My First Blog on QA Engineering: A Special Beginning
Welcome to my first blog post on QA Engineering, right here on my personal website. I’ve often wondered when to start writing and what the first topic should be. Yesterday gave me the answer — it was a day filled with two of my greatest passions: QA Automation and People.
I had the privilege of attending Sopra Steria’s “The BEST in TEST” meetup, where some of the most respected voices in QA — Michael Bolton, Lina Zubyte, and Bas Dijkstra — shared their insights on testing, inclusion, and innovation. I’m excited to share some reflections from this truly inspiring event.
Michael Bolton – The Primacy of Primary Testing Michael Bolton opened up new perspectives with his session on “The Primacy of Primary Testing.” He walked us through the “seasons” of testing — Prospective, Primary, Regression, and Remedial — and emphasized how Primary Testing is about testing now that you have a product. His talk helped me understand what to prioritize during each phase and, equally importantly, what to avoid. It was a deep, thought-provoking dive into how we approach testing in real-world scenarios.
Lina Zubyte – Exploring the Power of Inclusion Lina Zubyte’s talk on Inclusion truly resonated with me. As someone who grew up in Kerala, India and has lived in the Netherlands for the past decade, I could deeply relate to her stories and insights. She brought a fresh, positive perspective to a complex and often challenging topic. Her message reminded me of the beauty in diversity and how inclusion strengthens teams and innovation alike.
Bas Dijkstra – Mutation Testing Bas Dijkstra’s session on Mutation Testing challenged my thinking. His explanation of how mutation testing helps align our tests with real-world like product bugs was eye-opening. The way he addressed false positives and false negatives was clear, practical, and inspiring. It made me realize the boundaries I had unknowingly created in my own approach — and how to start breaking through them.
The People: Passionate, Diverse, and Inspiring Beyond the talks, what truly made the evening special were the people I met — professionals from all over the Netherlands and even beyond, each with their own journey and passion for Quality. The genuine curiosity everyone showed toward each other’s stories created an atmosphere of warmth and connection. It was deeply human, and deeply moving.
A Word of Thanks A heartfelt thank you to Willem Keesman for the invitation, and to the incredible organizers who put months of hard work into making this event happen. It was a beautiful, meaningful evening — and the perfect inspiration for my very first blog post.