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Index/Engineering & DevTools/Software Testing Unleashed
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Testing Needs Leaders and Not Just Testers - Kari Kakkonen

Software Testing Unleashed · 2025-06-19 · 20 min

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Topics in this episode

test automation strategytesting leadershipact2lead modelsoftware quality cultureleadership in testing

Episode notes

From Chaos to Clarity: Organizing Testing in Complex Environments Free e-book: The 7 success factors of software testing. 25 years of project experience in one 33-page workbook, now also in English Get it for free "I think there is not enough leadership in testing." - Kari Kakkonen In this episode, I talk to Kari Kakkonen about his Act 2 Lead model and why testing leadership is often missing in software testing. We unpack the reality that while grassroots testing within teams works well, the higher levels of organizations often lack a real understanding and leadership around quality. Kari lays out his model, a memorable eight-letter heuristic, as both a guide and a checklist for leaders at any level. It made me reflect on how companies approach testing - sometimes leaving it solely to autonomous teams but missing the big picture. I found myself wondering: is strong leadership the missing link for better quality software? Kari Kakkonen has worked in software testing for almost 30 years. He is the Service Owner of Customer Expertise Development at Gofore, the author of Dragons Out software testing book and co-author of ACT 2 LEAD Software Testing Leadership Handbook.

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