Simplicity is at the core of The Ahh Test
27 Apr 2026
This is part of The Ahh Test collection.
I take simplicity very seriously! The simpler we can make the better our lives can be. There is complexity everywhere, often we accept it as the status quo. Innovation comes from shaking things up.
The Ahh Test is meant to be simple at its core.
I take simplicity very seriously! The simpler we can make the better our lives can be. There is complexity everywhere, often we accept it as the status quo. Innovation comes from shaking things up.
The Ahh Test is meant to be simple at its core.
The Ahh Test mostly involves asking: Does this pass the Ahh Test?
Yes, you read it right. To start practising The Ahh Test, look at something you are working on, and ask yourself if it passes The Ahh Test. As the news of The Ahh Test spreads, you can start raising the question in conversations and meetings.
How do you know if it passes The Ahh Test? That's a great question. And it's a test that gets easier over time.
You, your team and your org set the criteria of what passes the Ahh Test. Some of the criteria may be explicit or implicit. Some of the criteria may be documented, other parts are known as part of the culture. The reality is that documentation, conversations and good relationships are your friends to help you on your Ahh Test journey.
The more you practice, the more you may realise that often you won't even have to ask The Ahh Test question. You'll see it in action. You'll notice yourself letting out the ahh sound. You may even smile, or place your hand on your heart with joy. You might even find yourself creating Ahh Test Slack emojis to give feedback on whether aysnc conversations align with what feels right.
The Ahh Test taps into:
- Culture: How do we question our work and ask whether it aligns our culture and values standards? Is it misaligned? How is it aligned? Does it feel good?
- Flywheels: Does the work we do help things flow well? Does it create good or bad friction? Is it speeding things up? Is it saving time? Can you visualise how it is going to flow flowing better as the result of your work?
- Complexity: When we seek to understand complexity, simplify and design better systems, we can start to notice how it creates real and meaningful progress.
- Progress: Does the work we are doing help us progress towards our immediate or long-term goals? Can you pinpoint how?
- Purpose: Do we understand the purpose of the work we are doing? Why does it exist? What happens if we remove it?
- Needs: How is this addressing our business, employees, customers, and ecosystem needs?
- Feelings: That gut check, that you wish you didn't ignore. The experiences you've lived. The humanity within us. Is this something you can align with?
- Data: What data can you point to, surface, use, curate or create to help you make progress? What's missing? What can be built into the product, to give thos good feelings, align with the culture, create flywheels and help you work with complexity?
- Decisions: Good decisions. Fast decisions. Right decisions. Confident decisions. Imagine the decisions you are about to make, does it make you go ahh? or ughh?
In a moment, I'll share how The Ahh Test is part of a magical shift left strategy. Stay tuned.
Rosie Sherry
CEO & Founder at Ministry of Testing
She/Her
I've been working in the software testing and quality engineering space since the year 2000 whilst also combining it with my love for education and community. It turns out quality, community and education go nicely hand in hand.
🎓 MoT-STEC qualified
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