In this episode of This Week in Testing, co-hosts Nataliia Burmei and Simon Tomes gather the community for Episode 98 and steer the conversation toward the spicy topic of performance reviews. Joined on stage by Eamon Droko, Olly Fairhall, and Milan Kumar, they explore how testers experience reviews, why they can feel so Marmite, and whether they can be made more useful, fair, or even enjoyable.

From using community contributions as evidence of impact to running bug hunts that reveal unexpected insights, the group reflects on the power of visibility, feedback, and shared learning. Nataliia shares her experiments with white-box coding using Cursor AI, while Simon spotlights MoT’s latest platform features, including new Community Stars stats and a much-requested way to follow user profiles.

Along the way, Eamon describes how community work creates value inside the workplace, Milan shares his dream of one test stack to rule them all, and Olly celebrates the fresh eyes a team-wide bug hunt can bring. And yes, there’s a surprise mic appearance from Gary Hawkes, setting the stage for the long-awaited chaos of Episode 99, next week!

Whether you dread your next review cycle or want ideas for making your work more visible, this episode offers honest stories, smart tactics, and a few Marmite moments that every tester will relate to.

#PerformanceReviews

#MarmiteDebate

#CommunityStars

#AIinTesting

#BugHunts

#CareerGrowth

#TestingCommunity

#MoTPlatform

#TeamQuality

#ThisWeekInTesting

In this episode of This Week in Testing, co-hosts Nataliia Burmei and Simon Tomes gather the community for Episode 97 and steer the conversation toward all things TestBash Brighton 2025. Joined on stage by Eamon Droko, Preeti Gupta, and Lynda Hughes, they swap meetup stories, celebrate the latest flurry of Community Stars and certificates, and plot a chaotic—but exciting—Episode 99 reunion of every co-host. Along the way they nudge listeners to help founder Rosie Sherry reach the magic “99 followers” milestone and highlight new micro-features that turn the MoT platform into a treasure hunt for testers.

From planning conference budgets and convincing budget-holders, to crafting a personal schedule, spacing out workshops, and remembering to leave camera storage free for those all-important selfies, the group shares practical tips for thriving at large events—plus reminders to keep the conversations going long after the badge lanyards come off. You’ll hear how London meetups sparked spin-off one-to-one calls, why snapping photos preserves community history, and how an Unlimited membership unlocked training, certifications, and a first-ever TestBash for one attendee. Whether you’re plotting your own trip to Brighton or looking for fresh ways to connect between meetups, this episode is packed with encouragement, real-world tactics, and that familiar MoT energy that turns “just another Friday” into a springboard for growth.

#TestBashBrighton

#ConferenceTips

#CommunityStars

#Meetups

#Networking

#LearningAndDevelopment

#BudgetingForConferences

#CareerGrowth

#TestingCommunity

#MoTPlatform

Join hosts Simon Tomes and Ben Dowen as they chat with Ujjwal Kumar Singh, Aj Wilson, Michael Close (in his first appearance!), and Judy Mosley about all things testing!

This week’s conversation kicks off with space ducks and sound effects before diving into quality coaching, job titles that don’t match the work, happy paths vs reality, and reasons to update a pull request template. It’s full of thoughtful takes, shared experiences, and plenty of laughs along the way.