Software Testing Unleashed - QA, DevEx & Quality Engineering

The Hidden Playwright Advantage Developers Miss - Maciej Kusz

Why Python might be the smarter choice for your Playwright tests 📌 EuroSTAR 2026 in Oslo (June 15–18) — the podcast will be there. Community perk: 15% off all tickets with the code EUROSTAR15 Details and tickets "Python by default is a synchronous language. You don't have this await, async and so on stuff that you have on the JavaScript and TypeScript stuff." - Maciej Kusz In this episode, I talk with Maciej Kusz, program chair of the Testwarez conference in Poland, about why Playwright doesn't have to mean TypeScript. Maciej has been using Playwright with Python for years and shows that Python testers can leverage the framework just as effectively—if they know which PyTest plugins to use and where the documentation actually lives. We dig into the practical trade-offs: what TypeScript does better out of the box, where Python offers more flexibility for QA work beyond the browser, and why stable tests are surprisingly easier to achieve in Python's synchronous world. With 17 years of experience as a QA and 14 years of test automation (Python and recently TypeScript), Maciej Kusz has been testing UI, API, IoT and has been a test lead and architect, mentor and keynote speaker. He is also a co-creator of the SlonzaczQA meetup and was part of the program committee of ConSelenium/Tada and TestWarez. He is also part of Polish Quality Retreat and shares his knowledge in his blog. After hours he is creating an open-source project called MkDocs Publisher, doing some DIY, and playing with 3D printing. Highlights: Playwright's Python version requires PyTest plugins but offers easier debugging without async/await complexity of TypeScript. TypeScript Playwright gets new features first since it's the native implementation; Python is an adapter. Python enables broader testing beyond web—hardware, infrastructure, performance—making it more flexible for testers overall. Playwright's auto-waits, codegen, trace viewer, and bundled browsers solve Selenium's stability and maintenance problems. Visual regression and Electron app testing work better in TypeScript; Python lacks integrated support.

Stop the blame, keep the learning - Natalia Romanska

Why your biggest professional mistakes might be your most valuable teachers 📌 EuroSTAR 2026 in Oslo (June 15–18) — the podcast will be there. Community perk: 15% off all tickets with the code EUROSTAR15 Details and tickets "I can make mistakes. I will be doing mistakes in the future. That's not something that we can just skip and forget." - Natalia Romanska In this episode, I talk with Natalia Romanska about why our biggest professional disasters often teach us more than our polished success stories. She shares how a 70,000 złoty accounting mistake early in her career forced her to develop the self-awareness that now guides her QA work—and why that painful learning stuck harder than any training ever could. We dig into the uncomfortable truth that testers rarely talk about: the gap between knowing we should learn from failures and actually sitting down to extract those lessons. Natalia offers concrete practices for turning blame into growth, from the "magic five whys" to building feedback loops that don't just stroke our egos. Once an accountant, Natalia Romanska is now a QA. She is a fan of a holistic approach to Quality Assurance - the one that begins with neatly designed processes and thoughtful planning. She truly enjoys having things balanced, both in private and professional life. After hours, you’ll find her rewatching Friends, exploring new destinations, and always on the hunt for the next great scent Highlights: Every failure teaches more than success; analyze what went wrong without emotions involved. Compare yourself with your past self, not with others' curated social media successes. Building self-awareness requires personality tests, manager feedback, and understanding your biases. Give yourself time to feel emotions first, then objectively analyze failures for learnings. Each failure is unique; there's no universal pattern, only case-by-case lessons learned. More Links with Insights: Testwarez

