About Break the Build & Me
Engineering Quality, Not Just Tests
Hi, I’m Thomas Howard — a disruptor in Quality Engineering with over 15 years architecting robust automation and 9+ years scaling QE teams at high-growth startups. I’ve lived the pain of flaky tests, brittle pipelines, and under-leveraged QA, and I’ve made it my mission to fix them.
My Mission
To demystify and democratize cutting-edge Quality Engineering. Whether you’re:
- An engineer breaking into automation
- A leader grappling with testing debt
- Or someone pivoting into QE
you’ll find actionable insights here to build confidence into every release.
What You’ll Find Here
Playwright Mastery
Scalable, maintainable patterns that work in production—no one-off scripts.
AI in QE
Smart test generation, flaky-test taming, triage augmentation, traceability with LLMs—and the latest breakthroughs I’m experimenting with.
CI/CD That Actually Works
Pipelines optimized for speed, stability, and visibility using GitHub Actions, Docker, Kubernetes, and Allure TestOps.
Industry & Tech Trends
News and analysis on emerging tools, frameworks, and methodologies that are reshaping how we ensure quality at speed.
QE Leadership & Strategy
Frameworks, lessons, and hard-won mistakes from leading QE teams—so you can avoid the same pitfalls and foster a quality-first culture.
Career Growth & Mentorship
Guidance on leveling up in QE: resume and LinkedIn tips, interview prep, leadership skills, and navigating long-term career paths in Quality Engineering.
Stay in the Loop — Join the Newsletter!
If you’re serious about leveling up your QE game or just love great technical content, my newsletter is the best way to stay updated. No fluff. Just real, actionable insights.