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EuroSTAR Conference

Europe's Largest Quality Engineering Conference

Track Talk, W14

Fifty Shades of Green: Beyond the PASS/FAIL Illusion

Sami Söderblom

16:30 - 17:15 CEST, Wednesday 17th June

With the rise of AI, many claim testing has entered uncharted territory: suddenly we need to deal with non-deterministic outcomes and systems that never produce the same answer twice. But is this truly new? Or have testers always been wrestling with uncertainty, just in different forms?

In this talk, we’ll explore how the “expected result = PASS/FAIL” mindset has always been a comforting illusion. Through examples from telecom, finance and the almighty AI, we’ll see how testing has never really been about absolute truth, but about balancing risks against value. The underlying principles haven’t changed: machines can take care of the deterministic checks, while testers must navigate the messy, contextual and uncertain space in between. The question isn’t whether testing has changed, but whether we’ve finally learned to see it for what it really is.

What you will learn

  1. Challenge the PASS/FAIL mindset. Stop treating green checks as the end goal. Instead frame results in terms of risks, tolerances and context instead
  2. Use uncertainty as a test design driver. Regardless of industry or system under test, define what “good enough” means under real-world conditions and test against that
  3. Let automation do the binary, humans do the nuance. Automate deterministic checks, but invest tester time in exploring resilience, trust, and the “shades of green” machines can’t judge

Session Details

  • Intermediate
  • 45mins
  • Includes 15min Q&A
  • Testing methods for continuous improvement
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Check out this video from Sami Söderblom to hear more about his talk on Fifty Shades of Green: Beyond the PASS/FAIL Illusion.

We look forward to welcoming you to EuroSTAR 2026.

Session Speakers

Sami Söderblom

Qlarify, Finland

Sami Söderblom is one of the leading figures in Finnish software testing landscape, with over 20 years of experience across various business areas and recognition as National Tester of the Year in 2022. Specialising in context-driven testing, he has held leadership roles in some of the biggest companies in Finland. Recently, he co-founded Qlarify, a consultancy that helps companies up their quality game and transition to a bright, digital future. A regular presenter on national and international stages with over 50 events under his belt, including two EuroSTARs.

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