Picking Your Battles with Ben Dowen

Summary In this episode - Picking Your Battles - Stu Day is joined by Ben Dowen to explore the evolving landscape of quality engineering, the impact of AI, and strategies for scaling quality practices in fast-moving teams. They share insights on mindset shifts, automation, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Key  topics 1. Impact of AI on quality engineering 2. Scaling quality practices in fast-paced teams 3. Mindset shifts from traditional to modern quality engineering 4. Automation and feedback loops in SDLC 5. Supporting multiple teams with limited capacity 6. Maturity models for quality improvement 7. Using AI tools for debugging and release management 8. Cultural shifts in quality practices Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Quality Engineering Challenges 06:09 The Evolution of Quality Engineering Mindset 12:17 Shifting Responsibilities in Testing 18:12 Building the Right Thing vs. Building Things Right 24:03 Understanding Customer Needs in Quality Engineering 30:00 Leveraging Internal Feedback Loops 31:01 Aligning Teams on Goals and Quality 33:50 Choosing Battles: Prioritising Work Effectively 36:18 Automating Release Processes for Efficiency 39:38 Context Switching and Team Collaboration 42:49 Scaling Quality Engineering Through Enablement 46:36 Understanding Maturity Models in Quality Engineering 50:19 Continuous Improvement and Quality Levels 53:26 Building Feedback Loops and Metrics 57:19 The Value of Automation in Feedback Loops 01:00:06 Exploring AI in Engineering Practices 01:03:01 The Impact of AI on Quality Engineering 01:06:09 Navigating Change and Embracing AI 01:09:53 The Commoditisation of Technology and AI 01:14:06 Maintaining Quality in an AI-Driven World 01:17:59 Final Thoughts on Quality Engineering and AI 01:23:33 End