The software industry has undergone tremendous growth in the last few years. Software in the early days were way too simple. They were made to fulfill a single objective, and hence, that made all the processes involved, the design, development, and testing, much easier. Testing those software manually was quite possible because of all the test cases being directed towards a single functionality. But as they evolved, the related processes became increasingly complex. The requirement gathering phase became quite intricate, the design became more comprehensive, the development was expected to cater to multiple kinds of integrations between different modules, and the testing should have been thorough and expansive.
When we specifically look into the testing side, it became clear that it was not just the final stage as typically observed in a waterfall model. It got integrated right from the beginning. That called for a shift in the mindset of Quality Assurance practitioners. Today, QA is not just a job but a mindset that testers must cultivate to deliver a foolproof and robust product. For those who are new to this field, it may sound vague. But as we proceed in this blog, it will all make sense by the end of this. Along with that, we will also cover the practical steps one must take to begin their career in QA.
The Deeper Essence of QA
At first look, we can consider Quality Assurance is all about four things: testing, logging defects, enhancing the quality of software, and finally delivering a high-performance product. If we break down these elements into two categories, we have software meeting expectations and software exceeding expectations.
Expectations from QA
For a software to meet expectations, it should pass all the functional tests and user tests that were aimed at catching bugs. These bugs were imagined to test the performance of the product against the required objectives. Once the software passes these tests successfully, it can be concluded that it is working perfectly well. It means it meets the expectations. It passes the first level of quality check.
But what calls for the second level of quality is something that makes a QA stand out from the rest. They can not only point out the direct errors in comparison with the desired outcomes, but also what more can be done. They can suggest a few functional or UI improvements, like simplifying workflow or making the UI more intuitive, which might not even have been specified during the requirement gathering phase.
Cultivating a QA Mindset
When QAs aspire to exceed expectations, they are not only required to possess analytical thinking but also creativity. Additionally, they must instill a sense of responsibility towards the product. All these elements leave a significant impact on the product’s quality. When a customer experiences a high-quality product that is quite robust to handle all scenarios and intuitive enough to enable easier usage, they get the message of the brand that there was someone behind the development of the product who gave deep thought.
Foundational Training for QA
To begin your career as a QA, you must learn a combination of both technical and functional skills. Below are the steps you must follow to get started.
1. Learn about SDLC and STLC
The first step towards beginning your career in QA is gaining knowledge of how software development works. You must learn about all the stages in the Software Development Life Cycle and Software Testing Life Cycle. This will give you a clear understanding of all the stages and how they are interrelated. It’s like gaining a basic understanding of the human body in a medical course, before you specialize in a specific part.
2. Types of Testing
Learn what different types of testing are, both from an operational approach and stage-wise. Operationally, there are two kinds: Manual and Automated. Learn what the pros and cons of both are, and what the scenarios are where manual testing makes more sense than automated testing, and vice versa.
Stage-wise, testing stretches to different stages of software development. Those are: Unit Testing, System Testing, Integration Testing, and User Acceptance Testing. Learn how testing approaches evolve from the basic Unit Testing, which tests a specific stand-alone program, to User Acceptance Testing, which tests the final product from a user’s perspective, along with covering all the stages in between.
3. Roles in Testing
Although you must begin with an associate role in testing, you must be familiar with all the different roles in the QA field, like QA analyst, QA strategist, QA consultant, Testing Manager, etc. Along with their designations, you should also learn what the QA head’s responsibilities are, the Tester’s responsibilities, and even the Managers’. Once you get a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all kinds in QA, you will not face challenges in your future growth. That’s because you can align your efforts, right from the beginning, with the role you are aiming for in the future.
4. Learn a Test Automation Tool
If you want to stay relevant in today’s QA industry, learning a test automation tool is essential. You don’t have to master them all, but just attain a basic understanding of how they work. Learning one tool will enable you to adapt to any tool that your company may use. Basic concepts like integrating the testing tool with the DevOps pipeline, auto-generating test cases, writing test scripts in a programming language, defect logging, and test maintenance will help you understand how test automation works.
5. Networking and Community Engagement
Gaining all the knowledge and skills will not be helpful if you are an island in the QA community. You need to build your network, as this is quite a dynamic field. What you get from your isolated research will be bookish knowledge, but when you want real-life experiences, your community can help. They will not only keep you updated with the latest trends in QA, but also present different opportunities floating in the market.
Closing Statement
Starting a QA career may sound intimidating in the beginning, but as you go deeper into mastering all its elements, it becomes progressively easier. Testing a product requires a characteristic of achieving excellence, even when nobody is watching. The bugs you catch at the functional level are your primary responsibility. But the inputs you provide to enhance the quality of the product to the next level are what make you stand out from the crowd. They might not be visible initially, but remember that none of your efforts ever go in vain. They keep compounding even when nobody is noticing them initially. If you can cultivate the mindset of excellence and combine it with the technical skills required for QA, no one can stop your growth in the future.
