Quality Talks Podcast

About Quality Talks Podcast

Stu & Chris together, have more than 30 years combined experience in the quality, software testing and the general technology industry, and on the Quality Talks podcasts they will be discussing, along with special guests, all the hot topics on everyone minds.....and those that may not be :)

Publisher

Quality Talks Podcast

Category

technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 May 2024

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

58 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   The Next Chapter: Beyond The First 30 Days - Turning Understanding into Action

   So, you've made it through the first 30 days. You've listened, asked questions, built relationships and started to understand the environment. But what happens next? In this episode of Quality Talks, Chris Pratt and Stu Day explore what comes beyond the first 30 days — turning understanding into action, shaping a strategy, creating principles and bringing people along on the journey. They discuss why there is no cookie-cutter approach to change, the importance of building a strategy around the organisation you're actually in, and how communities of practice and maturity models can help turn ideas into meaningful, incremental progress. They also explore some of the traps leaders can fall into — from knee-jerk engineering to imposing solutions without understanding the problem — and why sometimes the best answer is to slow down and think before you act. Key Takeaways: The first 30 days are about understanding; what comes next is turning that understanding into action. There is no cookie-cutter approach to leading change — your strategy needs to fit the organisation you're in. Turn what you've learned into a story, a vision and a roadmap that people can understand and contribute to. Bring people into the strategy rather than imposing solutions on them. Principles need to be understood and lived, not simply written down. Communities of practice can help turn principles into everyday conversations, learning and behaviour. Maturity models can help identify incremental improvements, but the conversation behind the score is often more valuable than the score itself. Beware of jumping straight to solutions. Sometimes the best thing you can do is slow down, understand the problem and consider the bigger picture. Chapters: 00:00 – So What Happens Next? 02:02 – What's Been Happening Since The Last Episode? 08:30 – Listener Questions: How Do You Get Into The Meetings You Need To Be In? 12:50 – Beyond The First 30 Days 16:19 – Ingredients, Recipes & Strategy 19:41 – Turning Information Into A Story 21:56 – Building A Roadmap & Bringing People Along 25:47 – Creating Quality Principles 32:18 – From Principles To Action 39:04 – How Do We Know We're Improving? 43:42 – Moving Beyond QA & Testing 50:45 – Avoiding Knee-Jerk Engineering 53:00 – What Are We Saying No To? 57:20 – The God Complex 59:09 – Wrapping Up

2. 

   23 Sept 2026

   The Next Chapter: The First 30 Days - Start With Understanding

   Summary Starting a new role or trying to influence change can create a strong urge to make an immediate impact. But what if the most important thing you can do first is simply understand? In this episode of Quality Talks, Chris Pratt and Stu Day explore what the first 30 days of a new role — or a new chapter of change — can look like. They discuss the importance of listening, empathy, building relationships, understanding context and resisting the temptation to change things simply because they worked somewhere else. They also explore Stu's approach to using a quality framework to gather information, understand where teams are today and start shaping a vision for where they could go next. Key Takeaways: The first 30 days should start with understanding, listening and empathy. Building meaningful relationships is critical to establishing trust and credibility. Don't assume that something needs changing simply because it worked differently somewhere else. Understand the history and context behind why things are the way they are. Impact doesn't always mean making immediate, tangible change. Quality assessments should be used to gather information and drive conversations, not simply generate scores. The conversation and the "why" behind the data are more important than the score itself. Quality should be considered through People, Process, Tools and Outcomes. Start with outcomes and value rather than simply implementing tools or automation. A framework should help you understand an organisation, not become something you try to force onto it. Don't expect a 30- or 90-day plan to happen perfectly or to a fixed timetable. Build a vision collaboratively, and remain open to where the journey takes you. Sometimes the first step towards change is simply asking better questions. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro & The Romesh Ranganathan Show 02:53 – What's Been Happening Since The Last Episode? 05:17 – The Power Of Lived Experience 08:51 – Looking Ahead To MoTaCon 10:32 – We've Had A Letter! 11:04 – The Breadth Gap 13:47 – Are You Applying For The Title Or The Role? 14:19 – Finding The Right Role For You 16:28 – Stepping Into Change 17:57 – What Do The First 30–90 Days Look Like? 18:47 – Applying The Approach Beyond Work 19:50 – The First 30 Days Start With Understanding 21:00 – Building Human & Historical Connections 22:24 – Trust & Credibility 23:20 – Understanding Why Things Are The Way They Are 23:48 – Empathy Starts With Listening 25:39 – Resist The Urge To Make An Immediate Impact 26:12 – Impact Doesn't Always Mean Change 28:23 – We've Seen This Before... 29:13 – When You Really Do Need To Make A Change 30:07 – Focus On Outcomes, Not Change For Change's Sake 30:36 – Don't Just Replicate Your Previous Organisation 31:25 – The Importance Of An Open Mind 32:58 – The Continuous Quality Assessment 33:27 – People, Process, Tools & Outcomes 34:00 – Understanding Psychological Safety 35:47 – Don't Overkill The Assessment 37:18 – It's About The Story, Not The Score 38:19 – What Should We Be Looking At? 40:42 – Quality Gates & Feedback Loops 42:58 – Tools Should Solve Problems 43:11 – Outcomes & Value 44:29 – What Happens To The Time We Save? 45:29 – More Isn't Always Better 46:22 – Are We Still In The First 30 Days? 47:12 – Don't Be Too Hard On Yourself 48:35 – Curiosity Never Stops 50:54 – Other Ways To Assess Quality 51:51 – What Happens After The Assessment? 52:38 – Don't Just Share The Scores 53:00 – What Does Better Look Like? 54:59 – Vision Without Attachment 56:18 – Bringing It All Together 56:52 – This Isn't A Maturity Model... Yet 57:34 – The Right Approach For The Organisation 58:35 – That's A Wrap! 59:19 – What Has Quality Talks Ever Done For Us?

