Susanne Abdelrahman: What does decision making have to do with quality?

Talk Description

In this episode of Leading With Quality, Ministry of Testing CEO Rosie Sherry chats with Susanne Abdelrahman, Quality Engineering Manager and former QA leader at Dropbox.

Together, they explore how leading with quality means being clear about the problems you're trying to solve, translating work into business impact, and navigating growing scope, especially when you’re accountable but don’t have full ownership. Susanne reflects on her time at Dropbox, where she coached teams, prioritised ruthlessly, and partnered across functions to influence quality without being a blocker.

You’ll hear about:

• How QA has grown to work across the full SDLC, from ideation to post-release
• Balancing team-level decisions with org-wide quality coaching
• Using rituals, visibility, and “quality champions” to scale your impact
• Making the quiet wins of quality work visible
• Why language, community, and clarity all matter in modern quality leadership

This is a thoughtful conversation about influence, care, and helping teams build better software together. If you're figuring out how to lead with quality in complex environments, this episode offers practical examples, hard-earned lessons, and a sense of community for quality professionals navigating similar challenges.

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 building.

Susanne Abdelrahman

Engineering Manager, QE

She/her

I'm a product quality nerd based in NYC. Also a mama, reader, baker of delicious pies, and lover of naps, sunshine, and macarons. I write about making software less awful at theproductmindedqa.com