Complementary 63: Being Intentional About Quality with Lance Willett
Aug 3, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Lance Willett, the Chief Quality Officer at Automattic, shares his journey from web designer to quality leader. He dives into the complexities of measuring quality in distributed teams and the importance of fostering a positive feedback culture. Willett emphasizes the balance between craft and care in product development, while discussing innovative practices that enhance collaboration between QA and engineering teams. He also highlights strategies for cultivating a culture of quality that empowers team members and values trust.
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Lance's Theme Wrangler Role
- Lance describes his early role as a "theme wrangler" managing WordPress themes for default packages.
- He coordinated coding and some design but mainly focused on project and engineering leadership.
Two Cs of Measuring Quality
- Quality metrics combine internal craft with external user context for a balanced view.
- Combining quantitative data and qualitative sentiment reveals true product quality.
Apple’s Craft vs. User Research
- Apple exemplifies focusing more on internal craft than broad user research.
- Overemphasis on internal taste can lead to product misalignment with user needs.