This question is still ringing in my ears when it comes to an interview.
This was the question I was asked early in my career as a software tester. The interviewer asked some aptitude questions as usual and suddenly threw this question at me. I was almost speechless. Most of the time we think we are good at something because we do it, or maybe we assume we are good at it.
After spending nearly a decade in the industry, looking back, I can understand the importance of the question. So today I am going to present you a list of points that I have noted down to make me feel that I was / am good at testing .
Let's take a look at. BTW, you are invited to add your point to the list and we will accept it with open arms.
What you'll learn:
- Characteristics of a good tester
- # 1) You understand priorities
- # 2) You ask questions
- # 3) You can create a number of ideas
- # 4) You can analyze data
- # 5) You can report negative things in a positive way
- # 6) You can report well
- # 7) You can provide flexible support whenever needed
- # 8) You can relate real time scenarios to software testing
- # 9) You are constantly learning
- # 10) You can wear end user shoes
- # 1) Positive attitude
- # 2) Good communication
- # 3) Multitasking skills
- # 4) Fast learner
- # 5) Passion for testing
- # 6) Team player
- # 7) Think and act as an end user
- # 8) Analytical skills
- # 9) Be an inspiration and a role model
- # 10) Practice empathy
- Literature recommendations
Qualities of a good tester
So here we go. Please preface each point with the condition "You are good at testing when" and read through the following:
#1) You understand priorities
The software tester unwittingly becomes a good time manager because the first thing they need to understand is priority. Most of the time you will be given a module / functionality to test and a timeline (which is always right), and you will have to give an output. These regular challenges make you understand how to prioritize things.
As a tester, you need to understand what should be tested and what should get less priority, what should be automated and what should be tested manually, what task should be done first and what can be done at the last moment. Once you have defined the priorities, testing software is very easy.
But . but my friend, understanding the priority depends only on experience. Patience and a watchful eye are therefore the most helpful weapons.
# 2) You ask questions
Asking questions is the most important part of software testing. If you fail to do this, you lose an important amount of information.
Questions can be asked:
- Understand requirement
- To understand the changes made
- To understand how the requirement was implemented
- To understand how the bug was fixed
- To understand bug fix effects
- The product from other perspectives like development, business, etc. Understand.
It can be helpful to understand the big picture and define coverage.
# 3) You can create a number of ideas
As I have written in almost all my posts, Software testing is about ideas . If you can generate a set of ideas to test the product, you will stand out from the crowd, as most people feel complacency after writing ordinary functional and performance test cases.
In my opinion, the work of a real tester starts only after writing normal test cases. The more you think about how the product can be used in different ways, the more you can generate ideas for testing and ultimately gain confidence in the product, customer satisfaction and lifetime experience.
So be an idea generator if you want to test well.
# 4) You can analyze data
As a tester, you are not expected to just run tests. You need to understand the data collected from the tests and analyze it for the particular behavior of the application or product. Most of the time when I hear about a non-reproducible bug, I smile quietly.
There is no such thing as a mistake that can't be reproduced. If it occurred once, it means that it will pop out for the second time. However, to get to the root cause, you need to understand the test environment, the test data, the interruptions, etc. analyze.
As we all know, automation testing is mostly about analyzing test results, as creating and executing scripts for a long period of time is not a big task, but analyzing the data generated after executing those scripts is the most important part.
# 5) You can report negative things in a positive way
Yes, you read it right. A tester needs to learn tactics to deal with everyone around him, and he needs to be good at communication. No one feels good when he / she is told that everything he / she did was wrong in whole or in part. But it makes a big difference in the response if you suggest to do something or fix something with better ideas and without selfish voice.
Also, details are important to provide about what negative you saw and how it may affect the product/app overall.
No one would deny to fix it. 🙂 🙂
# 6) You can report well
You have worked and worked all day, executed a number of test cases and marked them as pass/fail Test management tools . What would be your status at the end of the day? No one would care how many test cases you have executed. People want a short and sweet description of your whole day's task.
Now write your status report to the customer as – what you did (at maximum 3 sentences), what you found (with error numbers) and what you will do next.
#7) You can provide flexible support whenever needed
The duty of the software tester does not end after a bug is reported. If the developer cannot reproduce the bug, you are expected to support the reproduction, because only the developer can fix it.
Due to tight software testing schedules, many testers don't know anything about quality. The right approach should be proper planning and extra effort to cover everything that is required.
#8) You can relate real-time scenarios to software testing
If you can relate testing to real life, it's easy to do so. Get in the habit of thinking about or constantly creating test cases on how to test a train, how to test a vegetable, how to test a monument and how it will help in the near future. It will help your mind to constantly generate ideas and relate testing to practical things.
# 9) You are constantly learning
Software testing is challenging because you have to learn new things all the time. It is not a matter of acquiring the expertise of a particular scripting language. It's about keeping up with the latest technology, learning automation tools, developing ideas, learning from experience and ultimately constantly thriving.
