Break the Build

Sign in Subscribe

leadership

leadership

Leadership insights for building high-performing QA and QE teams — from scaling test strategy to fostering a culture of ownership, speed, and trust.

Why 100% Test Coverage Is a False Summit (And What to Measure Instead)

Why 100% Test Coverage Is a False Summit (And What to Measure Instead)

“We hit 100% test coverage — we’re good to ship.” If you've ever felt a little uneasy hearing that sentence, you're not alone. In the world of software testing, 100% coverage has long been treated as the holy grail. It sounds definitive. It sounds impressive. It

If QA Shows Up After Devs Are Done, It's Already Too Late

If QA Shows Up After Devs Are Done, It's Already Too Late

Let’s be blunt: If your QA team is reviewing tickets after development wraps, you're not testing software— you're testing luck. And most teams are running out of it. Despite all the talk of “Shift Left,” many organizations still treat QA as the final checkbox before

QA Teams of 2030—Embedded, AI-Powered, and Unstoppable

QA Teams of 2030—Embedded, AI-Powered, and Unstoppable

QA Teams of 2030: Forward-Deployed Engineers and the New Quality Paradigm How embedding QA, AI orchestration, and strategic oversight will redefine software quality over the next five years In my recent article, “The Myth of QA’s Demise,” I debunked the idea that quality assurance would be entirely automated out

The Myth of QA’s Demise

The Myth of QA’s Demise

“Is QA dead?” It’s a provocative question that seems to surface every few years, usually whenever a new testing tool emerges or a buzzworthy technology takes center stage. Today, in July 2025, the rise of AI in software development has revived that question with fresh intensity. But the truth

The Real Reason Your Test Automation Is Failing: Bad Leadership

The Real Reason Your Test Automation Is Failing: Bad Leadership

Test automation isn’t failing because of bad engineers—it’s failing because no one is investing in them. That’s not a hot take. That’s a painful, persistent truth I see in startup after startup, enterprise after enterprise. And it’s time we talked about it. The Villain

“Ready for Test” Isn’t the Problem — But How You Use It Might Be

“Ready for Test” Isn’t the Problem — But How You Use It Might Be

In the age of DevOps and CI/CD, does the "Ready for Test" status still belong in your workflow? The answer isn’t black and white. “Ready for Test” — three words that spark heated debates in QA circles. Some say it undermines shift-left. Others say it creates silos.

Shift Left Testing: The Complete Roadmap (With Tools, Examples & Milestones)

Shift Left Testing: The Complete Roadmap (With Tools, Examples & Milestones)

What Is Shift Left Testing? Shift left testing is a modern software development practice where testing activities start early and happen often throughout the development lifecycle. It moves testing “left” on the timeline—closer to requirements, design, and early coding—so bugs are caught before they cause costly delays. Think