Success is less a strike of lighting than a commitment to organizational excellence. Enabling greatness means alleviating unnecessary challenges, which sometimes means pumping the brakes to unravel tangles and inefficiencies, even — and especially — in times of fierce competition and economic uncertainty. Gene Kim has spent years researching the habits of successful organizations. He joins the Ready, Test, Go. podcast to discuss some of the findings in his latest book, including the concepts of slowification, simplification, and amplification. About the guest: Gene Kim is a renowned bestselling author, researcher, speaker and CTO. His latest book, co-written with Steven Spear called Wiring the Winning Organization, published in November. You can find a link to that book here: https://myresources.itrevolution.com/id006657164/Wiring-the-Winning-Organization Hosted by David Carty Produced by David Carty, Samsu Sallah and Joe Stella Graphic design by Karley Searles To contact the producers, please email us at [email protected].

We are the subjects of data — but, too often, fail to understand or influence how it is used. Humans must make trade-offs to enjoy the luxury of digital products while also maintaining a sense of decency and privacy. So, what does that mean for the companies who collect this data and the AI that interprets it? Author and professor Wendy Wong joins the podcast to discuss why consumers must take an active role in their data sharing choices, and how organizations should adapt to the needs of these users over the long term. About the guest: Wendy Wong is the Professor of Political Science and Principal's Research Chair at the University of British Columbia. She is the author of the book, We, the Data: Human Rights in the Digital Age, which published in October. Hosted by David Carty Produced by David Carty, Samsu Sallah and Joe Stella Graphic design by Karley Searles To contact the producers, please email us at [email protected].

Payment transactions are anything but simple -- yet users expect them to be intuitive, reliable and friction-free. How do businesses manage this task in a global marketplace fraught with local payment preferences and challenges? Zeb Winzenried, Director of Testing Services in Payments at Applause, joins the podcast to explain how organizations can navigate this complicated space. About the guest: Zeb Winzenried manages the testing request delivery with a global team, helping big companies validate their payment flows. Zeb’s business background and love of technology helps him navigate the challenging and unique payment testing landscape. Hosted by David Carty Produced by David Carty, Samsu Sallah and Joe Stella Graphic design by Karley Searles To contact the producers, please email us at [email protected].

Irene Pereyra, discusses concepts from her book, Universal Principles of UX: 100 Timeless Strategies to Create Positive Interactions between People and Technology, to shed light on how digital products can delight or frustrate users. You can find Irene’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Strategies-Interactions-Technology/dp/0760378045 About the guest: For more than 10 years, Irene Pereyra has led program management and UX initiatives as the co-founder of Anton and Irene, a Brooklyn-based design firm. Irene has lectured at more than 100 design conferences and educational institutions, and is currently the co-chair of the Interaction Design program at Harbour Space University. Hosted by David Carty Produced by David Carty, Samsu Sallah and Joe Stella Graphic design by Karley Searles To contact the producers, please email us at [email protected].

Software testing is important, but why exactly do we do it? And how should we examine our digital quality efforts over time? These are necessary questions that many QA organizations don’t ask. James Mortlock, Lead UAT Test Manager at Vodafone, joins the podcast to discuss what should go into a software testing strategy — and why. We also talk about delivering better value with digital quality initiatives, and why efficiency ultimately benefits everybody. You can also see James in a recent webinar he did with Applause called How Vodafone Shifted User Acceptance Testing Left, which you can find here: https://www.applause.com/resources/webinars/how-vodafone-shifted-uat-left About the guest: James Mortlock is the Lead UAT Test Manager at Vodafone. He previously held roles in digital automation, analytics implementation and served as a Scrum Master. Hosted by David Carty Produced by David Carty, Samsu Sallah and Joe Stella Edited by Samsu Sallah and Megan Gawlik Graphic design by Karley Searles To contact the producers, please email us at [email protected].

