testing Days Experience

22:20 Our Podcast again

28:30 Bluesky

32:30 Vernon’s New Newsletter

41:00 Generalist Specialist and AI

51:00 Discipline and Consistency

54:00 Vernon’s Personal Reflection

55:40 Richard’s Personal Reflection

Links to stuff that we mentioned:

05:00 - Mark’s and Nicola’s Book - The Software Tester’s Journey

05:01 - Nicola Lindgren Bluesky Profile

08:00 - Richard’s talk at Oredev

08:00 - Øredev conference - https://oredev.org/

11:30 - Abby Bangser - Bluesky Profile

15:30 - Gitte Klitgaard - Bluesky Profile

16:20 - PeersCon - https://testingpeerscon.com/

18:24 - Beth Probert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethprobert/

18:48 - Testing Peers Podcast

21:20 - Our Agile Testing Days Podcast episode

21:46 - Agile Testing Days conference

29:00  - Tobias Geyer Bluesky

32:30 - Jit Gosai Bluesky

32:30 - JIt Gosai Quality Engineering Newsletter

This conversation captures the vibrant atmosphere of Agile Testing Days in Potsdam, highlighting the importance of community, targeted automated testing, and the exploration of tester identity. The hosts discuss their experiences at the conference, including workshops, networking opportunities, and a unique musical performance that showcased the talents of attendees. They delve into the significance of understanding tester identity and the symbols associated with it, emphasizing the need for connection and belonging within the testing community. This conversation at Agile Testing Days explores various themes including the experience of performing in a musical, insights from keynote speakers on technical coaching, the importance of documenting achievements for career advancement, and the evolving identity of professionals in agile environments. The discussion emphasizes the value of networking at conferences and the need for continuous learning and adaptation in one's career. [AI]

Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:

• 01:00 - Agile Testing Days 2024 (ATD)
  • ATD's website
• 02:00 - 🤠 Señor Performo aka Leandro Melendez (who Vernon definitely did NOT call Leonardo 😅😇🤥🥷🐢🤦🏾‍♂️)
  • Señor Performo's website
  • Señor Performo's English YouTube channel 🇬🇧
  • Señor Performo's Español YouTube channel 🇪🇸
  • Señor Performo's English podcast channel 🇬🇧
  • Señor Performo's Español podcast channel 🇪🇸
  • Señor Performo's book
  • Señor Performo's LinkedIn
  • Señor Performo's X
• 03:00 - Richard's tutorial Targeted Automated Tests
• 04:35 - Mark Winteringham
  • Mark's website
  • Mark's books (probably why he's so slick with words!)
• 10:07 - Lisa Crispin & João Proença
  • Lisa's website and LinkedIn pages
  • Lisa's Bluesky
  • João's LinkedIn page
  • João's Bluesky
• 10:17 - José "Pepe" Díaz & Uwe Gelfert
  • José's website
  • José's Bluesky
  • José's LinkedIn
  • Uwe's LinkedIn
• 11:25 - Alex(andra) Schladebeck
  • Alex's website
  • Alex's LinkedIn
• 13:05 - The cast
  • Samuel "Robot Overlord" Nitsche
  • Lena "Test Management Saviour" Pejgan Nyström
  • Rachel "Pitch Perfect" Kibler
  • Veerle "Light Sabre Extraordinaire" Verhagen
  • Tamara "Putting the "Rock Star" in Rock Star Developer" Josten
  • Callum "The stage is my happy place" Akehurst-Ryan
  • Bastian "Best Bad Boss Ever" Knerr
  • Tobias "Chill Samuel I've got this" Geyer
  • Did you order a light sabre duel with your musical? You did? Well here you go!
• 19:32 - Leandro's workshop Ramping up modern performance
• 21:53 - Jenna Charlton
  • The description of Jenna's ATD keynote Testing, Identity, and Symbols
  • Jenna's LinkedIn
  • Jenna's Bluesky
  • Martin Hynie
    • Martin describing the wider impact of his talk, including a link to the talk itself
    • Martin's LinkedIn
• 22:57 - Ashley Hunsberger
  • Ashley's LinkedIn
• 39:05 - Bart Knaack
  • Bart's LinkedIn
• 42:21 - Emily Bache
  • The description of Emily's ATD keynote Technical coaching development teams using the Samman method
  • Emily's YouTube
  • The Samman Society website
  • The Hartman Proficiency Taxonomy by Marian Hartman
  • Bloom's taxonomy for cognitive thinking
  • Paul Holland another ATD contributor of allTheThings and Rubix Cube legend
  • Emily's LinkedIn
• 47:16 - Ash "Data is dope" Hynie
  • Ash's LinkedIn
  • CountrPT's website
  • CountrPT's LinkedIn
  • Patrick Prill (who aside from being a generalist, also gives THE BEST hugs around, trust me on this folks!)
  • Rita Avota
  • Ben Dowen
  • Joao Proenca
    
