Bob Salmon: A developer walks into the quality bar
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Locked
Tech Lead
CEO & Founder at Ministry of Testing
Talk Description
In this episode of Leading with Quality, Rosie Sherry speaks with Bob Salmon, a tech lead with a long career in software and data, about how developers and testers can build better bridges. Bob does not have “quality” in his title, yet he has spent years exploring testing, user experience, and data through the lens of someone who cares deeply about how people use software.
Bob shares how his path through programming, architecture, and data engineering shaped his view of quality. He and Rosie talk about the different pressures developers and testers face, and how those pressures influence what each group pays attention to. Bob explains why openness matters, how user experience helped him think beyond the code, and why focusing on people can strengthen both engineering and quality work.
They discuss the gaps that often appear between teams and the small behaviours that can either widen or close them. Bob talks about the power of early conversations, spotting problems before code exists, and treating communication as a quality practice. He also dives into the world of data. Bob explains why data quality is rarely as clean as it looks, how tools and testing concepts can help, and what testers need to understand as more organisations rely on data-driven and AI-supported systems.
You’ll hear about:
• How developers and testers can understand each other’s pressures and motivations
• What early problem-spotting looks like before code exists
• How data quality issues appear in day-to-day engineering
• Practical ways testers can begin exploring and working with data
• The impact of messy real-world data on AI systems
• Why communication skills matter as much as technical skills in quality work
If you want to learn how to build stronger connections between engineering and quality, and how thinking about people can improve both software and data work, this conversation offers honest and practical insights.
