In this episode, Richard and Vernon discuss various aspects of job stability in the tech industry post-pandemic, the impact of innovation on job longevity, and the dynamics of accidental management. They explore the changing landscape of tech roles, the importance of ratios between developers and testers in projects, and the evolving nature of go/no-go decisions in software releases. The conversation emphasizes the need for clear metrics and standards to facilitate smoother decision-making processes in tech teams.
01:07 - Welcome to the Vernon Richard Emily Show
03:07 - Question: Do you think people are staying in tech jobs longer since the pandemic? The old time in role used to be about 2 years right?
17:00 - Income worries and diversification
20:20 - Question: I see loads of developers become accidental managers, but i don't think that's as common for testers - what do you think?
23:40 - Can Testing specialists become Engineering Managers (and beyond)?
26:06 - How does being a Quality Engineer impact your chances?
28:25 - Lived experience vs coaching
31:08 - We're already doing management and leadership
32:19 - What career paths are open to people with a testing background?
33:59 - Question: Do you think there is a good target ratio of dev:test professionals in greenfield projects? Brownfield projects etc. If not, what sort of thing do you think that depends on?
34:40 - It depends! On the project demands
35:20 - It depends! On what kind of people are in the team
37:10 - It depends! On testability
37:33 - And Rich's answer is...
39:19 - Sometimes you can't coach your way out of a situation
40:50 - It depends! On what good looks like
41:25 - It depends! On where the company is in it's life
44:35 - Question: My team release software to customers 1-2 times a week. Who do you think should be in that "go/no go" conversation?
48:16 - go/no go meetings in 2002 versus 2025
Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:
- 01:35 - Our most viral video to date
- 05:02 - Gary Stevenson, economist, trader, author
- 13:02 - Graham Freeburn
- 17:00 - Here's the phrase Vernon butchered and what he was trying to convey
- 28:41 - The definition of coaching
- The International Coaching Federation (ICF) define coaching as: "Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential."
- Here's Vernon explaining it during a presentation at Agile Testing Days
- 37:10 - Resources about the 10 Ps of Testability
Episode 21