    

01:00 - Intro LIVE from Agile Testing Days!
03:00 - Why are we here?
10:52 - The importance of networking and conferences
12:17 - What kind of event is ATD?
13:05 - The ATD Musical (you read that correctly)
18:29 - Guest: Señor Performo discussing who he is and performance testing
21:53 - Guest: Jenna Charlton explaining the relationship between testing, identity, and symbols
36:15 - Guest: Basti aka Bastian "Best Bad Boss Ever" Knerr talking about being part of the musical
39:05 - Guest: Baart Knack talking about his escapades at ATD over the years and hi...

#contentcreation #softwaretesting 
In this conversation, Richard Bradshaw and Vernon discuss various themes including veganism, personal achievements, the writing process, and the importance of collecting ideas for content creation. They explore the significance of networking within the software testing community and reflect on the dynamics of social media, particularly Twitter and LinkedIn. The conversation also highlights the value of storytelling in professional settings and shares insights from a recent conference experience. In this conversation, Richard Bradshaw shares his experiences from the Husteth Conference, including the challenges and triumphs of being a closing keynote speaker. He discusses the unexpected power cut during his talk, the importance of engaging Q&A sessions, and the value of networking and building connections at conferences. The conversation emphasizes the significance of community, sharing insights, and the overall positive experience of attending events.

00:00 Introduction and Veganism Discussion
02:58 Celebrating Achievements and Book Launch
06:00 Writing Process and Content Creation
08:54 Collecting Ideas: The Fieldstone Method
11:55 Building in Public and Sharing Experiences
15:04 Networking and Community Engagement
17:58 Reflections on Social Media Dynamics
21:00 The Importance of Collecting Stories
23:55 Conference Experience and Innovations
26:53 Q&A Dynamics at Events
32:25 Reflections on the Husteth Conference
34:09 The Power Cut Incident
39:43 The Importance of Q&A Sessions
45:21 Closing Keynote Experience
49:42 Traveling and Networking at Conferences
52:22 Conversations and Connections at Events
57:11 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

In this episode of the Vernon Richard show, Richard and Vernon engage in an AMA format, discussing various topics including their collaborative projects, future aspirations, the impact of their quality testing mindset on daily life, memorable swag from testing events, experiences in uncomfortable establishments, significant learning moments, and the importance of testing environments. They emphasize the need for continuous content creation and the desire to connect with their audience for future interactions.

00:00 - Intro

00:16 - Ben's question: If you could do any co-lab with anyone from the community, who would it be, and what might it look like?

05:43 - Leigh's question: Where do you and vern see yourselves in 5 years, or want to be in 5 years, doing what kind of role in what kind of company?

15:46 - Andy's question: When I speak with people, I love hearing how their Quality/Testing mindset spills over into day to day life. One person used to test their childrens' toys by seeing if they could use them one-handed covered in olive oil. Another guy would occasionally test how far away his TV remote would work and see if it changes 😂

Maybe you've covered this stuff already, but personally I always love hearing about these funny quirks and testing 'life'.

26:05 - Emily's question: What's the best swag you've ever picked up from a testing event?

31:29 - Mark's question: Have you ever walked in to a pub that's so bad you want to instantly leave, But because of obligated politeness and fear of that awkward feeling of walking straight out again you go stayed?

35:08 - Ide's question: Looking back, best learning ever (at that moment perhaps biggest fail ever), with context, and what/when did it change from: Argh! to Ahhh!

40:53 - Anonymous question: Do you think one of your test environments should match the spec of production?

Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:

• 00:16 - Stuff from Ben's question
  • Butch Mayhew
    • Butch's website
    • Butch's LinkedIn
  • Ben Dowen
    • Ben's LinkedIn
  • Lisi Hocke
    • Lisi's blog
    • Lisi's LinkedIn
  • Nicola Lindgren
    • Nicola's YouTube channel
    • Nicola's blog
    • The book we're writing called "The Tester's Journey"!
    • Nicola's first book "Starting Your Software Testing Career"!
    • Nicola's LinkedIn
  • Karen Todd
    • Karen's YouTube channel
    • Karen's LinkedIn
  • Dean Moon
    • Dean's website
    • Dean's LinkedIn
  • Ash Coleman Hynie
    • Ash's new product CountrPT!
    • Ash's LinkedIn
  • Kelsey Hightower
    • Kelsey's X (formerly Twitter) account
  • Manchester Tech Festival
    • Their website
    • Their founder Amy Newton
  • Emily O'Connor
    • Emily's LinkedIn
  • Dorothy "Dot" Graham
    • Dorothy's LinkedIn
  • Janet Gregory
    • Janet's website
    • Janet's LinkedIn
  • Abby Bangser
    • Abby's LinkedIn
  • Melissa Eaden
    • Mel's blog
    • Mel's LinkedIn
• Stuff from Leigh's question
  • Leigh Rathbone
    • Leigh's LinkedIn
  • Alan Page
    • Alan's newsletter
    • Alan and Brent's podcast
    • Alan's LinkedIn
  • The Black Tech Unplugged Podcast hosted by Deena McKay
    • NB (from Vernon): I got the name of the podcast wrong 🤦🏾‍♂️! I mentioned the Tech Is The New Black podcast, which is awesome but crucially, NOT the one Deena creates. Forgive me Deena 🙏🏾.
  • The Quality Bits podcast hosted by Lina Zubyte
    • NB (from Vernon): I blundered AGAIN 🤦🏾‍♂️! The name of the pod is Quality Bits, BITS! Not Bytes. Good grief. Sorry Lina 🙏🏾
  • Daniel Knott
    • Daniel's YouTube channel (with 107,000 subscribers at the time of writing 🤯)
    • Daniel's blog
    • Daniel's books
      • Hands-On Mobile App Testing on Leanpub
      • Smartwatch App Testing on Leanpub
    • Daniel's LinkedIn
  • Joe Colantonio
    • Joe's YouTube (with 387,000 subscribers at the time of writing 🤯)
    • Joe's website
• Stuff from Andy's question
  • Andy Johnson
    • Andy's LinkedIn
  • Del Dewar
    • Del's blog
    • Del's PS5 bot
    • Del's LinkedIn
• Stuff from Emily's question
  • Emily O'Connor
    • Emily's LinkedIn
• Stuff from Mark's question
  • Mark Gillott
    • Mark's LinkedIn
• Stuff from Ide's question
  • Ide Koops
    • Ide's LinkedIn
• Stuff from the Anonymous question
  • Christian Legget
    • Christian's LinkedIn
  • Jonathan Marshall
    • Jonathan's LinkedIn
      
      

The conversation revolves around the challenges faced by testers and the lack of understanding and support they receive from leadership. The hosts discuss the misconception of the value of testers and the need for leaders to create an environment where testers can thrive. They highlight the importance of addressing the frustrations and unhappiness of testers and the need for leaders to take responsibility for creating a supportive and nurturing culture.

The conversation also touches on the changing expectations of developers compared to testers and the need for leaders to have a better understanding of the role and value of testers. The conversation explores the disconnect between the expectations and perspectives of testing and quality engineers. It highlights the need for leaders to take responsibility for creating a supportive environment and culture. The role of tools and marketing in shaping these expectations is also discussed.

The conversation concludes with the importance of clear communication, understanding the needs of the team, and nurturing the growth of testers and quality engineers.

