Everyone Owns Quality? Really? - Gitte Ottosen

Software Testing Unleashed - Better Teams. Better Software. Better World.

Are Cross-Functional Teams Really Working? Deep Skills vs. Shallow Roles in Agile

"But if you ask many Scrum masters today, and unfortunately a few coaches as well, what does the Agile manifesto say or what are the 12 principles of Agile? They don't know." - Gitte Ottosen

In this episode, I talk with Gitte Ottosen about cross functional teams, quality engineering, and how deep skills fit in agile work. We question the Everyone owns quality mantra. If all own it, who does the hard parts. Gitte calls out mechanical agile and the comb shape myth that makes people wide and shallow. We talk about what Scrum expects from a team and why testers still bring sharp value. AI may take easy tasks, yet we need critical thinking and solid test design to judge its output.

Gitte Ottosen is a test manager and quality coach with a strong focus on a value driven approach to software development. She has 30 years of experience in IT, primarily within test, test management and process improvement, in both traditional and agile contexts. She is focusing on supporting a quality mindset across teams and organizations in Denmark. As a self-confessed test and agile evangelist who preaches the need for a strong quality and value driven focus, Gitte is a strong advocate for a context-driven approach, a role requiring profound professional insight, passion, and persistence—qualities that she holds in abundance. Gitte is a dedicated trainer within the areas of agile and test and is a regular speaker at international conferences.

Highlights:

• Shared quality without ownership fails for hard testing work
• Teams need deep specialists and some breadth
• Testers add value with critical thinking and strong test design
• Scrum needs collaboration and clear roles for quality
• AI takes routine tasks, testers focus on judgment and risk

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1. Quality Responsibilities and AI Challenges (00:00:00)

2. Agile Adoption Without True Understanding (00:03:21)

3. Expanding University Testing Curriculum (00:09:08)

4. Tester Roles: Context-Dependent Value (00:13:05)

5. Understanding Agile: Delivering Customer Value (00:14:22)

6. Team Collaboration and Prioritization (00:19:23)

7. Future of QA: Expertise Needed (00:22:23)

8. Ensuring Reliable AI-Driven Testing (00:24:38)

9. Future Learning and Relearning (00:29:22)