Episode 25: How to Build a Successful QA Team with Natalie Cole

Inside The Outer Loop

Welcome to episode 25 of Inside The Outer Loop. In this episode, Rich Jordan and Ben Riley are joined by special guest Natalie Cole, a QE Team Manager and Quality Advocate. Together, they discuss the people, processes, and technology involved in building a successful QA team! Natalie Cole, starts the discussion by sharing her experience managing a team of 10 QAs and software engineers. She highlights the importance of people, process, and technology in building a successful team. Natalie emphasizes the need for the right people with the right skills and work ethics, implementing best practices and processes, and utilizing the right technologies. She also discusses the challenges of shifting towards a test pyramid approach and the importance of involving QA in all phases of the software development life cycle. Natalie advocates for QA and emphasizes the financial and brand benefits of quality testing. The most important aspect for Natalie is catching the majority of defects in QA before critical defects reach production. She emphasizes the importance of conducting root cause analysis and post-mortems to understand and prevent defects. Rich Jordan adds that psychological safety is crucial in using metrics effectively and avoiding blame. The conversation also covers Natalie’s approach to hiring, focusing on work ethic and asking detailed questions about past projects. Natalie also mentions the importance of self-education and staying up-to-date with industry trends. The team also touches on the benefits of practising Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) and the importance of communication and collaboration in eliminating defects early. Natalie advises QE managers to believe in themselves, understand their leadership style, and continuously improve their processes. Listen to the full episode to learn more! 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!