There are no bad testers only bad systems

The unfortunate and perhaps unintended consequence of describing good testers is that it implies that there exists a bunch of 'bad' testers out there. Like "pass/fail " is to a test, this classification is unhelpful and sometimes harmful.

Quality is an emergent property of a system, which we typically call a company. Quality relies on processes, technology and people who work within this system. How we collaborate matters, as does how we slice stories. How much time is allocated and how much budget is invested in testing also impacts quality.

Quality professionals work within a system that often rewards behaviours that detrimentally impact quality. Rewarding teams for how much they build rather than how much they deploy inadvertently encourages software engineering teams to focus more on output than the quality of that output.

Often bad systems are inherited by people wanting to do good work. Classifying these quality professionals as good or bad is pointless when the system within which you work prevents you from doing that.

As quality professionals that doesn't mean we give up and do nothing. We can choose how we respond to the constraints we face. We can question timeframes, advocate for better practices, and invest in learning and training.

Blame is unhelpful here. It does nothing to fix the situation and lays the blame on the profession that has the least opportunity to fix it. Instead, focus on improving the system. Examine the levers within that system that will effect change. How can space be provided to enable quality products to emerge? Encouraging collective ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement on these are better ways to improve the system.

The job is difficult enough as it is. Quality professionals need support. Leaders who build confidence and skills to support courageous activities. Leaders who teach that resilience comes through focusing on long-term goals and that often the difference between a bad and good outcome is a day. Leaders who work to create good communities. With these, we can aspire to achieve many things, and who knows, we might even get some of those goals over the line!

This is the role that leaders can play.