Exploratory testing is sometimes seen as something you “just do”—but when you’re working in high-stakes environments like government or enterprise data platforms, it becomes something you need to do well, do fast, and explain clearly.

In this talk, I’ll share how I approach exploratory testing in data-heavy systems like Power BI and Microsoft Fabric. I’ll talk about what makes these systems different, how you uncover meaningful risks without a full spec, and how being a consultant shapes the way we explore and report.

This isn’t a checklist of generic heuristics. It’s about real-world navigation—where the dashboards don’t match the database, the requirements change mid-sprint, and the “what does good look like?” question has 3 different answers.

Expect war stories, simple visuals, and clear techniques that balance curiosity, coverage, and context. If you’ve ever wondered how to make exploratory testing more structured without making it boring, this is for you.