Be a Test-holic

The term “Test-holic” refers to a professional who is passionately dedicated towards his/her task. A person who can efficiently identify the loophole of a system which can break it. A person should have a mindset of how to break the software rather than building it.

So the most important trait of a tester is that he must be a test-holic.

Now the question arises in mind: how to be a test-holic?

Well there is not a procedure to follow, it means we keep learning by our experiences.

Though it is impossible to sum-up the ocean of testing in a few words, I am trying to summarize the basic and experimental practices of becoming a best Test Engineer through some of my experiences.

When I joined the profession of testing as a fresher, the very first thing I learned were fundamentals of Testing and how to implement them practically to deliver a better quality. I explored various systems like Desktop Application, Mobile and web Applications, CRM, and many more.

Initially I didn’t know what a domain means. It was an advantage for me because I tried to explore every assignment I got.

Later I realised the more you explore, the more you become Test-holic.

So being a fresher everyone should study as much as possible to get a better understanding and interest. Later we can choose our domain based on how perfect knowledge we have in that area.

Testing is not a course to follow, it’s an experience to live

You should have a detective mindset to become a good tester. Quality is a synonym of perfection. Unless you practice it, you can’t achieve it. Having a passion towards our profession is the only way to achieve perfection, i.e, Quality.

Once you find a bug, you should be able to find the root cause of that bug. Through this method we can better understand a system workflow and architecture.

Now the question arises: how to find the Root Cause?

The approach to do the RCA varies from system to system. The better exploration gives a better RCA.

Manual VS Automation

Though there were many debates about which is better Manual or Automation, deep inside we all know that both are incomplete without each other. No matter, Automation is leading the market but Manual is the backbone. Without mastering the concepts of Manual testing, you cannot define yourself as a tester.

Automation is an enhancement of Manual Testing.
Manual improves our authoring capability, Analysing capability. Exploring capability and many more. Manual testing is not just a process to follow. It’s a mental practice. Manual testing is similar to writing a book before publishing it. It takes a lot of hard work, Improvement and refinement to achieve better quality.

On the other hand, Automation Testing is achieving modernization over traditional practices. No matter it takes effort to learn various programming languages and build an automation framework, the base you are constructing that framework is achieved through manual only.

Manual Testing is a Layout on which you can implement automation.

Be adaptive to transformation

In the process of testing, since ancient times we are following various Methodologies such as Waterfall Model, V Model , Agile Methodology which is ruling the current era.

Whether to follow one Methodology or to transform a system from one methodology to another, adaptation is very necessary. Through my current experiences I can say that we can achieve better quality by following Agile rather than Waterfall.

The key points are: Less confusion, better quality, efficiently responds to dynamic requirement change and many more.

Response to any kind of change should be positive towards the transformation. It can be a key towards growth.

So one of the most important traits of a tester should be persistent towards learning and in the transformation process.

Methodology VS tools

Once a tester understands the correct approach to begin the test cycle, tools are secondary. Any tool can be understood easily. The important task is to understand the system that you are going to test and what approach will be used in the test process.

So we should follow the slogan: “if you don’t know how to do it, first accept it and then learn how to do it”.

Be your own Mentor

QA journey includes learning various tools and Domains in the process of Testing. If a tester has a better understanding of his area of interest, he can efficiently choose his domain and the direction to follow in the process of growth. The advantage of being in testing is that you can follow versatility . But it doesn’t come in one day, It’s a journey to be persistent and work in the right direction. You can be your own mentor by exploring several areas and discover what you want to choose.

Conclusion

The purpose of this article was to address all the newbies who join the testing profession and they don’t know how to explore the big ocean of Quality. I hope my words help everyone in some ways to grow towards this area.

So do your best and leave the rest…..

Comments are welcome!

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About the Author:

Swati Sharma | Test Engineer

I am Swati Sharma, from India having 4+ years of experience as a Test Engineer. Currently I am working in Malaysia.

I have worked in various domains such as web and Mobile application Including CRM systems etc. Also I am exploring as an Automation Tester having selenium webdriver with Java.

I always enjoy being a versatile personality into several areas, still trying to figure out how many wings I need to figure out in reaching and touching my own sky.

So I am adding a new wing to my journey in the form of a writer.

I am giving it a short try through this Article and try to test myself in the journey of being a testing author.

Hope this article touches your minds and hearts and helps me in achieving my new in the journey of touching my sky.

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