According to an overwhelming majority of experts, an ideal tester is the person who must:
- Be able to destroy software products without feeling remorse, shame or empathy. Since testing is performed to detect defects, the tester should not be uncomfortable with finding errors in the work of another tester.
- Be able to develop and perform step-by-step procedures.
- Be able to describe the sequence of events and the configuration of the system that caused a problem. This includes the ability to clearly document procedures and results, the ability to verbally transfer information to developers, other testers and management.
- Be able to criticize and correctly perceive criticism (for example, the ability to explain the essence of defects to developers that they can understand how to eliminate these defects).
- Have the ability to bring bad news to developers and management. If at eleven in the evening it turns out that the product is not ready to be released, the tester must be ready to inform the management of this sad news.
- Be able to withstand relentless work pressure (testing is always the final stage of any development process and, as a rule, takes place under stressful circumstances). If you wanna acquire exhaustive information about software development processes and succeed as software developer then sqa consulting will suit your best.
- Have outstanding mental abilities, i.e. to master new technologies easily and fast.
- Be patient – be prepared to run test cases as many times as necessary in order to remove the problem, and then run the tests again to ensure that the problem is fixed correctly. (Incidentally, the essential help in this case is provided by automation!)
- Have a flexible mindset – be able to quickly switch to testing a new software product or even opt out of testing one product for another with a higher priority status.
- Have the ability to simultaneously see a common panorama and be able to focus on details if necessary; have a broad and dynamic horizon.
- Be an expert in several areas – the testing group may require specialists in databases, communications, computer networks, network technologies, GUI testing, testing tools, automation scenarios, and specialists from other areas.
This list of advantages of a highly qualified tester can be used with advantage when recruiting employees and when evaluating the suitability of candidates for a particular position. If you are building a team to work on a new project, it is recommended that people be selected in such a way that they correspond, if possible, to the maximum number of requirements described in the above list.