Here are some qualities that I think an individual must possess to test effectively a software application though there can be some disagreements ( If yes then comment pls).
- Good Communication Skill
- Good Error Guessing
- Good Analytical Skill
- Knowledge of Programming Concepts
Reply back..
~Himanshu~
Techieminds 
I would like to add 1) Knowledge of the product application (e.g financial product)
Hi,
well, there is no final answer to this. There are some skills, which are must-have, but it always depends on the project. Only together in the team you can collect/use all the skills. But of course we can try to improve always in different skills.
Here is what some authors say (also two videos available):
http://www.skilledtester.de/in-literature-2.html
Sincerely,
Erkan Yilmaz
Hey Himanshu ,
Thanks for this post.
1. But how do we measure the term Good for the above skills mentioned?
2. How about the Domain Knowledge of the Application ?
3. Does the tester need to have some fundas on Usability Principles ?
4. What if the application is used Globally ? What kind of skills required in order to test an Application that’s used across continents ?
Regards,
Venkat.
Thanks for ur comments Guyz..
Meeta: Yes.I agree .domain knowledge is a must..
Erkan: As we all work in teams we can always work upon improving our skills..
Venkat:The term “Good” Can be measured easily if you know how to judge people who r around u..I m in this industry for arnd 5 yrs and I can easily judge the “Good” skills that one possesses.
I agree Domain knowledge is an absolute must, u cant compromise on that.and yes it will be great if Tester knows about Usability Principles.
If an application is used globally then as per me the tester should have basic know how of localization and Internationalization testing..
~Himanshu~
Hello,
my answer may go now a little outside of the wished direction, but well..
>>But how do we measure the term Good for the above skills mentioned?
the term “good” is such a vague word 🙂
better to ask: for whom good?
I mean either they are good for:
you only,
your stakeholders of the company,
good, because they help you earning money to protect your family,
for other people/things than mentioned before.
So, if we give examples, in which particular area the specific skill is good, this would help I think:
e.g.
“Knowledge of Programming Concepts”:
would this be necessary for someone using black-box design techniques? What about if someone uses scripts to automate tests?
or: “Knowledge of the product application”:
how about, if someone is new to the area and does not have this skill (yet), would (s)he be a bad tester? Perhaps (s)he can find more/different bugs, because of being not involved in the business before, having other ideas/minds?
To remember of the title of this thread: “Qualities of a good Tester”
I would say the motivation/attitude is the specific thing about a tester and these influence her/his skills.
I can say: my skills/performance depend on my motivation and/or attitude.
If I am motivated and/or have the correct attitude, I will do my job good (whatever good now means).
And if there would be no motivation on one day,
then you need the skill to motivate yourself again 🙂
If one tester would not be that skilled, but is highly motivated, would (s)he be not good?
What about showing him/her things during pair testing?
What about, if (s)he made errors during these, wouldn`t these help her to foster the skill more?
I mean we learn many things during our work.
And all are just means/tools to help during testing.
So, we should ask ourselves the question:
what is my intention with (learning/having) this skill?
Please question my posting, it may be wrong.
So, you help me then improve my skills. 🙂
Sincerely,
Erkan YILMAZ
Hi Erkan,
Thankz for ur detailed inputs wrt qualities of a good tester.
I really like the “motivation” point here as it is a very important aspect.
If you know everything and have a high technical aptitude but you are not motivated enough then ur of no use..in contrast..if you are highly motivated with a zeal to perform then even if ur alien to new technologies ur bound to perform well.
~Himanshu~
Hi Himanshu,
well that is only my view, what I think as important thing of a tester. Others may/can feel different about it.
For the future discussion of course, there could always be mentioned: the worth of the skill for different testing areas. Also (dis-)advantages in general for that skill and perhaps the investment to get and maintain the specific skill.
I think this info could help others too.
BTW: I like the alien thing – probably we could distract aliens, when they attack earth.
We could say: “Here you have this application X, show that you can test it, if you finish testing, we give you earth for free.”
Perhaps they do not like to conquer earth then, when having tested the application, because they think: “who only produces such SH.T, is not worth conquering.” 🙂
Sincerely,
Erkan YILMAZ
Good1 Erkan..
Testing by aliens…sounds wicked…
~Himanshu~
Qualities of a Good Tester:
1) Technical Expertise of the problem domain is a must.
2) Good communication skills.
3) Experience counts too.
4) Good analytical Mind.
5) Observant to little changes i.e. should be ablr to notice little things that other misses or ignores.
6) Ability to work under pressure.
7) Unbiased approach and no self centric attitude.
8) Honest and willing to learn new things.