#podcast #softwaretesting #software #softwaredevelopment 

Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:

• 11:38 - Challenge Networks. Listen to Adam Grant explain the concept of a Challenge Network on the DOAC podcast.
• 26:30 - Jerry Weinberg's 2nd Law of Consulting from his book The Secrets of Consulting
  • "No matter how it looks at first, it's always a people problem."
  • Find more of Jerry's quotes on this page
• 28:40 - Vern talking about his talk in episode 6 "How No-Code Test Tools, Technical Leadership & Glue Work Impact Software Quality"
  • Tanya's Glue Work presentation which you can read or watch
  • "What Is Quiet Quitting?" a BBC News article describing the phenomenon
  • Vernon's Agile Yorkshire presentation where he describes the link between those concepts
• 29:19 - Martin Hynie
  • Martin describing the wider impact of his talk
  • Martin's LinkedIn
• 30:59 - Maaret Pyhäjärvi & Anna Baik
  • Anna's quote that Maaret shared on LinkedIn
  • Anna's LinkedIn
  • Maaret's LinkedIn
• 34:35 - Prompt Engineer
  • What's a Prompt Engineer?
• 35:30 - Adelina Chalmers
  • Adelina's AMA session that I joined (please follow her and join her sessions, she's AWESOME!)
  • Adelina's LinkedIn

00:00 Introduction and Technical Discussion
01:27 - What's going on with Rich's fingers?!
01:36 Challenges and Misunderstandings Faced by Testers and Quality Engineers
01:54 - Everything the Testers in your team want to tell you but are too afraid
02:50 - Vern's theory
07:40 - Why do other roles get "the nutrients" they need?
08:09 The Value of Testers and the Need for Supportive Leadership
10:26 - What do leaders misunderstand about the value of Testers and QEs?
11:38 - Support networks Vs Challenger networks
12:09 - The bugs we report that people REALLY don't like!
12:43 - System problems disguised as testing problems
14:37 Shifting Expectations for Developers and the Evolving Understanding of Testing
14:53 - Groundhog day!
16:10 - Rich wonders if our expectations are reasonable
19:29 - How does the world perceive Developers, Designers, and Testers?
21:04 - How expectations have changed for Developers
23:07 Creating a Supportive and Nurturing Environment for Testers
24:08 - How a lack of curiosity impacts the wellbeing of your team
26:21 - Expectation vs Reality
26:59 Bridging the Gap: Expectations and Perspectives
27:27 - How to collaborate on expectations with the Tester in your life!
28:37 - Martin's crazy experiments, Glue Work, Technical Leadership, and Quality Engineering
30:13 - What does this tell us about the culture of the organisation?
30:58 Creating a Supportive Environment for Testers and Quality Engineers
31:52 - Rich asks if this is only a problem for people like us?
32:41 The Role of Tooling in Shaping Expectations
35:30 - What can we learn from the CEO/CTO relationship?
38:12 - What can we learn from relationships, period?
40:19 - ⚽️ Footy
42:16 - The impact of language and narrative on testing in the test tool market
45:50 - The link between testing, manual labour, and knowledge work
46:20 Advocating for Testers and Quality Engineers
47:10 - Hiring to solve problems or to put bums in seats
48:00 - Rich takes us back to the chicken and egg
50:08 - A potential new focus and name for the show!
51:22 - Outro

In this episode, Richard and Vernon discuss the topic of hiring and share their thoughts on the annoying things that companies and hiring managers do. They emphasize the importance of seeking clarification and understanding the context behind red flags on a candidate's CV.

They also discuss the power dynamic in the hiring process and provide advice for job seekers on how to mitigate potential problems. They highlight the value of storytelling and narrative in CVs and suggest cherry-picking relevant experiences to showcase in job applications.

In this conversation, Richard and Vernon discuss job hunting strategies and offer advice for those looking for new roles. They emphasize the importance of networking, building a personal brand, and being intentional about what you share on platforms like LinkedIn.

They also discuss the distinction between skills and tools in job specifications and CVs, encouraging a focus on transferable skills rather than specific tools. The conversation concludes with a call for feedback and suggestions from listeners.

#softwaretesting #software #hiring #hiringtips

Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:

