Sketchnote of "Orchestrating Chaos Into a Symphony" by Rachel Kibler at Agile Testing Days 2025 Sketch figure with speech bubble: "Finding clarity in chaos is hard" We need to listen through the noise to find alignment - applies to orchestras and software When I started a new job, I found the place in chaos There's no villain in this story - everyone was doing their part Insight, circled like a cloud: System: a set of organized and interconnected elements that follow specific behaviors to achieve a certain outcome or goal In systems, the wrong length of feedback loops can lead to oscillations If feedback in testing comes too early people might panic - too late and you can't do anything anymore Communication is crucial to bring clarity into chaos Insight, framed: Summarize up. Expand across and down. People used the same language to mean the same? No, very different things - needed to visualize to realize it Give people the level of information they need to make decisions Clarity brings calm Care deeply Insight, circled like a cloud: Empathy and compassion help us build stronger teams and better products Musicians don't play louder to be heart - they listen better Quality is about protecting trust Harmony comes from awareness, clarity and care Insight, framed: Making good software isn't magic - it's disciplined listening Sketchnote author: @lisihocke@mastodon.social