Overcoming test quality challenges

To kick off the conversation, our guest, Tom Riglar, highlights one major pain point, the complexity of mobile app testing and automation. Tom and James share their frustrations with tools like Appium and UI Automation, which often lead to high complexity and frequent failures. To address this, they advocate for a more streamlined and user-friendly approach to mobile automation tools. Additionally, they stress the importance of having clear requirements, good test cases, and robust regression test packs.

Rich Jordan points out another significant pain point is organizational resistance to change, with many teams reluctant to adopt new testing methodologies. The suggested solution involves fostering a culture that embraces change and emphasizes the importance of quality assurance from the start. This includes educating teams on the benefits of early quality activities, such as static code checking and snapshot testing, which can catch issues earlier in the development cycle.

Our hosts also discuss the evolving role of developers, who are increasingly required to balance coding with quality assurance tasks. The proposed solution is to redefine the developers' role to focus more on orchestrating quality activities. This shift can be facilitated by hiring quality engineers who specialize in complex testing tasks, allowing developers to concentrate on delivering business value.

Lastly, James highlights the impact of AI on software quality, with the fear that the focus on productivity might compromise standards. To mitigate this, James and Tom propose a balanced approach that incorporates AI tools without neglecting essential quality assurance, ensuring that software meets high standards of reliability and performance.

Watch the full episode to learn more!