In IT industry, there is a myth which says that testing is a tedious and boring part of software development process. People who are in this business will say the opposite. Why should testing be boring? Why should it not challenge you and your abilities? It will be boring only if you limit yourself and stop researching and progressing. Remember, there is always room for growth, and if you scratch deeper on the surface, you will find out there is room in abundance.
Test with the bull, and you get the horns.
Who Is a Software Tester?
A software tester is a member of quality assurance team. He performs an important role in every software development project. Testers put themselves in the role of an end user and check software to make sure that it performs well. They find bugs, but also suggest improvements for software that is undergoing testing. Covering both small details and big errors and crashes, they assure the quality of each and every project. When the testing phase is over, customers receive a bug-free product.
Life of a Software Tester
Working in a team can sometimes be demanding because everybody needs to communicate and collaborate on a daily basis. But, everyone works for the same goal, and it’s easier when you can share your mission. Together, a team can accomplish so much more than an individual. Well, like in every business, sometimes it is easy, and at times it is difficult. But here are some tips that will help remind you how to behave while working in a QA team:
- Build trust in the relationship between developers and testers because your job will be much easier that way.
- Share everything with developers. Report bugs when you discover them, don’t wait for the last moment just to pump your bug count.
- If you are a tester with experience, help those who are new on a project or in the business.
- Don’t blame developers for bugs, concentrate and find a solution together.
- Acknowledge others and their work, do not take someone else’s credit.
- Write an accurate and efficient bug report, so that developers can easily understand it.
Remember, testers and developers share the same passion for software.
How to Be a Better Software Tester?
People who love their job always strive to be better in what they do; they continually seek opportunities for learning new things and progressing in any way imaginable. Software testers need to ask themselves every day what they can do to become better and more efficient. Nothing is changing as fast as the IT industry, and software testers, as an equal part of it, need to keep up with latest trends and news, applying them in the everyday testing routine. If you think about it, testers usually come across as big complainers, who always have something bad to say about someone else’s work. It is very challenging to cooperate with this kind of a reputation. Well, there are a few ways to alleviate the relationship with people whose work you are examining.
- Be available to developers.
- Brief the developers about your testing plans.
- If you have written test cases, show them to developers.
- Don’t report bugs publicly, talk with the developer privately, he will appreciate that.
- Don’t take anything personally.
- Be prepared for everything, bad things can happen and they probably will at some point in your career.
Don’t forget to brief the developers on your plans.
How to Handle Boredom?
In every relationship, in every job, in the entire life – spicing up things is sometimes necessary. It was like that from time immemorial, and it will stay like that forever. People are creative and excitement-seeking creatures, they need something that will motivate them and set their engines on fire. QA people claim their work is exciting and fun, but let’s admit it – it can’t always be like that. Everybody needs a dose of motivation and change at a certain point. So, what to do, if you are a software tester, and Miss Boredom sneaks up behind your back? What self-defending weapons do you have?
Tips for avoiding boredom
- Make a long-term career plan and every day move closer to fulfilling it.
- Do things that motivate you.
- Challenge yourself – set some important daily tasks and try to accomplish them.
- Avoid routine, experiment in any possible way and find new ways to do your business.
- Reward yourself for accomplished goals, even small ones.
- Upgrade your skills and specialize yourself in some area (communication, time management, problem-solving, etc. ).
- If you are a senior team member, help others, show them how to learn software testing in an exciting and progressive way.
- Show your knowledge by writing about an interesting topic concerning QA. Share that text with your colleagues.
- Collaborate with your team members and other teams, observe them and implement their good praxis.
- Discuss with developers and help them to understand the product better.
- If manual testing is tedious, try automation testing.
- Read good content about QA and attend conferences. Learn new things continuously.
A tester petrified by boredom. Be careful.
Having a job in software testing is interesting and offers you a lot of possibilities for building a good and a stable career. Sometimes, it might seem a bit tiresome, but actually, everything is from certain angles. Remember that there are better and worse days, and don’t let those bad ones influence the perception of your job. When it is difficult or monotonous, get away for a bit, start doing something that will motivate you and help you to remember how important your contribution is.
Say No to Excuses
Most common excuses in software testing are:
We Have Limited Access to Test Environment
Testers often complain that they have read-only access to the testing environment and that the development team manages all the business. But testers should take control and pull the benefits from it. Make sure that the testing environment is a replica of the production environment; it will help you avoid surprises in the stage of a product’s release. Study well all the connected components used in software while building the product. It will help you prevent all possible failure points. There is so much more that testers can do from their perspective. Just be progressive and put all of you in the project.
We Don’t Debug an Issue
It often happens that testers after finding a bug, report it to the developer without thinking about it. Many times looking into an issue will give a lot of information. It is possible for a tester to get to the root of a problem or at least near it.
I Had the Opportunity Only to Work on Manual Testing
It maybe is the truth, considering responsibilities on tester’s former positions, but there are no obstacles to individual learning. When and how to learn software testing better than in your free time? Invest extra time and improve your skills, try something new that is not in your job description.
Don’t drive down that lane.
Conclusion
Software testers play a significant role in software development cycle. After the software product is built, testers put themselves into the role of an end-user and test software to make sure that it performs well. They find bugs and suggest improvements, checking everything, from small errors to complete crashes. Being a software tester is not an easy job. It means constant learning, improving testing skills, having problem-resolving skills, developing good communication skills, balancing in a relationship with other team members and developers.
Though, we can’t deny that there is a myth saying that software testing is a tedious and not a challenging job. It might seem from the outside that it is all repetitive and automated. But, it is more than that. If it ever happens that software testers feel bored, there are a lot of activities for them to win over that battle. Writing articles, reading good content, helping others to improve, attending conferences – challenge yourself and keep on learning new things. Stop making excuses, fight against the false stories and start your testing evolution!