• 01:43 - Vernon's LinkedIn post about how NOT to handle "red flags" spotted on CVs!
• 09:41 - Wayne Bennett, FRSA, CertRP
  • Wayne's comment on my post
  • Wayne's recruitment firm Made4Tech Global
  • Wayne's LinkedIn
• 17:47 - Recruiters we think are awesome!
  • Wayne Bennet's LinkedIn (particularly for Manchester and NW England roles)
  • Kelli Jackson's LinkedIn (for North American roles and runs a community for midlifers changing careers)
  • Gabbi Trotter's LinkedIn (UK wide but particularly the North West and Midlands roles)
  • Samir Mehta's LinkedIn (although he's internal now & works with Rich the poor guy)
  • Jamie Doyle's LinkedIn (UK wide and a legend)
  • Kristina Javůrková's LinkedIn (for Benelux roles)
  • Matt Drinkwater's LinkedIn (UK wide and hosts QE Babble)
  • James Duke's LinkedIn (UK wide and lover of fast cars)
• 18:07 - Book: Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss
  • An explanation of Labelling
  • An explanation of an Accusation Audit
  • Chris's website
  • Grab the book from Amazon
• 23:53 - Huib Schoots
  • Huib's website
  • And Huib is one of the folks I've heard talk about storytelling! You can find that presentation here.
  • Huib's LinkedIn
• 32:28 - Alan Richardson
  • Alan's website
  • Alan's Patreon community
  • Alan's LinkedIn
• 43:01 - The Quality Talks Podcast
  • The Quality Talks podcast hosted by Stu and Chris
  • Stu's LinkedIn
  • Chris's Linkedin
• 48:01 - Elizabeth Zagroba
  • Elizabeth's article Doubt Builds Trust
    • Which contains an example of a Trustworthy CV
  • Elizabeth's website
  • Elizabeth's LinkedIn
• 53:18 - The Never Search Alone movement

00:00 - Intro
00:49 - Let's talk about hiring
01:00 - Hiring managers annoying habits
01:43 - Vern's rant about "red flags" on CVs
03:59 - Rich explains why he thinks option C is reasonable (in the circumstances!)
05:30 - Hiring is like software development!
05:37 - Red flags == Bugs in production
06:42 - Red flags == Feature flags / AB tests
09:41 - A recruiter's perspective on the issue
12:15 - How Rich approached his recent job search
14:11 - Don't be passive during the interview: Asking questions, clarifications, and storytelling
15:30 - How to handle objections during an interview
16:36 - The importance of weaving the hidden gems of your experience into you interview
18:07 - How Labelling and Accusation Audits can help you in interviews
How to combine labelling and an accusation audits to your advantage in interviews
19:31 - Leverage your risk analysis skills to prep for your interview
20:30 - How to sell yourself short in an interview
23:20 - The meta skill of storytelling
24:49 - Storytelling with your CV
28:04 - Excellent advice about leveraging LinkedIn that Vern isn't following!
29:49 - Rich's advice about what information to include and Vern's mysterious friends' experience trying to take that advice
31:26 - Contradictory job hunting advice and how to swerve it
32:05 - The ultimate hack(s) for job hunting
36:10 - How do you decide or calculate what kind of material to include in your "personal brand"?
41:09 - The balance of serious vs fun content
43:01 - Rich questions who Vern chooses to hang out with
43:39 - How to share other people's ideas and yours at the same time
45:47 - Shout out to PastRich!
46:06 - Rich wants to talk about how we talk about skills
48:01 - Elizabeth Zagroba's interesting take on writing CVs
51:21 - Vern has an idea for the next episode
52:51 - What advice did we miss? Help!

In this conversation, Richard and Vernon discuss their use of AI in their lives and then explore the topic of working at their dream companies. Richard expresses his fascination with SpaceX and the incredible engineering and technology involved in space exploration. Vernon shares his love for video games and the art and science behind their creation.

They also touch on the emotions involved in software testing and how they can be clues to underlying problems. The conversation explores various emotions experienced during software testing, including frustration, joy, fear, suspicion, and familiarity. Frustration often arises when encountering bugs or issues, while joy can be felt when using a well-designed and user-friendly app. Fear is associated with the potential for irreversible actions or data loss. Suspicion arises when recognizing patterns or past experiences that may indicate potential problems. Familiarity helps in identifying missing features or inconsistencies.

The conversation also touches on the concept of behavior-driven development (BDD) and the importance of having conversations and automating them rather than just documenting them.

