Testing Peers

Testing Peers

Testing Peers is a growing community of ~60 peers in testing, software quality, agility, test leadership, engineering management, and broader software development. We’re united by a shared goal: to drive quality in everything we do within our workplaces and beyond. Through collaboration, accountability, and mutual support, we strive to elevate one another both professionally and personally.
The Testing Peers podcast is now expanding beyond its original four hosts, David Maynard, Chris Armstrong, Russell Craxford and Simon Prior, striving to represent the voices of a diverse and thriving community. Our inaugural in-person conference, PeersCon, launched in Nottingham in March 2024 and will return in March 2025, further solidifying Testing Peers as a not-for-profit, by testers, for testers initiative.

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What's Next? (Careers)

What's Next? (Careers)

Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers. On this episode, Chris is joined by Vernon Richards, Heather Carter and Richard Hinton to talk about career journeys and making that decision around next steps.Before that, Heather kicks off the banter by asking for 2 Truths and 1 Lie from each of the hosts. You'll need to listen to work out which ones are which.Chris starts the conversation about what is next for our careers, and the topic moves toward Personal Brand/Professional Reputation and the importance of being able to stand out. The key aspect discussed is channelling your passion and shouting about it. Heather also talks about setting her own company and the branding related to that. Discussion moves to looking into going out on your own and Richard talks about the challenges of contracting while also setting up your own business.Heather's business page here: https://wearetether.com/Chris talks about his job searching experiences and how he started with his values, key quotes and some of his challenges.There's a lot of power in sharing knowledge and continuously learning and this is a key theme in the discussion.What are your next career steps?The Testing Peers Conference is happening on the 13th March 2025.Tickets available here: https://testingpeerscon.com/ticket/If you wish to Sponsor the conference: https://testingpeerscon.com/partners/If you wish to volunteer for the event: https://testingpeerscon.com/volunpeer/contactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersThanks to our brand new sponsors - NFocus Testing.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! nFocus were a big part of PeersCon in 2024, really grateful for all they do supporting the Testing Peers.www.nfocus.co.uk and info@nfocus.co.uk for anyone wanting to get in touch.Support the show

Episodes

What's Next? (Careers)

What's Next? (Careers)

Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers. On this episode, Chris is joined by Vernon Richards, Heather Carter and Richard Hinton to talk about career journeys and making that decision around next steps.Before that, Heather kicks off the banter by asking for 2 Truths and 1 Lie from each of the hosts. You'll need to listen to work out which ones are which.Chris starts the conversation about what is next for our careers, and the topic moves toward Personal Brand/Professional Reputation and the importance of being able to stand out. The key aspect discussed is channelling your passion and shouting about it. Heather also talks about setting her own company and the branding related to that. Discussion moves to looking into going out on your own and Richard talks about the challenges of contracting while also setting up your own business.Heather's business page here: https://wearetether.com/Chris talks about his job searching experiences and how he started with his values, key quotes and some of his challenges.There's a lot of power in sharing knowledge and continuously learning and this is a key theme in the discussion.What are your next career steps?The Testing Peers Conference is happening on the 13th March 2025.Tickets available here: https://testingpeerscon.com/ticket/If you wish to Sponsor the conference: https://testingpeerscon.com/partners/If you wish to volunteer for the event: https://testingpeerscon.com/volunpeer/contactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersThanks to our brand new sponsors - NFocus Testing.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! nFocus were a big part of PeersCon in 2024, really grateful for all they do supporting the Testing Peers.www.nfocus.co.uk and info@nfocus.co.uk for anyone wanting to get in touch.Support the show