How Motherhood Made Me a Better QA Manager - Žaklina Polak Matanović

A QA manager on transferring soft skills from motherhood to testing 📌 EuroSTAR 2026 in Oslo (June 15–18) — the podcast will be there. Community perk: 15% off all tickets with the code EUROSTAR15 Details and tickets "If something is obvious to you, it does not mean that it's obvious to someone else." - Žaklina Polak Matanović In this episode, I talk with Žaklina Polak Matanović, an experienced QA manager who discovered that raising three daughters taught her more about software testing than most training courses ever could. She shares concrete stories about how skills like clear ownership assignment, prioritization under pressure, and proactive thinking emerged naturally from parenting chaos – from navigating playgrounds with toddler twins to managing ambiguous requests at home. What makes this conversation powerful is Žaklina's honest reflection on returning to tech after maternity leave, initially doubting her career trajectory while others seemed to advance, only to realize the soft skills in software testing she'd been building at home became her greatest professional assets for achieving work life balance in tech. Žaklina Polak Matanović is a seasoned QA professional with over 20 years of experience in software quality assurance, test and release management, and software development. She enjoys working in international environments and takes a structured, collaborative approach to delivering high-quality software. Outside of work, she is a passionate salsa dancer, chorus singer, and a curious explorer at heart—whether she is sailing, skiing, biking, or capturing moments through photography. She loves traveling and being near the sea or snow, and these adventures inspire both her personal and professional life. Highlights: Parenting skills transfer directly to testing: prioritization, clear ownership assignment, and proactive thinking prevent chaos. Ambiguous tickets without clear ownership stay unresolved forever; be specific about who does what. Under pressure, save the thing in greatest danger first—prioritize ruthlessly and communicate your limits. Being detailed and asking many questions isn't annoying; it's a professional strength in testing environments. Patience and inclusivity aren't soft skills—they're essential for letting quiet team members contribute equally.

Structured Exploratory Testing Strategies That Work - Callum Akehurst-Ryan

Using Exploratory Testing to Uncover Risks and Unknowns in Software Projects 📌 EuroSTAR 2026 in Oslo (June 15–18) — the podcast will be there. Community perk: 15% off all tickets with the code EUROSTAR15 Details and tickets "We do exploratory testing when things are unknown. But from the unknown, we get information. That makes things known." - Callum Akehurst-Ryan In this episode, I talk with Callum Akehurst-Ryan, a quality coach with nearly 20 years of experience, about why exploratory testing is far more than random button-pushing—and how teams waste it by using it in all the wrong places. Callum walks us through practical exploratory testing techniques that help uncover risks in non-functional requirements like performance and security, especially when no one has bothered to document what "good" should look like. We discuss how to structure exploration with timeboxes and risk-based scopes, when to turn findings into automated tests, and why retrofitting quality into existing systems demands a different software testing strategy than most teams realize. Callum Akehurst-Ryan (he/him) is a testing specialist and quality coach with over 17 years of experience across a range of different industries and development methodologies. With a focus on holistic quality engineering and exploratory testing, Callum teaches others in core and agile testing concepts. He’s also a kick-ass dungeon master! Highlights: Exploratory testing finds information about unknowns, not pass/fail confirmation of known requirements. Scope exploration by risk and timebox sessions to avoid endless testing rabbit holes. Document what matters: defects, conversations, knowledge—not exhaustive test evidence in unregulated contexts. Turn exploratory findings into automated regression tests; exploration isn't meant for repeatability. AI tools can spider websites to document workflows, enabling golden master testing retroactively.

Why Managers Don't Listen to Testers - Vitaly Sharovatov

How Testers Can Use Economics to Influence Quality Decisions in Software Development 📌 EuroSTAR 2026 in Oslo (June 15–18) — the podcast will be there. Community perk: 15% off all tickets with the code EUROSTAR15 Details and tickets "We are paying with efforts and time for things which don't occur, which is very, very strange to do." - Vitaly Sharovatov In this episode, I talk with Vitaly Sharovatov about the economics of testing. We ask how testers can sell quality to managers who think in money, risk, and time. Vitaly frames testing like insurance. You pay now to lower the chance or impact of pain later. He shows where to find numbers that speak. Churn, support hours, rework in Jira, failed handoffs, and regulatory risk. Start small. Pair with developers, cut waste, count saved hours, and share clear wins. Then aim bigger. Shorter time to market, better UX, fewer angry users. As a quality enthusiast, Vitaly Sharovatov believes that people should take pride in their work and companies should aim to produce high-quality products. He has spent the last 23 years in IT, focusing on engineering, QA, and mentorship. He is also a huge animal lover and has saved and raised more than 50 cats and dogs. Highlights: Testers and managers speak different languages; framing quality decisions in economic terms builds credibility and prevents conflict. Start small: reduce wasteful rework with one developer, prove savings in man-hours, then scale improvements company-wide. Testers know users better than product managers because they see bug reports and churn reasons daily. Ask marketing and sales why customers leave; connect quality issues to lost revenue for management buy-in. Win-win collaboration beats authority; help managers report better numbers and they'll value your quality initiatives. More Links with Insights: QA collaborative community