15: Quality coaching with Anne-Marie Charrett & Fiona Charles

The podcast examines the transformation of quality leadership in software development, moving from rigid, process-driven models to approaches centered on fostering collaboration, inclusive culture, and systems thinking. It emphasizes the role of mentorship, community involvement, and diverse career pathways in shaping effective testing practices, while highlighting how quality leadership extends beyond traditional testing roles to encompass shared responsibility across teams. The discussion explores the impact of quality coaches, who promote collective ownership of quality through education, facilitation, and cross-functional teamwork, contrasting this with more siloed, technical testing roles.

Key challenges addressed include leading quality initiatives without formal authority, such as overcoming resistance to change, aligning stakeholders, and implementing incremental behavioral shifts through workshops. The conversation also underscores the importance of tailoring communication strategies to different audiences, ensuring tangible outcomes for visibility, and creating environments where quality is a collaborative effort rather than a top-down directive. These insights reflect a broader shift toward embedding quality as an integral, team-driven aspect of software development.