Well, if you are reading this – there’s a good chance it’s you. Especially if you read this with the intention of sharing this with your team. I hope you do, obviously 😊. But perhaps it’s unclear whose responsibility it is, to bring new knowledge to the team. Is it always the team manager job – or is it a dedicated person that by role, or by habit, that bring in new knowledge?
A key lesson with the whole situation is, that there is no Nirvana, no steady state nor closure to everything. The only constant is that life is ever changing. Coming up around the corner is a new change – some can be planned for and others not so much. Imagining that things can be different is the first step to dealing with change (Thank you, Virginia Satir).
There will always be more things needing attention. Sometimes it’s based on the fear of missing out (FOMO) and the urge to be involved in everything. You will very easily find yourself stretched too thin – and needing a way to scale the effort, both professionally and personally. Clocking more hours will only work in the short run. Remember, it’s ok not to scale – sometimes it’s actually the best solution.
Continue readingOver the last year I have looking to work myself out of the test manager role and into a more advisory role. And by April 2021 I was given the formal title change from Senior Test Manager to Senior Advisory Consultant.
I have had the title “Test manager” probably since 2008, so it’s been a while. In the companies, where I have been employed, the Test manager title has never been with line management (hire/fire). Rather it has been similar to a project manager, with a focus on the testing deliveries of a project, release or program.
I will still be leading test activities, but my role for the future will be more about enabling someone else doing the testing or someone else having a testing problem to solve. There are plenty of test activities done by people in non-testing roles – it’s the activity that matters.
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Complexity is a Matter of Perspective 