#exploratorytesting #softwaretesting #testing #software #softwaredevelopment #emotions

00:00 - Intro attempt no. 1
00:50 - Intro attempt no. 2
01:16 - ⚽️ Footy
01:46 - ⚽️ Footy related preamble to the question
03:01 - Dream job question
03:36 - Space! The final frontier!
03:54 Dream Job: Working at SpaceX and Developing Software for Rockets
08:30 - Dream job: Nintendo, adventure games, and storytelling
11:54 The Fascination with Rockets and Space
17:04 - Emotions in software testing
19:41 Beyond Functionality: The Importance of User Experience and Emotions
20:10 The Role of Emotions in Software Testing
20:35 Using Frustration and Anger as Indicators of Improvement Areas
21:29 Learning and Coding: Frustration and Joy
22:36 BDD and Sweary Outbursts
23:56 The Importance of Clear User Scenarios
25:34 The Value of Conversations in BDD
26:50 - Joyful testing
28:57 Fear and Suspicion in Testing
31:14 The Anxiety of Sending Money
33:27 - Suspicion and that feeling of de ja vu
36:09 Applying Past Experiences and Patterns
37:25 The Evolution of Suspicion and Familiarity
39:27 The Role of Heuristics in Testing
41:24 The Absence of Joy in Testing
42:46 Emotions as a Guide for Testing Strategies and Approaches

Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:

• 00:09 - Krisp
  • Krisp.ai - Noise cancelling software (not an affiliate link!)
• 00:56 - Tristan Lombard
  • Tristan's LinkedIn
  • Tristan's Twitter
• Vincent Kompany
• 03:36 - SpaceX
• 07:02 - Virgin Galactic
  • Their website
  • Historic mission which included the first women astronauts from the Caribbean
  • Antogua
• 08:34 - Nintendo
• 09:50 - Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
  • Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap wiki page
• 10:44 - The Zelda games
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past wiki page
• 12:49 - Daniel Knott
  • Daniel's YouTube channel
  • Daniel's blog
  • Daniel's books
    • Hands-On Mobile App Testing on Leanpub
    • Smartwatch App Testing on Leanpub
  • Daniel's LinkedIn
• 22:45 - Behaviour Driven Development
  • What is BDD? Doc page on cucumber.io
  • And again on the wiki page
• 24:59 - Mark Winteringham
  • Mark's website and blog
  • Mark's LinkedIn
• 25:43 - Liz Keogh
  • "Having the conversation > Documenting the conversation > Automating the conversation" Check out Slide 14 of Liz's excellent course Behaviour Driven Development
• 38:40 - Beren van Daele
  • Beren's Testsphere cards (including links where you can buy your own deck - RECOMMEND!)
  • The RiskStorming process based on the Testsphere deck for discovering risks (including using emotions!)
  • Beren's website
  • Beren's LinkedIn

The conversation discusses the CrowdStrike outage caused by a kernel bug in a Windows update. The impact of the outage was widespread, affecting airports, medical professionals, banking, and even news channels.

The hosts emphasize the need to understand the complexity of software testing and not jump to conclusions or blame testers. They highlight the importance of continuous improvement, learning from mistakes, and taking ownership of problems.

The conversation also touches on the debate around releasing software on Fridays and the need for context-specific decision-making. The conversation explores the impact of software bugs and the importance of quality in software development. It discusses the ability to turn off software in critical situations, the challenges of working on low-level or embedded software, and the need for risk mitigation.

The conversation also touches on the response of CrowdStrike to the recent software bug and the potential human impact of such incidents. The concept of quality in software is examined, and the conversation concludes with a discussion on the increasing prevalence of software in various industries.

Links & Mentions

• 01:01 - Crowdstrike
  • Who are they?
    • This is their wikipedia page
    • This is their About us page
• 01:17 - What is a kernel?
• 01:56 - What happened?
  • BBC article - Crowdstrike release causes "Mass IT outage affects airlines, hospitals, media and banks"
  • Preliminary Post Incident Review from Crowdstrike
• 05:32 - Dave's garage explanation of what happened 😙🤌🏾 (Ex-Microsoft Dev)
• 12:46 - Rich's LinkedIn posted about jumping to conclusions in the wake of the Crowdstrike issue
• 15:38 - Mark Winteringham
  • Mark's website and blog
  • Mark's excellent blog post about "Quality Engineering, Digital Employees and Job Security"
  • Mark's LinkedIn
• 28:00 - Article: Crowdstrike CEO called to congress
• 37:59 - Crowdstrike updates
  • Their blog
  • Their Remediation and Guidance Hub: Falcon Content Update for Windows Hosts
  • Their Preliminary Post Incident Review (PIR): Content Configuration Update Impacting the Falcon Sensor and the Windows Operating System (BSOD)
• 44:47 - Dame Anita Frew
  • Who is Dame Anita Frew?

