Ever felt trapped by the metrics you're tracking? In this episode, Parveen and Suman tackle the uncomfortable truth about quality metrics - why the numbers we're asked to report rarely tell the real story, and what we should be measuring instead. From automation coverage debates to metrics that completely backfired, this conversation might just change how you think about showing quality to your stakeholders.In this episode Suman and Parveen talked about:* Why capturing lots of metrics becomes a trap and how to focus on what actually drives improvement* How to shift stakeholder conversations from test coverage percentages to business impact and risk

As 2025 comes to a close, we're taking a moment to pause, reflect, and share what this year has taught us.

In this episode, Parveen and Suman open up about:

✨ The Wins – Career milestones, personal breakthroughs, and finally ticking off goals that had been on the list for years

💪 The Challenges – Struggles with consistency, leadership transitions, and learning some hard truths about perfection

🎯 Looking Ahead to 2026 – Bold experiments with realistic goals!

Here's the twist: What was a challenge for one of us became a win for the other. We're all on different journey with different goals, wins and challenges

We'd love to hear from you: What was your biggest takeaway from 2025? What are you building in 2026?

🎧 Listen now to the full conversation!

Are certifications a real career boost or just a box‑ticking exercise? In this episode of Quality Unfiltered, hosts Parveen Khan and Suman Bala unpack when certificates help, when they don’t, and how hiring managers actually weigh them against demonstrable skills.We cover:The difference between certificates that prove completion vs. certificates that prove you can do the workWhether certifications influence hiring decisions and how muchPractical guidance for junior testers on where to invest time and money (certs vs. portfolio, projects, and community)

Parveen Khan and Suman Bala dive into one of the most debated topics in quality engineering: Should test automation be owned by a dedicated team, or embedded within every squad? We go beyond tools and frameworks to unpack what a healthy automation culture really looks like and ownership models, habits, and signals that build trust in your pipeline.

Ever wondered why some feedback lights a fire under you while other feedback just... falls flat?

In this episode, Parveen Khan and Suman Bala unpack what separates feedback that motivates from feedback that deflates.

They discussed about the art of giving praise that actually means something and how to receive tough feedback without getting defensive or shutting down.

We want to hear from you:

• What's your go-to feedback technique?
• Did this episode spark any ideas for you?
• Will you change anything about how you give or receive feedback after listening?

Drop your thoughts in the comments - we're all learning together!

In this second episode of Quality Unfiltered, Parveen and Suman take a nostalgic trip back 10-15 years to explore how test strategy has transformed from those massive documents nobody read into living, collaborative quality strategies that the whole team owns.

They share their experiences of when strategies worked, when they didn't, and why context matters more than following a template.

What we cover:

• The shift from "test strategy" to "quality strategy" – why language matters
• How strategies evolved from 40-page documents to collaborative Miro boards
• When you actually need a documented strategy (and when you don't)
• Using testing models like Dan Ashby's Continuous Testing and Janet Gregory & Lisa Crispin's Holistic Testing approach
• Why non-functional requirements should be called "quality attributes"
• The controversial question: Do we even need strategy documents in fast-paced environments?
• Real stories of strategies that never got used (and what we learned)
• Team-level vs org-level quality strategies – what's the difference?

LinkedIn: Quality Unfiltered

Email: qualityunfiltered@gmail.com

We'd love to hear your experiences – how has your approach to quality strategy evolved? Share your stories with us!

In this first episode of Quality Unfiltered, Parveen and Suman talk about what it means to drive quality as a lead when you’re not embedded within a single team.

They share how quality leaders can still influence teams, build trust, and create impact even when they work across many areas.
How small coffee chats help build trust and connection
The power of sharing failures and being open
Building communities within your company to share ideas and support
How to keep quality visible and consistent across multiple teams

Whether you’re a quality lead, tester, or someone who cares about improving how teams work together — this episode has something for you.

• LinkedIn: Quality Unfiltered
• Email: qualityunfiltered@gmail.com