3. 

   9 Sept 2026

   The Next Chapter: Shifting Mindsets, Behaviours & How We Need To Be!!

   Stepping into a leadership role isn't just about learning what to do — it's about changing how you think, behave and show up. In this episode of Quality Talks, Chris Pratt and Stu Day explore the shift from technical expert to quality leader, the importance of adaptability, different leadership styles, and why good leaders don't need to have all the answers. They also share real experiences of dealing with pressure, accountability, team empowerment and the challenges of leading when things don't go to plan. Key Takeaways Leadership isn't about having all the answers. Adaptability is essential to effective leadership. Different situations require different leadership styles. Moving from technical leadership to people leadership requires a significant mindset shift. Good leaders enable others rather than becoming the bottleneck. It's okay not to know the answer — leadership is about helping find it. Progress is often more valuable than perfection. Knowing when to step in and when to step back is a key leadership skill. Empowerment and accountability can — and should — exist together. Continuous improvement means continually learning, adapting and challenging ourselves Chapters 00:00 – Intro & Quality Talks Banter 10:33 – The Next Chapter: How Do We Need To Be? 14:14 – What Does It Take To Become A Quality Leader? 17:25 – The Hidden Challenges Of Quality Leadership 20:00 – Strategy Isn't Created In Isolation 22:48 – Why Quality Leadership Never Feels 'Done' 24:34 – The Need For Speed & Pragmatic Quality 29:46 – Change, Learning & Never Having All The Answers 31:42 – You Don't Have To Have All The Answers 33:41 – Why Stu Loves Starting From Scratch 37:05 – The Learning Rabbit Holes 39:00 – From Technical Expert To People Leader 42:58 – Flip The Pyramid: Leadership As Enablement 45:59 – Technical Career Paths vs People Leadership 48:29 – Should Leaders Still Be Hands-On? 51:15 – Expert, Achiever & Catalyst Leadership 55:34 – When Coaching Isn't Always The Answer 56:30 – The Right Leadership Style For The Situation 58:38 – Shark-Infested Custard & The Power Of Starting 01:00:54 – Combining Leadership Styles 01:01:33 – Progress Over Perfection 01:03:04 – You Don't Know Where The Journey Will End 01:05:11 – How Do We Need To Be In The Moment? 01:07:17 – Don't Arrive Thinking You Know Everything 01:09:14 – Titles Don't Matter 01:11:10 – When Things Go Wrong... 01:13:09 – The 'Who's To Blame?' Moment 01:15:00 – Protecting The Team Under Pressure 01:17:07 – Listening, Empathy & Building Trust 01:23:21 – Managing Our Own Reactions 01:26:43 – Passion, Emotion & Constructive Conversations 01:29:23 – Accountability vs Empowerment 01:31:15 – From Testing Accountability To Whole-Team Quality 01:32:21 – Bringing It Full Circle 01:32:50 – That's A Wrap!

Who has been a guest on Quality Talks Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Ayesha Saeed
• Nesha Mistry
• Vernon Richards
• Dalbir Sehmbi

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

14,965

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 40 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

38

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

27

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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