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Two Paths to Quality: Leading with Authority and Influence

25-minute Talk

Two quality leaders share lessons from leading QA in the same company—one with a formal role, the other without a title, mandate, or unit—showing how quality thrives in different ways.

Virtual Pass session

Timetable

10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Wednesday 26th

Room

Room F3 - Track 3: Talks

Collaboration & Communication Leadership Quality Coaching

Audience

Anyone involved in testing and quality management.

Key-Learnings

  • Quality leadership doesn't require a title. influence and initiative can be just as powerful as formal authority.
  • Organizational context shapes quality work. what works in one setup might not in another, and adaptability is key.
  • Communities of practice can sustain and grow quality culture — even without a formal QA structure.

What happens when two quality-minded professionals, separated by a few years and a shift in organizational thinking, try to lead quality efforts in the same company? One through a formal line organization, the other through a community of practice?

In this talk these gentlemen share their contrasting experiences at Finland’s largest private employer. Sami built a QA unit from the ground up, hiring people, creating career paths and embedding quality across projects before embarking to new adventures. Mikko joined later to a different climate with a flatter structure and no formal QA organization. Intentionally operating without a QA title, he focused instead on fostering quality through a community of practice and working across teams without mandate, but with influence.

Together they reflect on what worked, what failed, what surprised them and what they wish they'd done differently. Through their personal stories we explore the evolution of QA, leadership with and without authority, and how quality lives on no matter what happens in the organisation.

Whether you're a veteran or a newcomer, a manager or an individual contributor, you'll walk away with fresh perspectives and practical ideas to foster quality in your own context, regardless of your role or level of influence.

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