Ministry of Sessions: The Amazing Book of Test Notes
30 Jun 2025
In this moment:
Simon Tomes
05/04/19, Brighton.
A TestBash 2019 Apple Photos memory just popped up on my iMac.
Rosie Sherry encouraged me and my business partner, Rajit Singh, to develop a physical version of TestBuddy. It was a lot of fun putting it together and utterly wild to see it in the hands of all attendees. Thanks, Rosie. 😃
Each double page had space to take testing notes, which included areas to define a charter, set a duration, capture problems, questions, ideas and praise (PQIP) — plus space for a summary and any other notes.
Fun side story. My mate Jon works for Amex. Has done so since he left uni and has been super successful. You can't see it in the photo, but the notebook is sponsored by Amex. I chuckled, sending him a photo saying, "Thanks for sponsoring my tech startup!" 😅
Wow, we were bold back then to build a SaaS product. What a rollercoaster!
Good memories.
More info on PQIP: https://www.ministryoftesting.com/articles/what-is-exploratory-testing-pqip-four-simple-words-to-level-up-your-testing-efforts
A TestBash 2019 Apple Photos memory just popped up on my iMac.
Rosie Sherry encouraged me and my business partner, Rajit Singh, to develop a physical version of TestBuddy. It was a lot of fun putting it together and utterly wild to see it in the hands of all attendees. Thanks, Rosie. 😃
Each double page had space to take testing notes, which included areas to define a charter, set a duration, capture problems, questions, ideas and praise (PQIP) — plus space for a summary and any other notes.
Fun side story. My mate Jon works for Amex. Has done so since he left uni and has been super successful. You can't see it in the photo, but the notebook is sponsored by Amex. I chuckled, sending him a photo saying, "Thanks for sponsoring my tech startup!" 😅
Wow, we were bold back then to build a SaaS product. What a rollercoaster!
Good memories.
More info on PQIP: https://www.ministryoftesting.com/articles/what-is-exploratory-testing-pqip-four-simple-words-to-level-up-your-testing-efforts
Simon Tomes
Community Lead at MoTaverse
he/him
Hello, I'm Simon. Since 2003 I've had various roles in testing, tech leadership and coaching. I believe in the power of collaboration, creativity and community. 🎓 MoT-STEC qualified.
Sign in
to comment
Manage your entire QA lifecycle in one place. Sync Jira, automate scripts, and use AI to accelerate your testing.
Explore MoT
See where AI genuinely helps, where it doesn’t, and how testers can stay firmly in control
Learn how to recognise cognitive biases, explain what they are and use them to your advantage in your testing
Into the MoTaverse is a podcast by Ministry of Testing, hosted by Rosie Sherry, exploring the people, insights, and systems shaping quality in modern software teams.