Authenticity at work

Authenticity at work

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of the Testing Peers podcast.This time, join Chris, David, Simon and first-time host, Butch Mayhew.Ahead of the main topic, Butch asks the group about their ideal superpower. We discuss controlling time, teleportation, flying, awareness (we'll come back to that later in the episode) and Butch's idea to have mustard and ketchup fly out of his fingers, because why not?The Peers then dive in the topic of authenticity - inspired as a topic by Simon's post on LinkedIn.What does being authentic at work mean to you?Values, where I stand, hills that I will die on, credibility, ethics, boundaries.What does that look like in terms of safety at work? Boundaries? Respect? With different audiences?Naturally, this can all be influenced by context (it's a Peers pod, of course context comes into it).We discuss accountability and feedback, as well as mental health, privacy and more.The Testing Peers Conference 2025 has now launched the CFP open until November 2nd: https://testingpeerscon.com/collaboration-2025/ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our PatreSupport the show

Welcome to episode 117 of the Testing Peers podcast.This time, join Chris, David, Russell and Heather as we discuss closure and letting go!Heather kicks us off with a discussion around last-minute travel decisions and we think Russell probably wins!The Peers then jump into a discussion about letting go.Changing roles. What is your identity? Who am I (professionally)?What am I good at? What do I enjoy? What will I do when I retire?Is it out of your control?What can we do as leaders? How can we ensure our teams are heard?The Peers talk about adaptability and agility. The toll and fatigue that can be associated with letting go.Russell spins the conversation around more positivity so what are the group proud to have let go of?Heather mentions ShipItCon, specifically the talk by Charity Majors you can find a link to watch it here.The Testing Peers Conference 2025 has now launched the CFP: https://testingpeerscon.com/collaboration-2025/ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSupport the show

Single Points of Failure

Single Points of Failure

Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers podcast.This time, Jesper Ottosen joins Russell, David and Chris as we discuss single points of failure.As ever, we begin with our first email handles - as it turns out ours weren't so embarrassing and have persisted, but at least we break the ice!Diving into the main topic, the group quickly talk about the single points of failure as people."what if they go on holiday?" " what if so and so wins the lottery?" and so on.Are there robust handover processes in place?Russell then moves the thinking to systems and processes that affect. Thinking about HR or payment systems.The Peers discuss what mitigation looks like, continuous processes iterating as we go along, as well as validating these systems - think fire and safety drills.We talk also about business continuity and disaster recovery.How do you identify these in your workplace? How do you prepare?The Testing Peers Conference 2025 has now launched the CFP: https://testingpeerscon.com/collaboration-2025/ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSupport the show

No Testers, No Problem

No Testers, No Problem

Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers podcast. This time, join Chris, Russell, Callum Akehurst-Ryan & Leigh Rathbone as we talk on the topic of "No Testers, No Problem".Before the main topic, Callum asks the group for their favourite fictional AI. From GLaDOS, I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E., the Terminator and Max Headroom.What's your favourite fictional AI?Leigh then introduces the topics of trends in the industry, touching on his #PeersCon24 talk, are we moving towards or away from organisations hiring testers or building quality functions, as is that ok?The Peers discuss perception, reputation, the hows and whys?Responsibilities, expectations, the costs and historical rationale.We cover discussions on culture, context, copy & paste models and the requirement to make informed decisions on quality & risk.What do you think?The Testing Peers Conference 2025 has now launched the CFP: https://testingpeerscon.com/collaboration-2025/ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our PatreoSupport the show

Thanks for joining us for episode 114 of the Testing Peers podcast.This time, Ben Dowen joins Russell, David and Chris as we dive into the topic of learning fast (as a different take on failing fast).For this episode's banter, Ben asks the group about what their reasons to be cheerful are. A lot of learning, project closing and summer time activities (or lack of activities) ahead!The Peers then dive into the main topic. Russell explains the power of the language and cognitive biases around failure, and why he therefore opts for learning fast rather than failing fast.Russell quotes Thomas Edison:I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.Ben talks about the joys as a tester of exploration and the Peers talk about how things look and feel for those of us who naturally work well in environments where everything is not and cannot be known up front.Shorter feedback loops, humility, recognition, collaboration and exploration are further pressed into.But what do you do with that learning? Can you change, react, be resilient, agile? How can that information work within constraints, contracts and various contexts? What are the causes and effects?We talk about documentation, comments and the value they also provide.Russell mentions the game Testing Jenga.ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSupport the show

