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In today’s episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan shares a hilarious real-world quality assurance lesson from a Saturday morning bagel run gone wrong. When a simple bagel order turns into a mysterious Nova Cream Cheese surprise, Chris, Resident CTO, and Karen Mallory break down the unexpected QA failures, share practical tips from Karen’s Corner, and uncover how food orders and software testing have more in common than you think.

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Dive into the world of AI-powered QA with QA in a Box Episode 42! Host Chris Ryan explores TestRigor, the codeless, AI-driven testing tool that’s revolutionizing quality assurance in 2025. From plain-English test creation to self-healing scripts, discover why TestRigor is the most talked-about tool in QA. Pr...

In this episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan brings the ISTQB Foundation Testing Process to life with humor, insight, and real-world QA wisdom. Joined by the ever-sassy CTO and product lead Karen Mallory, the team explores the six core stages of software testing: Test Planning, Design & Implementation, Execut...

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with this fun and insightful episode of "QA in a Box," where we connect historic heroics to Software Quality Assurance (QA). Host Chris Ryan, joined by the witty Resident Podcast CTO and savvy Product Lead Karen Mallory, uncovers how Paul Revere’s midnight ride, the Battle of Lexington Green, and the Old North Bridge standoff mirror modern QA challenges.

Learn how Revere’s ...

Is your QA process hanging by a thread? In this fun and eye-opening episode of QA in a Box, Chris Ryan explores the dangers of having a Single Point of Failure (SPOF) in your quality assurance workflow—from crashing automation servers to test case black holes.

Joined by our semi-clueless but lovable CTO,...

In this insightful episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan explores the wild world of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs). Learn what MVPs really are, how they’ve powered some of the biggest companies in tech, and why QA teams are the secret weapon behind successful launches.

Joined by our clueless but lovable CTO (who still thinks MVP means “Most Valuable Pancake”), Chris breaks down how to test early-stage products without losing your...

What do Golf Spring Rules and Quality Assurance have in common? More than you think! In this episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan and his snarky CTO discuss how defining test scenarios is like setting course boundaries, why great test cases are like a perfect golf swing, and how continuous testing keeps software—and the fairway—in top shape. Packed with humor, insights, and ...

Ever sworn a bug was fixed, only to find out it never was? Or has your dev team gaslit you into believing a feature always worked that way? Welcome to the Mandela Effect in Software Quality Assurance!

Join Chris Ryan and his clueless but lovable CTO sidekick as they break down:

✅ Misremembered requirements & imaginary features

✅ False memories of bug fixes (or were they?)

✅ Parallel universes in debugging (Schrödinger’s bug, anyone...

AI is changing the game in Quality Assurance, but is it here to help us or replace us? In this episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan dives into how AI is transforming QA testing, the pros and cons of AI-driven automation, and what the future holds for human testers. With entertaining commentary from our CTO (who still struggles with CAPTCHAs), this episode is packed with insights, humor, and actionable advice.

🔍 Tune in and find...

Ever wondered what makes a great QA person? In this episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan breaks down the superpower of seeing what others don’t—aka, the ultimate QA mindset. With hilarious commentary from our clueless CTO, we explore why QA professionals are the detectives of the software world, how to spot bugs no one else sees, and why developers secretly (or not-so-secretly) fear us.

🎧 Tune in for laughs, insights, and a beh...

In this insightful episode of QA in a Box, we dive into a 1903 Boston kitchen disaster, a wise watchmaker, and a QA lesson hidden in a stubborn clam chowder recipe. Join host Chris Ryan and his ever-curious CTO as they explore why some failures aren’t about what’s broken—but what we assume is working fine. Learn how debugging a recipe is a lot like troubleshooting automation failures (minus the delicious chowder). Tune in for laugh...

Struggling with flaky tests and browser automation headaches? In this entertaining and information-packed episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan and our tech-savvy CTO dive deep into Microsoft Playwright - the game-changing automation framework that's revolutionizing how QA professionals interact with modern web applications.

🎯 In this episode, you'll discover:

• What exactly Playwright is and why it's rapidly replaci...

What if I told you that most of your software bugs could be avoided before they even happen? In this episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan and our ever-curious CTO, break down Design by Contract (DbC)—a game-changing approach to software reliability. Learn how defining clear co...

Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with QA in a Box as we explore the Shamrock Rule of Testing! 🍀 A great test case has three essential parts: Input, Process, and Output—just like a lucky shamrock. Join

Join host Chris Ryan and CTO on QA in a Box as they explore the surprising benefits of allowing failure in automated testing. Learn how frameworks like Playwright use soft assertions to keep your tests running—and discover Pytest alternatives like the pytest-soft-assert plugin. Uncover how capturing multiple failures in one go can lead to deeper insights, stronger QA culture, and more robus...

Dive into this episode of "QA in a Box" with host Chris Ryan as he reveals the unexpected link between the Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770, and Software Quality Assurance. Explore how miscommunication sparked a historical disaster and learn how it mirrors the chaos of unclear software requirements. From structured testing processes to automation and regression testing, this fun, engaging discussion delivers practical QA lessons wi...

Welcome to another exciting episode of QA in a Box, hosted by Chris Ryan, where we dive into the core fundamentals of Quality Assurance that stand strong, even in the age of Automation and AI. Discover why critical thinking, user empathy, and manual exploratory testing remain timeless pillars of QA, despite rapidly evolving software testing tools and techniques.

“No matter how advanced AI gets, the human element remains a cornersto...

Post-release issues can derail a smooth deployment. In this episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan breaks down the Release Engineering Queue Boss – the key role ensuring stability after a software release. Learn how this rotating responsibility minimizes downtime, accelerates bug resolution, and fosters engineering accountability.

📌 Key Takeaways:
✔️ What the Queue Boss does and why it’s essential
✔️ How to determine if a bug is ...

Are you still testing at the end of your development cycle? It’s time to Shift Left! In this episode of QA in a Box, host Chris Ryan explores how Shift Left Testing is transforming software development by embedding quality earlier in the process. Learn how automation, continuous testing, and predictive analytics can help prevent defects, shorten test cycles, and increase accountability. Featuring insights from industry leaders, thi...