AMA about Epistemology - the practice of testing
18 Mar 2026
Inspired by the following challenge: https://www.ministryoftesting.com/moments/create-a-moment-ask-motaverse-anything/
Often we're asked 'what does QA do?' It should be a simple answer, and yet we're left stuttering. Most answers will revolve around 'finding bugs' or 'testing' or 'improving quality.' The issues with these answers is 1) they are vague in themselves. and 2) they are all jobs that could be accomplished by other stakeholders - developers, project leads, managers, etc. It puts QA into a gap that could eventually be filled by someone else.
Years of my professional career has been a journey to answer this question, and the answer I found is Epistemology. QA navigates beliefs in search of the truth.Â
So, AMA about Epistemology and how we can define QA
Just reply with a question in the comments and I'll reply with a new moment per question – and will tag the person who asked it.
Shawn Vernier
Quality Engineer
He/Him
The answer to quality is context.
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Simon Tomes
Can you share some examples where epistemology highlights the limits of what testing can actually prove?
Demi Van Malcot
What is the biggest change to your definition of QA that you dive into epistemology has caused?
Ady Stokes
Through similar research into thinking in testing, I believe the quality of software is intrinsically linked to the quality of thinking that goes into software development. So. How does the quality of thinking shape what we perceive as truth?
Ady Stokes
If quality professionals are there to help navigate beliefs in search of the truth. How do they build a shared understanding if stakeholders hold conflicting beliefs to the truth found?
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