How Motherhood Made Her A Better QA Manager

The mother who can't get three kids to pick up toys without assigning clear ownership knows something crucial about bug tickets that many testers miss: ambiguity breeds inaction. Parenting skills like triaging which child is running toward the busy road mirror the exact prioritization frameworks needed when facing too many bugs days before release, yet these QA skills for parents rarely get recognized as professional competencies. The connection between managing toddler chaos and managing complex software projects reveals that soft skills in software testing – patience, precision in communication, proactive thinking – often develop outside the workplace, particularly in the demanding work of caregiving that some professionals fear will derail their careers.

Podcast Episode: How Motherhood Made Her A Better QA Manager

In this episode, I talk with Žaklina Polak Matanović, an experienced QA manager who discovered that raising three daughters taught her more about software testing than most training courses ever could. She shares concrete stories about how skills like clear ownership assignment, prioritization under pressure, and proactive thinking emerged naturally from parenting chaos – from navigating playgrounds with toddler twins to managing ambiguous requests at home. What makes this conversation powerful is Žaklina's honest reflection on returning to tech after maternity leave, initially doubting her career trajectory while others seemed to advance, only to realize the soft skills in software testing she'd been building at home became her greatest professional assets for achieving work life balance in tech.

"If something is obvious to you, it does not mean that it's obvious to someone else." - Žaklina Polak Matanović

Žaklina Polak Matanović is a seasoned QA professional with over 20 years of experience in software quality assurance, test and release management, and software development. She enjoys working in international environments and takes a structured, collaborative approach to delivering high-quality software.Outside of work, she is a passionate salsa dancer, chorus singer, and a curious explorer at heart—whether she is sailing, skiing, biking, or capturing moments through photography. She loves traveling and being near the sea or snow, and these adventures inspire both her personal and professional life.

Highlights der Episode

• Parenting skills transfer directly to testing: prioritization, clear ownership assignment, and proactive thinking prevent chaos.
• Ambiguous tickets without clear ownership stay unresolved forever; be specific about who does what.
• Under pressure, save the thing in greatest danger first—prioritize ruthlessly and communicate your limits.
• Being detailed and asking many questions isn't annoying; it's a professional strength in testing environments.
• Patience and inclusivity aren't soft skills—they're essential for letting quiet team members contribute equally.

Motherhood and Software Testing: Skills That Bridge Two Worlds

What do playgrounds and testing backlogs have in common? More than you might expect. In a recent episode of Software Testing Unleashed, Richie and Žaklina Polak Matanović explored how parenting, particularly motherhood, offers invaluable lessons and transferable skills for software quality assurance. Drawing from her experience as a QA manager and mother of three, Žaklina Polak Matanović shared how both worlds constantly overlap, shaping her approach to communication, prioritization, and teamwork.

Transferring Parenting Skills to Software Testing

Žaklina Polak Matanović began by describing moments many parents can relate to: juggling household responsibilities while worrying about keeping pace with professional advancement. She used vivid stories from her life with three daughters—now in their teens and twenties—to highlight the skills she developed during her years at home, such as prioritization, clear communication, and ownership.

Just as a parent must specify “who left this on the floor?” rather than a general “please pick this up,” testers in the workplace must be precise when raising issues or assigning bugs. If there’s ambiguity—whether at home or in agile teams—inaction is the usual result. Being deliberate in assigning ownership ensures nothing gets lost amid the chaos, whether that’s a toy on the floor or a ticket in the backlog.

From Playgrounds to Project Rooms: Parallels in Prioritization

Playground scenes provided a strong metaphor for high-pressure software releases. Žaklina Polak Matanović recounted managing toddler twins, both dashing in opposite directions—one toward a busy road, the other to a swing. In both parenting and project work, she explained, the lesson is about responding to the greatest danger first and prioritizing according to risk and impact.

These real-life experiences translate seamlessly to testing environments. When faced with looming deadlines, open bugs, and last-minute regressions, it’s essential to quickly assess which issues require immediate action and which can be deferred. Communicating these priorities with the team—and asking for help when needed—keeps everyone focused and calm. As Žaklina Polak Matanović observed, this proactive structuring means the team knows their limits and can do their best without unnecessary stress.

The Reverse Flow: How Testing Enhances Parenting

The conversation didn’t just focus on how motherhood informs software testing. Žaklina Polak Matanović (and Richie, who is also a parent) considered the other direction: how the discipline and detail-orientation cultivated in testing can make one a more effective parent.

For example, being meticulous—a skill honed through test cases and bug reports—translates into encouraging children to pay attention to detail in their homework or chores. The ability to ask the right questions, cover all angles, and not settle for assumptions benefits both teams in the office and families at home.

Soft Skills: Patience, Openness, and Inclusiveness

Beyond the technical, parenting and testing both require highly developed soft skills. Žaklina Polak Matanović emphasized patience, especially when needing to repeat herself at home or at work. Acknowledging differences in how children (and colleagues) respond, she highlighted the importance of creating space for quieter voices in team settings—just like parenting requires noticing which child needs extra encouragement.

Inclusiveness and empathy enrich quality assurance teams, inviting everyone to contribute and ensuring no one is overlooked. The podcast conversation reminded listeners how building diverse, respectful, and patient teams is as critical for success in tech as it is for raising well-rounded kids.

Integrating the Whole Self: Lessons for Every Tester

Ultimately, as Richie concluded, we should view ourselves not as two separate people—one at home, one at work—but as whole individuals whose experiences in one domain shape and enrich the other. By reflecting on which parenting skills can boost our careers (and vice versa), we grow as both professionals and people.

For anyone working in software quality, the path from the playground to the project room is shorter—and more valuable—than many assume.