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence

Thank you for joining us for episode 113 of the Testing Peers podcast.This time, Sanne Visser & Vernon Richards join Chris & David to discuss Emotional Intelligence.By the way, if you haven't already heard - Vernon hosts the Vernon Richard show: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVernonRichardShowAfter Vernon's hot drinks ice-breaker we dive into the main topic.Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments.[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligenceEmotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to manage both your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you. There are five key elements to EI: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.https://mhanational.org/what-emotional-intelligence-and-how-does-it-apply-workplaceThe Peers discuss what we view as emotional intelligence and EQ means to us in various contexts.From awareness, experimentation, exploration, motivation, constraints, awareness, cause & affect, prediction and volatility.We talk about what that looks like in the introvert/extrovert spectrum.Sanne also speaks to her passion in stoicism and emotional regulation.What does emotional intelligence look like to you?How would you approach starting a testing team from scratch?ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSupport the show

Building Testing Teams

Building Testing Teams

Thank you for joining us for episode 112 of the Testing Peers podcast.This time around we are talking on the topic of building testing teams, with Simon, Russell, David & Chris.The banter focuses in on favourite or memorable plot twists.Then Simon poses this hypothetical scenario - If you landed in a role and you were the first person there who has been given the task to build a [test] team, what would you do?Russell wins the 'it depends on the context' prize, but of course he is right.Questions like:Who are you employed by?What are their expectations?What is your budget?What are the constraints?What are the dependencies?Who already is working there?What is the risk appetite?Who are the customers?What does the tech stack look like?and more….The Peers dive into biases, measures, agility and more in this episode.How would you approach starting a testing team from scratch?ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

This Is The Way

This Is The Way

Thank you for joining episode 111 of the Testing Peers podcast. This time Chris, David, Dermot & Sanne talk on the theme of 'This is the way', otherwise known perhaps as the gospel according to....Before the main discussion, Sanne asks the group about any new to the Peers recipes or restaurants, so now I'm a little hungry.*good time to pause for a snack*Chris then introduces the Mandalorian theme. What are those absolute truths that we see some follow.Is it testing/checking? The testing pyramid? Given, when then?A couple of blog posts referenced from 2016:Dan Ashby: https://danashby.co.uk/2016/10/19/continuous-testing-in-devops/Del Dewar: https://findingdeefex.com/2016/05/20/the-testing-checking-synergy/Should models be rigidly and explicitly followed or are they useful tools to achieve a common understanding.As ever, we discuss not only the value of context, but also of pragmatism as well as the appreciation of the etymology.We speak to experience bias and theory vs reality.The conversation closes with Chris referencing Leigh Rathbone's 10 leadership lessons from Ted Lasso talk.https://prezi.com/p/ja_fnx4qvujy/ted-lasso/ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

Quality Engineering

Quality Engineering

Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers Podcast. Chris, David, Russell and Simon talk about one of the big buzzwords in the industry at present being the term of Quality Engineering, what it means, how it differentiates from "Testing" and what it means for the future.For the banter, Russell asks us all what our favourite pizza toppings are, unsurprisingly there is talk of "it depends", and pretty much every topping is mentioned from the peers.We start by talking about what Quality Engineering is and whether there is such a role of a Quality Engineer. This takes us on a slight rabbit hole around job titles.Is there more to Quality Engineering than just Testing being re-branded? Does it offer more around holistic quality?A couple of mentions were made during the episode.The Quality Engineering Charter which has been launched in 2024Jit Gosai's Quality Engineering NewsletterWhere do you sit on the discipline of Quality Engineering?ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

