Becoming a QA in the software industry is a big responsibility, like:
- A test reader, who will have to reread each word, written by the author.
- A fashion designer, who will have to try the clothes of the designer himself, before putting them on display.
- A scientist who will have to do research and development to understand the impact of implementation. For most of my career, I have seen QA people created due to the lack of other career options, lack of technical knowledge, etc., instead of those who have voluntarily chosen software testing careers.
I think starting with how it doesn’t matter, as long as you invest the time and effort to gain experience and understand the techniques of this field.
As we often say: "một người thử nghiệm đam mê có lợi hơn một nhà phát triển có kinh nghiệm."
Most QAs validate software features and carefully review the product / application to find errors in it. But it is not the only goal.
As a QA, you have to do many other things besides the main task of finding bugs. Let me explain below.
As a QA:
1) You have to find fault
The main goal of any QA is to find bugs in the product / application. Error finding should not be limited to finding errors. It should be extended to effectively report, determine severity & handle and communicate them to the developer.
And the most important thing is, never feel that you have observed / reported all the errors because as they say,
Just because you counted all the trees doesn’t mean you’ve seen the forest.
Search for details, look at the little things and when QA applies knowledge and experience, the errors become easily visible and sometimes, the root cause is the same.
2) Prevent errors
A better stop is searching, for a software tester. When you see bugs, understand patterns, understand dev’s thoughts and understand product behavior.
Most of the time, the same type of error can occur either in another part of the application because the same dev has developed it either the logic used is the same or the system is handled in the same way.
Therefore, once a bug is found, look for other possible places where related errors exist, report them and support dev to fix the error in all relevant affected areas.
3) Assessing the quality of products
Software testing is not finding defects, it is only the main responsibility of the testers. The main goal of software testers is to evaluate product quality and provide real images to stakeholders.
Mostly, the manager doesn’t care about the bug and the number of bugs you have reported. They are interested in whether the product can be delivered or not.
And believe me; Only software testers can answer that question because they know the current status of the product. And so:
The main goal of software testing is to create trust for the software.
4) Propose ideas
Based on experience, the tester must be always ready to provide suggestions to make the product more efficient, more user friendly.
But to understand other products, you need to understand why popular apps are popular, you need to realize why other products fail, you need to analyze market trends and needs from What is the user.
Continuous learning can make you confident and bring credibility and weight to your ideas, because
Quality is never random; It is always the result of intelligent effort.
5) Communicate real difficulties
As a customer, I always want my products to be delivered on time and without errors. But as a tester, I know, what are the difficulties of implementing an idea into software and verifying if it is correct or not.
Most deadlines are overdue and there are errors in discussing them. Learn to be a good communicator. Support product quality and user experience, because
The bitterness of poor quality is long after the sweetness of the schedule has been forgotten.
6) Adhere to a strict schedule
When QA’s effort is 1 week compared to 2 weeks of development, only QA knows that he will not have more than 2 days to test.
All schedule compromises are being made by sacrificing time and testing schedules. And results? Well, as a customer, have you ever wanted to hear the argument that product quality is not good just because QA doesn’t have enough time?
7) Maintain passion
There are many times in the career of QA that they feel useless, do not find any encouragement, or need to learn how to handle different situations, how to face critical comments. About QA, how to continuously and actively strive for quality and ultimately how to keep our passion for quality of life, which is the most important factor.
Conclusion
A software tester needs to be a comprehensive person, not simply a tester because a project is delivered based on their expertise, vision, communication, confidence and efforts.
Therefore, testers, not only focus on finding defects but also have to see a bigger vision of the quality of a product.
Reference and translation article from source: https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/goals-of-a-software-tester/