Insights into a software testing career

By Shinaaz Osman, Senior Quality Assurance Consultant

My role as a Software Testing consultant is to evaluate if the system we’re testing meets the quality standards and all major project requirements to ensure the successful delivery of the solution.

Testing is one of the most critical processes of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). It helps companies to perform a comprehensive assessment of their software or solution, and makes sure that their product fulfils their needs. The testing phase of the SDLC helps organisations to identify all the bugs and errors in the software before the implementation phase begins. If software bugs aren’t resolved before deployment, they can adversely affect the client’s business and deliverables. 

While some may think software testing is just randomly clicking in the application to try and find possible bugs in the system, testing is actually a very time consuming process which requires precision, attention to detail, knowledge of the product or solution and an understanding of user experience (UX).

This is why test planning is very important. A normal day in a software testers life includes planning, creating test scenarios, test cases, analysing, reviewing, executing tests, documentation, prioritisation, reporting, assessing risks, finding the root causes, inspection and suggesting changes to the developers, and retesting. 

There is a misconception that software testing is a short-cut to entering the IT world. While it may be easier to start as a tester, to be a professional software tester who adds value to their projects beyond basic testing functions you need to be meticulous, proactive, pay attention to detail and have a passion for quality assurance.

If you’re considering a career as a software tester or quality assurance consultant, these are a few qualities that have benefited me in my career and that I’ve seen in other successful software testers:

Analytical skills: A good software tester should have sharp analytical competencies. Analytical skills help breakdown a complex software system into smaller units to gain a better understanding and create effective test cases. 

Communication skills: Good verbal and written professional communication skills is very important for software testers. Testing artifacts (ltest cases/plans, test strategies, etc) created by software testers need to be easy to read and comprehend, and software testers are often required to work and communicate with various stakeholders on a project.

Time management and organisation skills: Software testing can be very demanding at times especially during the release of code. A software tester must be able to efficiently manage their workload, have high productivity, and exhibit optimal time management and organisation skills. 

GREAT attitude: Most importantly, a good software tester needs to have a GREAT attitude. The mindset of ‘test to break’, being detail orientated, and a willingness to learn and suggest process improvements has been integral to my role as a quality assurance consultant. 

In the software industry technologies evolve at an often overwhelming speed, and a professional software tester should be keen to continually learn and improve their technical software testing skills.

 

We’re always looking for talented technology professionals to join the Saratoga team. Visit our Careers page to find out more about our open roles and what it means to be a Saratogan.