How do shoelaces link to risk?
23 Jun 2026
I love a convenient slip-on trainer, but I also have a beloved pair with traditional laces. I rarely double-knot them. Yet, I have friends who double-knot their shoes every single day.
Double-knotting is the ultimate "just in case" insurance policy. But it also takes extra time and effort.
In Quality Engineering, we face this exact dilemma daily. We call it calculated risk.
In an ideal world, perhaps we would "double-knot" every piece of code - running exhaustive regression suites, heavy performance testing, and deep security scans on every minor change. But in the real world, we have deadlines and limited resources.
Just like with shoelaces, the right approach depends on the context:
Double-knotting is the ultimate "just in case" insurance policy. But it also takes extra time and effort.
In Quality Engineering, we face this exact dilemma daily. We call it calculated risk.
In an ideal world, perhaps we would "double-knot" every piece of code - running exhaustive regression suites, heavy performance testing, and deep security scans on every minor change. But in the real world, we have deadlines and limited resources.
Just like with shoelaces, the right approach depends on the context:
- The Material: Modern architectures might handle a single knot just fine, while legacy systems often need that extra knot to stay secure.
- Existing Safety Nets: If you already have reliable automated test coverage holding things in place, the risk of a catastrophic slip is drastically lowered.
- The Impact: If you're running a casual sprint, a single knot is fine. If you're deploying to a critical payment gateway, you double-knot.
QE isn't about eliminating 100% of risk; it’s about proactively identifying and managing them. It’s knowing when to build an ironclad safety net, and when a single knot is enough to get you across the finish line swiftly. 👟
See more posts like this on my LinkedIn page https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamdeborahreid/
Deborah Reid
Lead Test Engineer
she/her
Deborah has been testing for about 15 years now. She is currently Lead Test Engineer at Bloom and Wild group. She specialises in exploratory and risk based testing with a passion for accessibility. Deborah has written a course for MoT on an Introduction to Accessibility Testing as well as an article on speaking at a Conference for the first time, spoken at an AMA on Soft Skills and more!
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