00:00 Introduction and background of Phil Royston

08:00 The evolution of quality engineering

18:27 Mindset change: From tester-centric to cross-functional

25:40 Breaking down silos: The challenge of collaboration

28:38 The need for soft and hard skills

30:45 Challenges faced by leaders and managers in quality engineering

35:22 Transitioning to non-hierarchical teams

45:30 Starting the journey into quality engineering

• Quality engineering is a mindset change and a shift towards a more collaborative and feedback-driven approach.

• There is a risk of quality engineering becoming a rebranding of traditional testing if organisations do not embrace the cultural shift.

• Cross-functional teams require T-shaped individuals who have expertise in their domain, but are also comfortable collaborating and contributing in other areas.

• The power of agile and quality engineering lies in the ability to give feedback on the process and continuously improve.

• The focus should be on delivering value and improving the quality of the product throughout the development lifecycle. Automation in testing is not as scary as it may seem, and some people are eager to start doing it.

• In DevOps, having a single expert who knows how to do a specific task can be an anti-pattern that blocks the flow of work.

• Soft skills, such as mentorship and cross-functional collaboration, are crucial in testing and should be given more focus in education and conferences.

• Creating a safe space for feedback and problem-solving is essential for teams to improve and make decisions collectively.

• The journey into quality engineering requires a mindset shift from passive to proactive and the development of soft skills.