Episode 18: Organizational Challenges in Defining Quality with Chris Harbert

Inside The Outer Loop

Welcome to episode 18 of Inside The Outer Loop. In this episode, Curiosity Software's Rich Jordan and CEO James Walker are joined by Chris Harbert, an industry executive and host of the Developers Who Test but also founder and CEO of Testery. Together they discuss the organizational challenges in defining quality. So, quality is essential in software delivery. But, who actually owns quality? if that’s a reasonable question to ask. Collaboration between developers and testers is crucial for achieving quality and a mutual respect and involvement in bug fixes can bridge the gap between the two roles and improve overall product quality. But can this lead to the ‘bystander effect’? in which no one seems to be responsible for quality. Increasingly due to legacy systems organizations need to address their technical debt and complexity to improve quality, so saving a clear plan, architectural overview, and leveraging test automation can help untangle legacy systems and pave the way for better quality practices. This can enhance testability and reduce toil during sprints. And what of metrics which play a crucial role in measuring quality? Key metrics include bug discovery rates, test coverage, customer satisfaction scores, and support team efforts. These metrics provide insights into the effectiveness of quality initiatives and highlight areas for improvement. Finally, as with any episode of Why Didn’t You Test That? we consider AIs impact your testing effort. Generative AI and non-deterministic behaviour may complicate testing, so requiring skilled testers is paramount to ensure you’re leveraging in line with organizational quality objectives in meeting customer expectations, but also providing a good user experience. Inside the outer loop – brought to you by the Curiosity Software team! Together with industry leaders and experts, we uncover actionable strategies to navigate the outer loop of software delivery, streamline test data management, and elevate software quality. Tune in to transform the way you think about software delivery, quality, and productivity!