Metrics in quality assurance measure a team’s mindset and are essential in achieving long-term success, shifting focus from counting bugs to preventing issues and understanding customer needs and feedback. Quality should be baked into the development lifecycle, and teams should track metrics that reflect business goals and team context, such as customer-reported issues, lead time for changes, and team confidence.

Embedded automation within feature teams improves quality and reduces finger-pointing, while separate teams can lead to handoff issues and misunderstandings. Embedding automation specialists within feature teams is recommended to ensure better outcomes and alignment with product design.

In this episode of the Quality Unfiltered podcast, hosts Parveen Khan and Suman Balao reflect on their wins, challenges, and growth from 2025, focusing on balance, self-acceptance, and community engagement. They discuss personal and professional achievements, leadership, and the importance of flexibility and adaptability in goal-setting and leadership.

Certifications in the software testing field may not reflect real-world competencies, and employers value practical skills over mere certifications. Demonstrated competence through hands-on experience and tangible proof, such as a GitHub repository or portfolio, is often considered more meaningful than certifications.

Quality strategy has evolved from being a static document to a dynamic and collaborative process that involves the entire team. It now includes non-functional requirements, is more contextual, and emphasizes continuous testing and feedback throughout the product lifecycle.

Test automation teams face challenges when structuring ownership, including handoff problems and lack of domain understanding. Embedding automation specialists within feature teams can improve ownership, accountability, and test design.

Feedback is an essential tool for personal and professional growth, helping individuals see areas for improvement and achieve their goals. Effective feedback is specific, timely, and constructive, and should be given in a way that is clear and respectful, with the intention of helping, not criticizing.

Quality in the tech world requires open, honest conversations and real stories, experiences, and reflections on quality and leadership. Effective quality influence involves building trust, understanding context, and fostering collaboration, empathy, and a culture of continuous learning and improvement.