Qualities of a Good SW Tester

Following skills are indispensable to become a good software tester. Strong analytical skills It is very important for any software tester to have strong analytical skills. Analytical skills will help break up a complex software system into smaller units to gain a better understanding and created corresponding test cases.

Product knowledge an asset, but not mandatory

Although product knowledge is definitely an asset, it is not a definitive, fixed requirement. Structured software testing is based on processes and it is more important that the software tester be familiar with structured testing principles than to have product knowledge. Software testing techniques can be applied to any software.
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Software testers do not make software; they only make them better.

Qualities of a Good SW Tester

Strong technical skills This would include high level of proficiency in tools like MS Office, OpenOffice etc, DB tools like PL/SQL developer, TOAD etc, Testing tools like QTP, LoadRunner, Quality Center, Selenium etc. Also it's an added advantage that you have some programming skills but its NOT a must. Good verbal and written communication skill Another important skill is the ability to communicate with management, developers, the other test team members, and other stakeholders. The software tester should have strong written and oral communication skills, in order to report the results of the testing process effectively. The tester should be able to differentiate the different levels of communication. For example management may not be interested in the details of every defect that has been located. They are interested in the Continued on next page
Software testers do not make software; they only make them better.

Qualities of a Good SW Tester

details of every defect that has been located. They are interested in the overall quality of a release and when the release can go in production. Another example is that your developers do not appreciate it when you come up to them asserting that they made a mistake. The mistake you are pointing out may actually be an inconsistency in the specifications, or a change in the test environment. Strong communication skills are particularly important for the success of the testing project. Knowledge of structured test methodology A good software tester can use their knowledge of structured testing, and apply it to any software product and software testing project. A tester with a sound foundation of structured software testing can work on your software applications.

Software testers do not make software; they only make them better.

Qualities of a Good SW Tester

Great Attitude An attitude to test to break' , detail orientation , willingness to learn and suggest process improvements. In software industry, technologies evolved with an overwhelming speed and a good software tester should upgrade his/her technical skills with the changing technologies. Your attitude must reflect a certain degree of independence where you take ownership of the task allocated and complete it without much direct supervision. Team player Software testers must be team players. Software testing is only a small division of a larger part of the organization and you want your testers to be able to understand this and act accordingly. Your testers will need to be able to work together with other stakeholders in the best interest of the overall company.
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Software testers do not make software; they only make them better.

Qualities of a Good SW Tester

Productivity Testing at times could be a demanding job especially during the release of code. A software tester must efficiently manage workload, have high productivity ,exhibit optimal time management and organization skills Patience and fortitude Patience is an important requirement for software testers. If a new version is to be released, the testers may need to work outside of regular office hours to perform a sanity test. The testers may have worked hard testing a new version, and it may turn out an incorrect version was put on the system and all test results are worthless. Patience is critical in situations like this.

Software testers do not make software; they only make them better.

Qualities of a Good SW Tester

Persistent (but not stubborn!) Software testers must be able to track down variances in the testing results. If a variance happens, they must retest to decipher exactly at which step the variance occurred. Stress proof The testing timeline often gets squeezed when development takes longer than expected and the implementation date cannot shift. This results in stressful times for the testing team. A good tester will remain calm, prioritize the test cases, and do as good a job as possible. Think outside the box/Creative thinking Thinking outside the box (meaning think outside of the 2 testing techniques Black Box or White Box) is to think differently, unconventionally or from a new perspective.
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Software testers do not make software; they only make them better.

Qualities of a Good SW Tester

Example #1 Cross Testing Ideas(Analogy): If you are testing a portal, use it like you use your E mail program or any application which you worked on before and see how the application behaves. Example #2 Reverse or Backward Testing Ideas: Requirement says you can upload a file which does not exceed file size of 10 MB. The most testers will follow uploading a 1MB, 2MB, 3 MB and so on till 10 MB is reached or error message is displayed. Why not start with 10MB and then try 11MB and then 9 MB. This example is nothing but a BVA but how many of us have tried using BVA in scenarios other then an input box.

Example #3: Ideally every QA engineer should know the purpose of a requirement. Putting up questions will help a QA Engineer to refine his purpose of testing. If a QA Engineer is good at questioning he/she will be good at testing by default.

Software testers do not make software; they only make them better.

Qualities of a Good SW Tester

Sense of humor In stressful situations it is important to keep a sense of humor. When the testing project is under pressure, the testers work hard to get the test cases finished and then sometimes it turns out an incorrect version was put on the testing environment! Of course this is not an ideal situation, but it does happen quite often, and really, all you can do is keep a keen sense of humor and keep going. Knowledge of automated test tools If your company is currently using a test tool, you will want your testers to be able to effectively use this tool. If you are presently not using an automated tool, a tester with automated test tool knowledge and / or experience may be able to indicate the benefits of an automated test tool for your specific testing processes. Therefore, it is definitely an asset if your testers have basic or extensive knowledge of automated test tools.
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Software testers do not make software; they only make them better.

Qualities of a Good SW Tester

Balanced Curiosity Balanced curiosity need for thoroughness in any one area with need to cover many areas in a short time.
Sample Critical Skills List Basic testing Software life-cycle Basic technical aptitude and awareness Basic/Advanced Internet Manual black box testing MS Windows user skills Communication written/oral Test planning Evaluation of automated testresults Quality advocacy Record/playback Editing automated scripts Web testing skills Cross-functional effectiveness Test environment set-up Version control/change mgmt. Industry knowledge Analytical skills UNIX user skills SQL user skills Macintosh user skills Energetic Sense of humor Persuasive

Test documentation
Defect reporting Basic programming concepts

TQM/CMM/ISO9---/6
Sigma/IEEE Quality economics

Good judgment
Problem solver Detail-oriented/meticulous

Basic software engineering

Basic system architecture Basic database Quality control/quality assurance Process improvement/methodology Software testing phases Software testing concepts Automated test scripting

Statistics and probability

Professional affiliation/certification Efficiency implementation Metrics and measurement Risk analysis Root cause analysis Incremental test strategies

Enthusiastic
Assertive Articulate Inquisitive Organized Thorough Team Player Honesty

Software testers do not make software; they only make them better.