00:00 Introduction and Appreciation for Listeners
00:33 - Did anything interesting happen in the last week?
01:01 - Crowdstrike (what else?!)
01:56 - Vernon & Richard describe what happened with the Crowdstrike shenanigans
04:23 Realizing the Global Impact of the Outage
06:16 Explaining the Kernel Bug and its Effects
07:44 The Process of Getting a Kernel-Based Application
08:40 The Kernel's Response to Errors and Risks
09:29 The Significance of the Kernel in Software
10:35 Updates and News from CrowdStrike
11:11 The Importance of Software Testing and Quality
12:12 The Fallacy of Blaming Testers and Testing
12:46 - Vern reads out Rich's LinkedIn post in the immediate wake of the issue
14:29 Recognizing Process Shortcomings and Risks
15:38 - The danger of "hot takes"
16:24 Taking Ownership and Learning from Mistakes
19:15 - Common Crowdstrike Hot Takes: Thou shalt not release of Friday!
19:46 Alternative Explanations and Hot Takes
21:16 The Danger of Treating Hot Takes as Facts
22:20 The Debate Around Releasing on Fridays
23:17 Mitigating Risks and Context-Specific Decision-Making
24:42 The Need for Continuous Improvement and Learning
26:18 - Common Crowdstrike Hot Takes: Clearly this hasn't been tested!
26:37 - Common Crowdstrike Hot Takes: Obvious risk mitigation steps the should have taken
28:00 - Crowdstrike CEO called to congress
28:45 The Impact of Software Bugs and the Importance of Quality
30:54 - What might have happened if Crowdstrike didn't release a critical update?
36:22 Mitigating Risks and Turning Off Software in Critical Situations
37:59 - Updates directly from Crowdstrike
38:39 - Rich's Columbo question
43:48 - The miracle of ubiquitous software
45:42 The Response of CrowdStrike and the Potential Human Impact
46:22 - One Final Hot Take from Rich

In this conversation, Richard and Vernon discuss the need for manual test cases and manual testing in the future, particularly in the context of the rise of no code automation and AI.

They explore the underlying skills and activities involved in testing, such as critical thinking, analysis, communication, and understanding oracles and heuristics. They also touch on the importance of context and problem-solving in determining the appropriate testing approach. The conversation highlights the value of automation as a means to offload effort and gather information, rather than as an end in itself. In this conversation, Richard and Vernon discuss the importance of automation in testing and how it helps confirm the tester's knowledge of the system.

They also explore the concepts of glue work, quiet quitting, and quality engineering. Vernon shares his upcoming talk on setting quality engineers up for success and the challenges they face in organisations. They discuss the positioning of testers and the need for a cultural shift towards quality engineering. They invite listeners to share their thoughts and feedback on the topics discussed.

00:00 - ⚽️ Footy (1 min)
00:39 - Intro
01:54 - How will low-code and no-code automation tools impact the need for manual testers and manual test cases?
07:50 - How does Generative AI and/or Large Language Models (LLMs) change the answer?
20:39 - Issac Asmimov tangent!
21:18 - SPOILER ALERT! PLEASE SKIP IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE ISAAC ASIMOV STORY "PROFESSION" (I HOPE BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO READ IT YOURSELF!)
24:27 - SPOILER END!!!
33:07 - Vernon's talk: How We're Setting Up QEs To Fail

Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:

