Software Testing Blog

It’s not fair, but it’s true: Stereotypes exist in every profession. Software testing is no exception. We’ve covered this topic before, so why bring it up again? Good question. I recently came across a great article by Modha Khammammettu on softwaretestpro.com on how to become a less stereotypical tester. First, his definition the tester stereotype:

A stereotypical description of an application tester’s role is usually about being given specifications, reporting bugs, verifying and closing bugs. This stereotypical tester will have a part to play in a testing organization, but will always be considered an outsider to the project and will not have much impact on the project lifecycle.

If we step out of the boundaries and terminology used in testing, a test engineer is valuable to the project when he/she helps steer the project clear of pitfalls during the course of the project.

Sound familiar? He then lists some great, actionable examples on how to become more effective in the realm of deployment topology, design and coding standards, project methodology and feedback, of which he writes:

One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions. For instance, it is always better to say that a particular page takes 35 seconds to load than saying that the page is ‘slow’. In case a fix is made, we’ll be able to easily compare the load times to check if the fix really addressed the issue.

Give the developer the exact scenario for the failure. My experience has shown that providing a script that a developer can run to reproduce the issue saves time compared to describing the bug in a wordy manner. Sometimes I just record the steps using a screen recorder. Providing insight into why a failure may have occurred also helps the development team.

Of course, there are many stereotypes in the field of testing. Here are a few more courtesy of testinggeek.com:

Software Testers can fake

It is very easy for testers to get away without actually working on anything. In most of the cases, management does not have right appreciation or tools to check your progress as a tester. It is extremely easy to say that you have tested this feature without testing it. In many organizations progress is checked with yes / no questions along with some numbers and it is extremely difficult for anyone to make sense from these answers.

Good testers on the other hand, make sure that progress is traceable. They do not answer in yes / no but explains what part is tested, how it is tested and what is not tested. They provide information rather than data and maintain integrity of their profession.

Software Testers get paid without adding real value

As a tester, it is extremely easy to do whatever you are instructed to do. Now there is nothing wrong with that but often the person who is instructing you to perform testing does not understand testing. If you do not think hard and continuously, it is very easy to test as instructed but without testing as a good tester. In situation like this, you are testing as good as the person who is instructing you / have written scripts for you.

Real tester, even under instruction will not stop thinking about the problems and ways in which product can be tested. There will always be questions which needs investigations or new ideas which analysts have not covered or missing data set you need to test. They always find ways to add value in the project of every size and in every stage.

What other tester stereotypes have you encountered? Be sure to share them in the comment section.