Maryia and Vitaly sit down with Maaret Pyhäjärvi — an exceptionally seasoned tester, manager, consultant and speaker whose work has influenced teams and communities around the world. What begins as a conversation about a persistent managerial myth — the belief that employees are inherently lazy — quickly evolves into a discussion of the forces that shape motivation at work. We also we ventured the broader themes of professional ethics, education in tech, leadership models, and what it really means to create environments where people can thrive.
Links:
1. Maaret's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maaret/
2. Vitaly's research on laziness: https://beyondquality.org/research/laziness
Sponsors:
1. Qase https://qase.io/
2. Regent https://regent.se
3. AnuKrit https://anukrit.de
Maryia and Anupam spoke to Hannah Reynolds and Mike Jarred, who bring between them more than 3 decades of recruitment and hiring experience. You’ll learn how you can stand out in today’s job-market and dodge pitfalls that most candidates fall prey to. Most importantly, you’ll receive invaluable guidance on how to communicate the value you deliver, and cultivate relationships that will supercharge your career in the long-run.
Links:
1. Hannah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-reynolds-b0b579168/
2. Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikejarred/
Sponsors:
1. Qase https://qase.io/
2. Regent https://regent.se
3. AnuKrit https://anukrit.de
In this episode Vitaly, Maryia and Anupam engage with guest Rahul Verma to discuss the evolving landscape of testing in the context of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). The conversation explores the challenges of testing LLMs, the importance of understanding the principles behind these technologies, and the need for testers to contribute to the development of frameworks and benchmarks. The discussion emphasizes the significance of approaching LLMs critically, rather than blindly trusting them or, conversely, rejecting them altogether.
Links:
1. Anupam's research on RAG evaluation using RAGAS: https://beyondquality.org/research/rag-evaluation
2. Rahul's book "The Last Book on Testing": https://www.amazon.com/Last-Book-Testing-Rahul-Verma-ebook/dp/B0DZRJFX65
Sponsors:
1. Qase https://qase.io/
2. Regent AB https://regent.se
3. AnuKrit https://anukrit.de
In this episode, Vitaly, Anupam and Maryia invited Mesut Durukal — a renowned conference speaker with 20+ years in testing, who has worked across multiple countries and environments — explore how cultural differences shape the way we work, test, and collaborate. From Japanese process-driven approaches to Swedish family-first values, we discuss how history, hierarchy, and cultural habits influence communication, quality standards, and team dynamics in IT and beyond.
Mesut also shares insights from his ongoing research into the impact of national cultures on testing practices and invites the community to contribute.
Links:
2. Mesut research "how-to contribute":
4. Culture map book
In the very first episode, Vitaly Sharovatov, Anupam Krishnamurthy, and Maryia Tuleika sit down to talk about the why and how behind the Beyond Quality collaborative community. We share the motivation for creating a space where QA/QE professionals can research, prepare talks, and solve problems together; and how this community can help us all save time, improve quality, and push the craft of quality forward.