Many businesses have immature data governance processes reminiscent of bad diets — garbage in, garbage out. Insights gleaned from data, whether by human eyes or AI, are only valuable if the data is readable and relevant. For too many businesses, it’s not. Civic tech service designer, author and lecturer Lauren Maffeo joins the podcast to discuss where organizations miss the mark on data quality, a problem that costs businesses millions of dollars per yet. She’ll discuss findings from her book, Designing Data Governance from the Ground Up: Six Steps to Build a Data-Driven Culture, and how governance-driven development can foster shared data responsibility across the organization. You can find Lauren’s book here: https://pragprog.com/titles/lmmlops/designing-data-governance-from-the-ground-up/

Technology solves some of the problems in our society today, but it exacerbates others, such as discrimination based on a person’s race, gender, income level or disabilities. As companies continue to invest heavily in AI/ML technology, they must take caution to ensure new products don’t fall back on old, problematic patterns that cause harm to users or others. Meredith Broussard, author of the book More than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech, joins the podcast to discuss the myriad ways these issues — not glitches — present themselves in modern technology and digital products, and what we can do about it. You can find Meredith’s book here: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262373067/more-than-a-glitch/ About the guest: Meredith Broussard is the Associate Professor at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and Research Director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology. She is the author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Atlantic, BBC, Wired and the Economist. Hosted by David Carty Produced by David Carty, Samsu Sallah and Joe Stella Edited by Samsu Sallah and Megan Gawlik Graphic design by Karley Searles To contact the producers, please email us at [email protected].

Even if you live in a galaxy far, far away, many of the cybersecurity and digital quality concerns that cause product releases to fail are relevant. Even the mighty Death Star is left vulnerable by one tiny flaw that should’ve been discovered and patched — and this is just the start of what we can learn about digital quality from the world’s favorite sci-fi universe. Security consultant, expert and author Adam Shostack shines a light on the Star Wars series to reveal cautionary tales about software quality, cybersecurity and more. About the guest: As President of Shostack + Associates, Adam Shostack delivers high-quality training and consulting in security engineering, including threat modeling and DevSecOps. Shostack also serves as a member of the Black Hat Review Board, RISCS Advisory Board and IriusRisk Advisory Board. He is also the author of three books, including Threats: What Every Engineer Should Learn From Star Wars. You can find Adam’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Threats-Every-Engineer-Should-Learn/dp/1119895162 Hosted by David Carty Produced by David Carty, Samsu Sallah and Joe Stella Edited by Samsu Sallah and Megan Gawlik Graphic design by Karley Searles To contact the producers, please email us at [email protected].

As companies look to maintain lean budgets or even cut them, how can organizations make sense of their digital quality investments, and optimize them moving forward? It takes full organizational commitment and a clever approach to take advantage of all resources — internal and external to the business. In this episode of the Ready, Test, Go. podcast, software development and testing expert Matt Heusser of Excelon Development discusses the importance of efficient testing that delivers value. Hear from Heusser how flexible resources like crowdtesting can help fill gaps in testing coverage, and whether he sees a tide change in how leaders are approaching digital quality. About the guest: Matt Heusser is the Managing Director of Excelon Development. Heusser is an award-winning thought leader, speaker and writer. He is also the author of Lean Software Testing/Lean Software Delivery methods and courses. Hosted by David Carty Produced by David Carty, Samsu Sallah and Joe Stella Graphic design by Karley Searles To contact the producers, please email us at [email protected].

Feature-rich products don’t necessarily lead to widespread customer adoption. In fact, the everyday user likely prefers a stripped-down, easy-to-understand product to one that offers all the functionality under the sun. Striking a balance between speed to market, inventive products and an emphasis on digital quality can sometimes lead to a push-pull that sinks innovation initiatives. Turns out a diverse background can go a long way toward substantive innovation — just as Gary Larkin, the Chief Strategy Officer of Marker Trax and Koin Mobile. In this podcast episode, Larkin, whose background includes marketing, graphic arts and advertising, explains why an approach to product innovation must be simple yet refined and thoughtful yet profitable — not always easy needles to thread in the global marketplace. About the guest: Gary Larkin is the Chief Strategy Officer of Marker Trax and Koin Mobile. Through decades of leadership experience, particularly in the payment solutions space, Larkin has learned the dos and do-not-dos of product innovation and expansion into new markets. Hosted by David Carty Produced by David Carty, Samsu Sallah and Joe Stella Graphic design by Karley Searles To contact the producers, please email us at [email protected].