How Testers Build Trust Across Software Teams - Kat Obring

Stop saying everything is broken: Speak in outcomes and get taken seriously

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"If we cannot work in a team, then we are not going to be successful in this role. It is fairly simple, right?" - Kat Obring

In this episode, I talk with Kat Obring about the tester as an influencer. We explore how to stop saying everything is broken and start speaking the language of stakeholders. Bring evidence, not opinions. Say "the Safari sign up button fails and 20 percent of users are blocked". We share a 15 second check before stand up, and pairing early so testing is part of development, not a mini waterfall at the end. Pick small battles and run one or two week experiments. If it works, keep it. If not, drop it. Influence without authority grows from trust and habits.

With over 20 years in the software industry, Kat Obring now focuses on what matters most: teaching teams and individuals how to measurably improve the quality of their work. Her practical frameworks combine insights from her diverse experience as a DevOps QA engineer, Head of Delivery, and, surprisingly, her early career as a chef. She's learned that evidence always beats guesswork, and a well-designed experiment will reveal more truth than months of planning ever could.

Highlights:

• Small experiments you can assess in two weeks create more change than 18-month transformation programs.
• Frame quality problems through stakeholder impact, not your opinion—developers care about context switching, not "broken."
• Fifteen-second requirement checks before standup prevent weeks of bug ping-pong between testers and developers.
• Pairing early with developers on testability beats separating testing into a mini-waterfall phase at sprint end.
• Pick battles you can win without approval or budget—influence grows from concrete wins, not complaints.

More Links with Insights:

• Free Ebook about the QED Framework