Have you ever wondered just what a software tester does? Even though the job title seems to give away the main focus, there are some misinterpretations as to what functions a software tester actually performs.
From our point of view, a good software tester should have sharp analytical skills, strong technical skills and pretty good verbal and written communication skills.
Software tester at Infobest
At Infobest Romania, we have a large team of software testers. For a better understanding of these “modern heroes” of quality assurance, I asked Ana, one of the software testers at Infobest, to share her typical day with us.
Good morning!
Here in Romania, we have a saying: “Who wakes up early in the morning gets very far” so I prefer to start my day early in the morning. I wake up between 7:30 – 8 AM and around 8: 30 AM I head to work.
My usual day kicks off with grabbing a strong large coffee and a bowl of cereals. I prefer to have my breakfast at the office because it gives me time to read some testing articles or check my e-mails. At 9:30 I’m ready to start my actual work.
After checking my workload for the day, I’m ready to start testing!
Once a week, we have our team meeting where everyone talks about what they have been working on in the current week and what they will be working on in the coming week. We also discuss common open points and problems concerning our tasks with our team leader. These are short but very useful meetings for the entire team, as they give us the opportunity to catch up on the progress of our projects.
Testing, testing and more testing
A big part of my day is dealing with finding software bugs.
My team handles more projects at the same time, and most of them are already live (released), so my work includes: Maintenance Testing, Experience-based Testing (Error Guessing), Functional and Non-Functional Testing, Test Plan Update and Documentation Writing (Creating and Updating).
Finding software bugs is not the only thing a software tester does; we must also know which issues are the most important ones and need to be able to prioritize them for fixing. We work according to deadlines and must understand production and marketing schedules. Typically, we use a software quality management system to document our findings.
Lunch break
Around 1AM, I usually get downstairs to the kitchen for my lunch break. At this hour, almost everybody is preparing food or eating. This is a great opportunity to catch up with my colleagues and maybe learn some new recipes.
Ready to go again
I’m back at my desk, I put my headphones on and start my work playlist. Music helps me relax, be more creative and focus much better on the task at hand. Now I’m ready to keep testing to the end of my work day.
What would be your advice for someone interested in becoming a QA Tester?
Don’t be quiet if you have ideas of improvement. As a QA Tester, your advice matters. After all, it’s your job to assure the quality of your work!