Hello friends, thank you for joining us for the latest episode of the Testing Peers podcast.This time, join Russell, David, Chris & Dermot as we discuss Presentations.Before diving into the main event, Chris asks the group to go back in time to when they first travelled for work. Our thoughts and experiences of that, and how that will have changed over our careers.As the Peers move on, we discuss different presentation styles, contexts, tools and 'weapons of choice' - hello PowerPoint my old friend.Talking about slides, we discuss context, notes, ALL OF THE TEXT, PowerPoint as documentation and more.Dermot talks about the value of audience consideration and the concept of multi-sensory learning [https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/multisensory-learning#:~:text=Multisensory%20learning%20is%20all%20about,gustatory%2C%20olfactory%2C%20proprioceptiveorvestibular%20senses.]The Peers talk about changing styles over time, thinking on our feet and preparing for the worst.The team discuss the value of setting expectations for interactivity and engagement, the power of good facilitation, allies and such.Finally, what is the purpose of the presentation? Has that come across? Did we receive feedback?ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

Emergent Requirements

Emergent Requirements

Welcome to episode 108 of the Testing Peers podcast.This time, join Russell, David, Callum & Dermot as they talk requirements, emergent ones at that!Before diving into the main event, Dermot kicks the Peers off with a conversation around fandom and eras, initially with Dr. Who.Moving on, the group discuss what emergent requirements are.Undocumented, not (yet) asked for, potential unknown complexity, not refined, just an idea.The team talk about maturity, the need to sometimes be comfortable with not knowing all up-front.What does testing look like in this world?Are there trends we have seen, traps, lessons learned?ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

Square Peg, Round Hole

Square Peg, Round Hole

Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers. Chris, David and Russell are joined by Bruce for this one to discuss the topic of "Square Peg, Round Hole" and how we sometimes may not always feel like we or some tools fit and how we can address those challenges.Bruce starts with the banter and asks everyone what gets them up in the morning, everything from running, coffee and children are mentioned as things that get us started every day.Chris starts off the topic by asking about using the wrong tools for the job, the peers dive into looking at overengineering or under-engineering, automation tools, traceability matrices and also how our systems can sometimes be used in a way that wasn't intended.Where have you experienced Square Pegs in Round Holes?ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

#PeersCon24 Retrospective

#PeersCon24 Retrospective

Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers. On this episode, Simon, Chris, David and Russell look back at the huge success that was the first Testing Peers Conference held in Nottingham on 14th March.Before diving into it, David leads the banter and asks the peers about the most retro thing we all own and the Peers all reminisce with all things tech, cars and movies.With the main retrospective, the Peers divide the conversation into 4 main sections using our MetroRetro board - including the topics of "what should we start doing", "What should we stop doing", "What should we keep doing?" and the "hopes for the future". So many people and organisations to thank that helped make PeersCon happen such as the venue, the Trent Conference Centre. Our sponsors, NTT Data, nFocus Testing, IntelliQA, Medtronic and Cambridge Consultants. Our speakers, our VolunPeers and our audience for attending. It really means a lot to us all.The good news is we will be back next year, book the date of 13th March at the same place in Nottingham in 2025. More details to come but you can get tickets here: https://testingpeerscon.comContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

Linguistic Gatekeeping

Linguistic Gatekeeping

Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers podcast. Simon, David, Chris and Sam spend some time discussing the topic of linguistic gatekeeping and how sometimes our language can exclude people from conversationsChris starts us off with the banter topic of our experiences of "I Told You So" moments, after discussing several scenarios from our childhood, with everything from beach balls in the sea to broken bones as the outcome, it seems we have definitely learned the hard way.The key to this discussion is certainly that language and how we use it can be power. Within the world of software, there are lots of examples where we have used language as a way to block progress in the conversation, whether this is down to deliberately trying to exclude others by going into too lower level of detail or using politics to prove a point.Where have you come across this kind of gatekeeping and how did you overcome it?ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

