One of the most important steps in the software development process is quality assurance, which works in tandem with development itself. A quality assurance tester can’t be just anyone — this job is for responsible and fast-learning people with creative minds, who can master not only basic QA skills but also more advanced ones.
Skills that every QA Engineer needs
Having enough knowledge is one of the deciding factors, of course, although there are certain qualities and skills that every good quality assurance engineer has to learn to call themselves truly a professional.
Communication
The objective of quality assurance engineers is to locate problems and work in tandem with the developers to fix them. In order for other team members to understand what has to be done to solve the issues, QA engineers must be able to effectively convey and record every bug.
To keep the project going ahead, they also need to communicate somehow with non-technical professionals.
Curiosity
There is much more to this work than merely finding problems. Additionally, testers evaluate the product’s functionality and user experience. A QA engineer has to be curious enough to investigate systems and assess various product aspects in order to do so properly. Additionally, they will define the customers’ requirements as well as their needs.
Critical thinking
In order to locate flaws and identify problems, QA engineers must look beyond the apparent. This calls for them to consider concepts and test cases closely, frequently via experimentation to identify the ones that are most appropriate for the current item. To predict how different test cases will behave and how people could react to particular product features, they must also apply varied mindsets.
Discipline
Testing is laborious and meticulous work. Professionals in quality assurance must be able to maintain discipline while completing jobs promptly and carefully. Being organized and effective when carrying out undertakings is a necessary component of discipline, ensuring that everything is completed quickly and effectively.
Accuracy
The titles of these specialists include the word “quality” not for nothing. For their job, accuracy is crucial. A quality assurance engineer must be capable of carefully inspecting the software to discover as many flaws as they can, even if it’s impossible to entirely promise the absence of bugs in a product. Of course, modern QA strategies implement automation, and it can be actually useful, but the accuracy of the outcomes must come from the professionals themselves and no one else.
Flexibility
Depending on the exact project you’re aiming to work on, testing strategies will be completely different. Software testing requires QA engineers to be adaptable and eager to attempt new testing approaches. Even though testers begin with a certain strategy, they may suddenly need to change it to account for brand-new features or plans — this kind of flexibility is crucial.
Empathy
Testers need to be ready to place themselves in the users’ position in order to assess the user experience and point of view. They need to be capable of thinking about how users would react and how it could impact how well they utilize the product. In order to thoroughly evaluate the product for usability, the tester must have empathy for the user’s requirements. Also, they must think to improve product usability based on user’s requirements.
Coding
Although it is not necessary for QA testers to be skilled engineers and developers — there are separate job offers for that — it might be helpful to have a working knowledge of commonly used programming languages. Many jobs, including writing automated test scripts, will benefit from this, moving your practice to the next level. Additionally, it will make it possible for software developers and QA engineers to collaborate on the project very effectively.
Time Management
In order to accelerate the time to market for the product, software development must be completed quickly. This calls for quick and thorough effort from each team member. Testers for quality assurance have a particularly difficult task since they have to evaluate the product extensively without delaying the process. Time management expertise is needed for this.
Analytical skills
Excellent mathematical abilities are extremely essential to the job of a QA engineer. They must be able to examine every facet of a system or item to find any potential flaws that could affect how well it functions as a whole and how users react to it. The engineer must also be able to identify the product’s advantages so that the project team can take full use of them.
To sum up, a good quality assurance engineer has to be:
- well-educated in his field of expertise.
- good with deadlines.
- open for collaboration.
When you evaluate your skills, make sure to be honest with yourself first. As a tester, you have to have a better inside into people’s psychology and get a bit creative when there is an opportunity.