From Gatekeepers to Quality Coaches

Kat Obring’s talk at Leeds Testing Atelier explored how QA roles can evolve from blockers at the end of a pipeline to enablers of quality throughout it.

Kat shared practical ways testers can shift into coaching roles, such as running test planning workshops, pairing testing sessions with developers, and leading quality-focused retros. She also addressed the reality that many developers haven’t been taught much about testing, and how QA professionals are well-placed to lead that learning to help everyone contribute to quality.