What skills a tester should have
What kind of testers are there
Testers are usually divided into two areas: QA and QC. How do they differ from each other?
A QC (Quality Control) specialist checks whether a product meets the requirements described in documents. He can also perform tasks from testing, check requirements when they are created, but he looks at the result of development as a whole.
The QA (Quality Assurance) specialist controls the creation of the product from idea to operation. He develops standards, selects tools so that the number of errors at all stages is minimised.
Testers are usually divided into two areas: QA and QC. How do they differ from each other?
A QC (Quality Control) specialist checks whether a product meets the requirements described in documents. He can also perform tasks from testing, check requirements when they are created, but he looks at the result of development as a whole.
The QA (Quality Assurance) specialist controls the creation of the product from idea to operation. He develops standards, selects tools so that the number of errors at all stages is minimised.
Magenta Favorita managers continue to talk about IT professions. In this article we will talk about testers. Who are they and what do they do? A tester is a specialist who checks software, mobile applications, websites, etc. for compliance with specified requirements. His duties include searching for probable errors and failures in the functioning of the testing object (product, programme, etc.). The tester simulates various situations that may arise in the process of using the test object so that the developers can correct the detected errors. The task of this specialist is to find all possible ‘bugs’ that may occur when a user interacts with a programme, application, etc.
What is the job of a tester
Some people mistakenly believe that testers do nothing more than just click on all the buttons they can see on a website or application. This is not quite true, explained the experts of Magenta Favorita software development. Identifying bugs in this way is called manual testing. However, testers also need to be able to write automated tests to detect bugs that cannot be caught by manual testing. You also need to be able to write instructions for testing and be able to work in Postman (a programme that provides all the necessary tools for API testing: the ability to send requests, write API documentation, run autotests, create a test hierarchy, and so on). Sometimes even detailed testing does not help to find all the errors, so testers have to think about various situations that can ‘break the programme’. In such a process, creative and analytical skills are involved. Testers interact with different members of the development team, so it is necessary to clearly understand the role of each of them.
A tester is the link between users and developers. In addition, a tester acts both as a user and an expert, and therefore must have a certain mindset: he/she must be able to reproduce the behaviour of a product user and analyse the system behaviour, input parameters and results from an engineer's point of view.
What is the job of a tester
Some people mistakenly believe that testers do nothing more than just click on all the buttons they can see on a website or application. This is not quite true, explained the experts of Magenta Favorita software development. Identifying bugs in this way is called manual testing. However, testers also need to be able to write automated tests to detect bugs that cannot be caught by manual testing. You also need to be able to write instructions for testing and be able to work in Postman (a programme that provides all the necessary tools for API testing: the ability to send requests, write API documentation, run autotests, create a test hierarchy, and so on). Sometimes even detailed testing does not help to find all the errors, so testers have to think about various situations that can ‘break the programme’. In such a process, creative and analytical skills are involved. Testers interact with different members of the development team, so it is necessary to clearly understand the role of each of them.
A tester is the link between users and developers. In addition, a tester acts both as a user and an expert, and therefore must have a certain mindset: he/she must be able to reproduce the behaviour of a product user and analyse the system behaviour, input parameters and results from an engineer's point of view.
Testers are also divided into manual testers and autotesters.
A manual tester reproduces the user's actions in manual mode. His task is to make sure that the programme is effective in all kinds of possible user interaction with it.
Automated testing consists in checking applications with the use of programmes. This does not mean at all that you can do without a software tester. On the contrary, an autotest expert has a higher level of qualification and experience than a manual one.
A manual tester reproduces the user's actions in manual mode. His task is to make sure that the programme is effective in all kinds of possible user interaction with it.
Automated testing consists in checking applications with the use of programmes. This does not mean at all that you can do without a software tester. On the contrary, an autotest expert has a higher level of qualification and experience than a manual one.
Necessary qualities and knowledge
The necessary qualities of a tester are logical thinking, attentiveness, good memory, ability to learn and adapt to existing tasks, to switch quickly from one type of task to another. Patience, diligence and the ability to work in a team are equally important. A tester is usually a very attentive and often meticulous person, Magenta Favorita Portugal experts summarised.
A tester's basic skill set includes:
The necessary qualities of a tester are logical thinking, attentiveness, good memory, ability to learn and adapt to existing tasks, to switch quickly from one type of task to another. Patience, diligence and the ability to work in a team are equally important. A tester is usually a very attentive and often meticulous person, Magenta Favorita Portugal experts summarised.
A tester's basic skill set includes:
- knowledge of the basics of testing, its types and methods;
- knowledge of SQL query language, ability to work with databases;
- knowledge of programming languages;
- knowledge of version control systems;
- drafting test plans, checklists, test cases;
- understanding of defect prioritisation;
- knowledge of software development methodologies;
- knowledge of tools for manual and automated testing.
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