Owning Your Career

Owning Your Career

Welcome to episode 104 of the Testing Peers podcast.This time around we have a special trio of Callum Akehurst-Ryan, Russell Craxford & Ben Dowen, as the Peers talk about owning your career.Callum starts us off with important banter on snackage, before we head into sharing our own career stories and discussing what owning your career means along with our own challenges and some words of wisdom. ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers podcast. Beth Marshall joins Chris, David and Russell to discuss the topic of saying no.Chris starts with the banter, asking the peers which films they have turned off or left the cinema because they were rubbish, various films mentioned, although the northerners on the recording seem to never walk out on anything.On the main topic, the discussion around what we've said no to in the work/community environment, from not doing talks or taking on too much extra curricular activities and putting yourself first. Getting overwhelmed is never a good thing to allow happen too often and knowing your limits should be seen as a positive.The key message here is that it is OK to not say yes to everything asked of you. What can you say no to, to protect your mental health or wellbeing?ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LSupport the show

Welcome to episode 102 of the Testing Peers podcast.This time around join Tara Walton, Chris Armstrong, Russell Craxford & David Maynard, as the Peers talk about measuring.On the week of our first #PeersCon event, Tara breaks the ice, asking us our favourite and least favourite parts of conferences.Then we dive in.The team discussed the traps of bad metrics, gamification, toxic culture and talk about the importance of value and relevancy in what we report on with a few tales from Chris (as per usual).We do share other tips and tricks, Russell mentions DORA metrics.What struggles have you had with metrics? Better yet, what success stories have you had?ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

Changing Face of Automation

Changing Face of Automation

In this episode Rich Bradshaw, Simon, David and Chris talk all things automation.Banter this week is brought to by Rich as we discover TK Maxx is the perfect way to explain exploratory testing.We dive into our first experiences of automation, going back a while, talking about different tools, tech debt and the frustration. We talk about the joys of source control.We talk about going full circles from automation to aid us to focusing on the UI automation then end to end testing then back to using automation to help make life easier again. We ponder is automation about making testing more effective, and quality better or saving money?Discussions move on to talk about creating automation tests and understanding the risks to decide what to test and how both are now common requirements in testers. We would love for you to join us and be a part of our first-ever conference, Testing Peers Conference #PeersCon - we are looking for "VolunPeers" to help make this event a success if you want to help, please apply here: testingpeerscon.com/volunpeer/Tickets are available here: testingpeerscon.com/ticket/ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show

Testing Peers 100

Testing Peers 100

Testing Peers podcast has reached 100 episodes!Beth Marshall (10 episodes), chairs this special look back and forward episode, joined by Simon Prior (78 episodes), Russell Craxford (88), Chris Armstrong (93) and David Maynard (96).Beth skillfully guides the conversation to talk about the podcast and beyond, what are we most proud of?A few little peeks behind the curtain, including some insight into how long the editors typically take per episode. Many thanks to you David and Russell The Peers talk about successes and failures, which leads to us discussing tips for those who want to create their content.The group then close by looking forward to March 14th 2024, with the inaugural Testing Peers Conference.Thank you for joining us on this journey so far, please continue to provide feedback, we only improve thanks to you.Finally, to all our co-hosts and episode contributors......in addition to the five in this episode, we have another 21 wonderful humans joining us to date:Dave Shorter, Bruce Hughes, Shey Crompton, Steve Watson, Ugne Livinaite, Dan Ashby, Steven Warburton, Emna Ayadi, Neil Studd, Heather Reid, Vernon Richards, Sam Nitsche, Tara Walton, Beth Clarke, Callum Akehurst-Ryan, Dermot Canniffe, Beren van Daele, Sanne Visser, Lena Nyström, Ben Dowen & Jon Richardson.ContactUs@TestingPeers.comTwitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers)We’re also now on GoodPods, check it out via the mobile app storesIf you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeersSaffron QA is a provider of recruitment and consultancy services, exclusively for the software testing industry.You can find out more at https://saffronqa.co.uk/ or on LinkedInSupport the show