• 07:50 - AI, Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs)
  • Useful material:
    • Microsoft course AI for Beginners
• 07:50 - Dr Tariq King
  • Tariq's LinkedIn
• 07:50 - Melissa Eaden
  • Melissa's LinkedIn
• 09:52 - The book AI-Assisted Testing by Mark Winteringham
  • Grab the book here
  • Mark's website
  • Mark's LinkedIn
• 10:53 - Knowledge work
  • Our previous discussion on Knowledge Work in Episode 1
  • A definition of knowledge work from Wikipedia
• 13:59 - Vernon's Scripting Vs Exploring workshop he delivered at the European Testing Conference (ETC)
• 14:03 - ETC (organised by Maaret Pyhäjärvi) is now sadly on hiatus
• 27:26 - Doug Hoffman and High Volume Automated Testing (HiVAT)
  • An explanation of HiVAT by Cem Kaner
  • Doug's LinkedIn
• 33:25 - The Agile Yorkshire meetup organised by Royd Brayshay
  • The Agile Yorkshire website
  • Royd's LinkedIn
• 33:59 - Cassandra H. Leung
  • Cassandra's blog
  • Cassandra's LinkedIn
• 34:22 - Tanya Reilly
  • Tanya's website
  • Tanya's Glue Work presentation which you can read or watch
  • Tanya's LinkedIn
• 37:22 - "What Is Quiet Quitting?" a BBC News article describing the phenomenon
• 38:23 - Jenna Charlton
  • Jenna's LinkedIn
  • The presentation I referred to is called: "Imperfect Agile: Lessons Learned From Embracing The Journey And Ditching The Rules". It was great and I'll see if Jenna is willing and able to share a link to it as soon as I can🙂
• 39:17 - Stuart Day
  • Stu's Quality Talks podcast that he co-hosts with Chris Henderson
  • Stu's LinkedIn
  • Chris's Linkedin
• 43:30 - Anna Baik
  • Anna's LinkedIn
  • Anna's quote that Maaret shared on LinkedIn

In this episode, Vernon and Richard answer questions from their audience. They discuss what they would do if they weren't in software testing, the primary mission of a tester, advice for their younger selves, their stance on pineapple on pizza, and their preferences as trainers, mentors, consultants, and coaches. In this conversation, Vernon and Richard discuss various topics related to testing and quality.

They explore the meaning of quality and how it can vary depending on the context and individual perspectives. They also discuss the importance of testing and whether there are situations where testing may not be necessary. Additionally, they delve into the concept of a testing mindset and whether it is something that individuals are born with or can be developed. Finally, they reflect on what advice they would give to their younger selves, focusing on the themes of confidence, self-kindness, and self-care.

Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:

• 01:42 - Joëlle Burkhardt
  • Joëlle's LinkedIn
• 06:41 - James Thomas
  • James' one liner on his blog
  • James' LinkedIn
• 09:15 - AJ Wilson
  • Aj's LinkedIn
• 14:32 - Kelsey's story about relating the impact of software problems to real humans
• 15:10 - Mark Gillott
  • Mark's LinkedIn
• 15:34 - Template letter for banning pineapple on pizza
• 17:10 - Olivier Banal
  • Olivier's LinkedIn
• 18:25 - Leigh Rathbone
  • Leigh's LinkedIn
• 22:30 - Deb Sherwood
  • Deb's LinkedIn
• 22:42 - Jerry Weinberg
  • Jerry's Wikipedia page (his books are highly recommended)
• 23:46 - Joep Schuurkes
  • Joep's blog
  • Joep's LinkedIn
• 28:36 - Mark Tomlinson
  • Mark's website
  • Mark's podcast
  • Mark's LinkedIn
• 32:45 - Anna Royzman
  • Anna's LinkedIn
• 38:42 - Melissa Fisher
  • Melissa's LinkedIn
• 38:42 - In case you need to know what the TARDIS is, please read this!
• 40:59 - David Goggins (definitely watch/listen to his stuff with headphones on or with no kids around because 🤬)
  • David's cookie jar philosophy
  • David's website
• 43:47 - End of year reflection resources
  • Dickie Bush & Nicolas Cole's Yearly Review Process

00:00 - Intro
01:42 - Joëlle Burkhardt: What would you do if you weren't in software testing?
06:41 - James Thomas: You have to summarise what a tester's primary mission for a team is in a snappy one-liner that applies across contexts. What's your one-liner?
09:15 - Aj Wilson: What advice would you give the version of yourself, that was 2 years into software testing if you could, what would older wiser Richard advise new blood Richard?
15:10 - Mark Gillott: Why is pineapple on pizza still not illegal?
18:25 - Leigh Rathbone: What do you prefer, being a trainer (providing instruction and direction), a mentor, a consultant, or a coach?
22:30 - Deb Sherwood: What does quality mean for you?
28:36 - Mark Tomlinson: To test, or not to test.
32:45 - Anna Royzman: Testing mindset - are you born with it?
38:42 - Melissa Fisher: If you could jump in a tardis and go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?