Clare Norman
Senior quality coach
she/her
Passionate about the human side of software: the people who build it as much as the people who use it. I believe great products come from great collaboration, and I love facilitating the kind of conversations that turn complexity into clarity. My focus is on making software that's inclusive for everyone. I believe software shouldn't just be functional, but joyful too. Here are some more words it's 404
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Achievements
Certificates
Level up your software testing and quality engineering skills with the credibility of a Ministry of Testing certification.
Activity
earned:
Member joined TWiQ — This Week in Quality chapter
earned:
The curse of the live demo… and other testing superstitions - Ep 123
earned:
You're absolutely right! I have a love hate relationship with AI - Ep 132
earned:
1.2.0 of Quality Coaching essentials
achieved:
This badge is awarded to members who attend 10 MoTaverse events.
Contributions
On the 15th of January 2026 myself and Ujjwal Kumar Singh joined a call and pressed record. We were curious to see what would happen. A few weeks later I’d done the same with Neil Taylor and Clare ...
Judy and Clare trade spicy hot takes, from notification overload and 'done > perfect' learning, to a passionate deep dive on accessibility as a moral (and business) imperative.
Inspired by Clare Norman's recent lightning learning sessions. A speaker pulled out last minute so a developer stepped in to share what they've been working on. While Clare pointed out that it's no...
Reflections of Clare Norman's take on workshops during TWiQ. Goals are important when running a workshop yet the way you get there is different to a meeting. People show up and participat...
The lineup is out and oh my... how exciting is it?These are the contributors we've announced publicly... but let me tell you something. Every single person walking through the Brighton Dome doors b...
A hot-takes episode where the crew debates AI skepticism, manual testing’s staying power, whether AI agents really speed delivery, and why quality ultimately lives (or dies) with leadership decisions.
Get ready to smile and bring joy to how you build your products!Clare Norman will explore the transition from purely functional software to products that spark genuine joy. Drawing inspiration from...
Facilitation is the skill of guiding a group through a conversation, activity, or decision‑making process so they can achieve their goals effectively and collaboratively. It involves intentionally creating an environment where every person feels able to express their thoughts, ensuring psychological safety, keeping discussions focused, and inviting every voice into the space. As a facilitator, a key question is: Have I created a space where you feel able to express yourself?Why facilitation mattersFacilitation is a vital skill for a quality coach because I believe a big part of the role centres on bringing the right people together at the right time. But simply gathering the group isn’t enough; the value comes from how the conversation is held.Facilitation is the activation of the people in the room: enabling them to contribute, think critically together, and surface insights that would be missed without a well facilitated discussion.When facilitation is weak, meetings can be dominated by a few voices, wander off‑topic, or fail to reach clarity and with that, opportunities to improve quality are lost. But when facilitation is strong, it ensures:
Every voice is heard, including quieter or less confident perspectives.
Psychological safety is established, so people feel able to raise risks as well as ideas.
The discussion stays focused on the purpose.
The team makes better decisions, drawing on their collective intelligence.
For anyone working in the quality community, I believe facilitation is foundational. It transforms a group of individuals into a collaborative problem‑solving team.
Swap your team’s favourite quality superstitions, laugh at cursed demos and disappearing bugs, and turn “don’t deploy on Fridays” from folklore into smarter release habits.
Clare Norman shares a goal: Bring quality coaching to at least one developer conference.
Master the art of quality coaching by learning how to facilitate activation sessions that empower developers to own automation and identify wobbly code
Clare Norman and I explored what AI means for us quality professionals. Can't wait to see the outcome of what Clare reveals at the end!