Any software tester in the software industry requires two kinds of key skills. They are the technical skills and the soft skills. Being a tester without any technical or required testing skills has no place in the software industry and similarly without possessing the soft skills one cannot grow in the software industry. The technical skills are important to perform basic testing and other related tasks at work. However, the soft skills are equally important as it applies to the work approach and defines one’s approach towards work, life, problems, etc. This is the reason, the soft skills are also known as people skills. People skills are not just limited to the profession but they are required in all aspects of life.
Being a software tester, you need more than just knowledge. When a bug is found by the client, no one asks “who coded this?” but “who tested this?”. Testing is more of a responsibility and tester should have more than just the testing skills. In this article, we are going to see some of the important soft skills which a tester should possess in order to excel in his field.
Proper Communication:
In the field of QA, it is truly said “communication is the key to success”. Since tester has to deal with so many different teams and most of them are remotely located. It is very important to have a proper communication channel among them. Whether it is a bug to report, explanation of a road block or clarification on an ambiguous requirement, tester has to communicate with respective business analyst, developers, client, and sometimes end user. When you have good communication skills, you eliminate ambiguity and misunderstanding while talking to the different teams. Also, most of the issues which arise due to communication gap would be at par. For example, When you find a crucial defect, it is very important to explain it in a polite way so that developer doesn’t feel like you are blaming him for the root cause. Attend information session with your team and ask for details from the business analyst related to the requirements, technical specifications from developer and about reporting from the higher management. It is very important to know the expectations of client and the management in order to successfully deliver the project.
Detail Oriented:
This is one of the skill which can help you find most important defects. When you understand detailed requirements not only gaps in the requirements can be found and fixed but also you get to know the whole functionality, flow, and the expected outcome of the product. Sometimes minor details could be missed and later result in the major issue which can cost a treasure for an organization. To mitigate such situation it is very important to have a “detailed oriented attitude”.
Flexible:
In this context flexibility refers to “using different test techniques according to the situation”. There is no right or wrong way to test a software. Let`s understand this with an example, if you have a new fix at the last moment then carry out all the functional test would not be the best practice due to lack of time but exploratory testing buy an experience tester and running automated regression suite can help in finding most of the major defects. Tester should be flexible enough to move from one test technique to the other test technique according to the requirement of the project.
Ready To Learn New Technologies:
As we are getting advanced in software and application development, the testing tools and processes are getting advance too. It is crucial for the software tester to be aware of the latest tools and technologies and to keep learning without fail. When you have knowledge about the latest tools and technologies, you make better decisions.
Thinking From End Users Perspective:
As a software tester our end goal is to provide a quality software. This can be achieved by thinking from end users perspective since they are the ones who are going to buy and use the software. This will also help in carrying out proper usability testing. One software can be used by the different users to know the most important functionalities and carry out testing accordingly is the key here.
Knowledge Sharing:
More you share, more you learn. Software tester should have an attitude of helping his team members by sharing his knowledge. Not only this will avoid gaps and confusion but also motivate other team members to share their expertise and knowledge. Knowledge sharing could be done in the form of PowerPoint presentation, emails with information listed or a detailed video.
Team Player:
A leader is the one who leads and take his team along with him. You always need a team effort to achieve something. A good team player motivates his team and help them grow. To achieve a quality software, it is important for a software tester to be a good team player.
Time Management:
Being in the software testing industry for so many years, I have seen many cases when people lack in time managing skill and later suffer when deadlines are near. Time management is the most important skill when it comes to the stress free work life. When you know how to use your time properly and how to prioritize task according to the deadline then you will end up meeting the deadline easily and would not feel work pressure.
Problem Solving:
It is very important to find defect as a software tester, it is equally important to suggest a solution. When you have problem solving attitude, people will listen to your suggestions and would find it helpful.
Asking Right Questions On Right Time:
When you ask questions, you learn but when ask right questions, you grow. Asking right question is a skill which is as important as to move in the right direction when it comes to testing a product. If you question is ambiguous or wrong then you will end up hitting the road. Hence, you would not be able to test the right thing.
Conclusion:
Soft skills are equally important as technical skills. To be an elite tester, both soft skill and technical skill should have a balance. One skill would not be enough to succeed.
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Happy Testing!!!