SHIFT Happens Podcast by Romanian Testing Conference

Artificial Intelligence has been around for decades, but the recent surge in generative AItools has accelerated its presence across industries. While AI is evolving rapidly, the human element remains critical—arguably more essential now than ever before.In software development, adopting new technologies means rethinking how we build. The software development lifecycle (SDLC) itself may need to evolve to accommodatethe growing ecosystem of AI-driven tools.In the latest episode of the Shift Happens Podcast, we explored how AI can enhance theway we design, build, and deliver software.Our guest, Olimpiu Pop, brings over 20 years of experience in the software industry. Today, hefinds himself in a pivotal phase - returning to a mindset of exploration and innovation, with a strong focus on the real-world applications of AI. For Olimpiu, AI isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a fundamental shift impacting every stage of the SDLC.“AI is not new—whether we want to believe it or not. Generative AI is just another piece of thebroader AI puzzle. It’s already embedded in our lives. I’ll probably get a couple of AI-generated suggestions on my phone before I leave this room,” he says.Discussing the impact of AI in development, Olimpiu points out that while AI won’t replaceengineers, it will certainly expand the developer’s toolkit: “There’s no shortageof tech talent, and no single tool will do the job for us. But AI adds new capabilities—perhaps more powerful than what we’ve used before. At the end of the day, it’s about building tools that help us work better.”He emphasizes a pragmatic approach to generative AI. While it’s not yet production-ready for mission-critical systems, it can still be leveraged effectively:“Generative AI is a general-purpose technology. Don’t expect it to replace your productionarchitecture today—but do explore what works for you. Stay curious, experiment, and adapt.”The episode is hosted by Alex Mocioi, a seasoned software engineer with 20 years ofhands-on experience and a decade of training tech professionals.Shift Happens is proudly supported this season by Mindera Romania, a trusted name in software development.

Humans progress by working together. One of the goals of Shift Happens Podcast Season 2 is to help professionals in technology identify and develop the human skills they need in order to become better professionals. In our 10th episode we discuss with Ashley Hunsberger about how teams and organizations can be empowered through communication or collaborationskills. Our guest, Ashley Hunsberger, has decades of testing experience that has evolved into her current focus on enabling engineers to have theenvironment and support they need to thrive. Her interests have led her to a Master’sdegree in Applied Industrial and Organizational Psychology, where she loves to continue to learn about the human experience at work and how to improve it. Ashley highlights that, “When we build that trust, like in interpersonal relationships, it leads to psychological safety. And hopefully,as you create those safe spaces for teams, they become more and more comfortable.” When discussing difficult workplace conversations and how to give constructive feedback, Ashley emphasizes that “Feedback is a gift! People also need to be ready for it. But sometimes, as a leader, you have to step inwhether they are ready or not. I always like to approach it with kindness”. Her secret ingredient? A leader should coach people on what they want to improve, rather than tell them how to improve. The goal is to guide them toward the right mindset. Our host, Alex Mocioi, is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in software engineering and a decade in tech training.  The Shift Happens podcast is supported this season by Mindera Romania, a leader in software development.

We are all very concerned about being protected in the digital world. In our episode of Shift Happens Podcast, we will discuss about how to find the right balance for ethical and legal aspects when we are trying to help people, but not get too much in their lives with technology.Our guest, Mathias Jansson, works as a legal counsel at a Swedish government agency. He is currently working in project financing and has a long experience in application of public law, public access to information and secrecy as well as integrity and personal information regulation.Mathias states that if you are developing or selling software, you should have the responsibility that the service you are providing is safe and secure.„I like the idea of testers, developers, anyone involved, actually stepping up and talking about what they’re working on today”. He believes that anyone in the tech community can contribute to the discussion and raise awareness about their role in ensuring ethical and legal compliance”, says Mathias Jansson.Regarding AI-generated content, he points out „it is one of those areas where legislation is lagging behind the cutting-edge technology. We are regulating, perhaps, things that happened yesterday, but not really what’s happening today, and definitely not what’s going to happen tomorrow”.Our host, Alex Mocioi, is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in software engineering and a decade in tech training. The Shift Happens podcast is supported this season by Mindera Romania, a leader in software development.

If we want to bring testers and developers together, what better way than through performance testing and performance engineering?Nicole van der Hoeven, the guest of this episode, is a Senior Developer Advocate at Grafana Labs. She’s been in the performance engineering space for more than a decade, most of that time as a consultant, helping teams test distributed systems and make them more reliable. Nicole believes that good testers truly understand the culture of the application, the company, and the people they are working with.She explains that different tools use different terminology - JMeter has threads, K6 uses virtual users, and others refers to scenarios or populations - but the core concepts remain the same. Every tool provides ways to introduce delays (such as think time, pacing, pauses, or sleep functions) and follows similar principles. Understanding these fundamentals allows testers to adapt to any performance testing tool.Don’t miss the discussion with Nicole.Our host, Alex Mocioi, is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in software engineering and a decade in tech training. The Shift Happens podcast is supported this season by Mindera Romania, a leader in software development.

The topic of this episode is Building Tech Products for Tech People. In this industry, professionals strive to create software designed for humans. This theme is central to the episodes in this season.Aaron Ingram has been a tester for approximately a decade, with a significant part of his career focused on automated testing. He has developed multiple testing products within his agency, enabling them to create and sell solutions like accessibility packages to clients. Aaron explains, “I’ve always been curious about how things work, how you can break something and put it back together again.” He believes that breaking things helps you understand how tobuild them, much like playing with LEGO. Is innovation driven by technology, or are product people leading the creation of new software? Aaron believes product people are the driving force: they identify what needs to bedone and guide the development process. Empathy and support are essential for progress. That’s why software should be built by humans for humans, by people who understand user needs. This is something AI tools, particularly those used for automated accessibility testing, might struggle to fullycomprehend. Our host, Alex Mocioi, is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in software engineering and 10 years in tech training. Shift Happens podcast is supported this season by Mindera Romania, a leader in software development.