Read also => 10 Tips to survive and progress in the field of software testing
# 10) You can wear end user shoes
You are only a good tester if you can understand your customers. The customer is GOD and you must understand his needs. If the product doesn't meet the customer needs, no matter how useful it is, it won't work. It is the responsibility of the tester to understand the customer.
Update:
10 Skills to be a great tester: How a tester can be a great tester
There is always room for improvement and enhancement.
If you started as a QA newbie and spent a few years in the field, you haven't transformed from a tester to a good / great tester. This article is for you. Continue reading –
Testing, reporting and finishing a task can be done by anyone after a while with experience and training. But being a tester is so much more.
Be a great tester to rise up and shine in the field.
What can get you there? Let's figure it out!
How a tester can be a great tester
#1) Positive attitude
A positive attitude is a key to success in any field, and software testing is no exception.
Good testers are:
- Always be prepared to put in extra effort.
- Help improve the quality of the product.
- Help with hurdle-free delivery
- Support meeting
Great testers stay positive. They care. You understand the power of positivity.
To convey a positive attitude, tester should be given ownership of task s, prompt appreciation and interesting tasks.
# 2) Communicate well
It helps to overcome critical issues easily. You can easily understand problems, document them better, and persuade effectively.
A great tester has excellent communication skills and uses them to ask questions, present opinions, and thoroughly discuss critical scenarios / implications.
Good communication skills can be easy to acquire by attending communication training and practicing them regularly. Please note that good communication does not mean writing or speaking fluent English alone, although that helps.
# 3) Multitasking skills
Multitasking skills are the demand of today's world.
A good tester has to balance several activities, z.
- Generate and execute test ideas
- Design test cases
- Write effective bug reports
- Work on multiple projects and provide updates to.
Moreover, you should prioritize and plan your activities accordingly.
Multitasking skills require practice and the right mindset.
# 4) Fast learner
A good tester is fast and self-learning.
You don't HAVE to learn new things, you should want to learn it. You should be able to keep up with new technologies, processes, tools, skills, etc on a regular basis. to update.
Quick learning cannot be taught, but it can be developed with patience, planning, practice and perseverance.
# 5) Passion for testing
You must love your job.
Be passionate about delivering quality, providing a better user experience, generating new ideas, etc. is of crucial importance.
'A passionate tester is always better than a technically sound developer'.'
It is an absolute game changer. You will never get bored. You will never miss anything to test. You will never report a case without having researched it thoroughly. You will never ignore a corner case. Most importantly, don't think of testing as a thankless job. 🙂 🙂
#6) Team players
Being a team player is a must for any job, but it takes on a whole new dimension because we have to deliver bad news. To do this well, you have to understand and give. Don't play the blame game. Stay positive.
Tapering this skill is very important to be a great tester and a good person.
# 7) Think and act as an end user
Quality ultimately means end user satisfaction.
Regardless of what the requirements say, think about the impact on the end user. This is easy since we are also software users, although we are professional testers.
With continuous study, observation and comparison, the end user The perspective can be maintained.
# 8) Analytical skills
Our main responsibility is to make software as bug free as possible. Every bug follows a pattern and a good tester can always observe this pattern well and report all bugs of the same pattern.
In-depth analysis and creativity help foster good analytical skills.
# 9) Be an inspiration and a role model
You are right; This has nothing to do with testing. But I believe we have many opportunities to inspire people we interact with every day. You may be last in a queue, but in a few minutes, there's always someone behind you. No matter what position you are in, there are people who look up to you.
If the team leader on a team is frequently at odds with the developers, the team will naturally do so as well. If one team member doesn't follow a template, the others may think it's okay not to follow a template.
If we are aware that every action we take somehow resonates with another around us, we should strive to inspire without trying to.
There are many ways to leave your mark on otherwise mundane tasks:
- Be the best at what you do
- Be punctual
- Attention to detail
- Develop new best practices
- Finding a problem that could have caused a major failure
- Learn a new skill and volunteer to teach your colleagues
- Be polite in your communication
- Earn the reputation of being the best tester / best bug reporter / or best metrics generator.
# 10) Practice empathy
Again, this might not feel like an attribute that testers need. Especially since there is a lot of talk about how testers should protect, safeguard, and lead their bugs to resolution.
But testers must have the quality to feel and not just be automatons. It also helps with testing.
Take, For example , A brand new application that is being integrated as a test run right now. Would you just break down, fight a war, and report that it's not good for anything? Or would you test it sympathetically and try to find problem areas so you can help developers make further improvements?
Let's look at it from a real world example perspective. You just built a chair. Would you jump in or sit cautiously the first time you do so? The latter not true? After you are sure it will hold, add unusual weights, etc. Added.
Testing in the initial stage must be subtle, slow and friendly.
Empathy can also help you Be a better team player – not only within your team, but with external teams as well. If you have doubts, be friendlier than you need to be.
I hope this list gives you an idea of the area you need to work in to be a better software tester.
About the Author: This post was written by STH team member Bhumika, a project manager with 7 years of experience.
Did I miss something by the way? I would love to hear from you.
With that, I'll end this article with the hope that I can cover most of the points that make me a good tester. What about you?