How to Add Value as a Manual QA Tester in a Mature Product Environment

How to Add Value as a Manual QA Tester in a Mature Product Environment

16 July 2024 Stephan Petzl Leave a comment QA

As a manual/black-box tester, your primary responsibility may include functional testing of a web application and some database testing. However, in a mature and stable product, finding critical defects can be challenging. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy, especially when the management expects you to uncover significant issues. Here, we explore strategies to add value to your role even when critical bugs are scarce.

Shift Your Focus: From Finding Defects to Preventing Them

In modern testing practices, especially within agile and lean development frameworks, the emphasis has shifted from merely finding defects to preventing them. This proactive approach not only enhances the product’s quality but also builds confidence in your testing processes.

Consider adopting the following strategies:

  • Root Cause Analysis: When defects do occur, perform a thorough root cause analysis to prevent similar issues in the future.
  • Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and refine your testing processes to catch potential issues early.
  • Collaboration: Work closely with developers to understand potential weak points in the code and address them proactively.

Enhance Your Reporting: Highlight Verified Features

Instead of focusing solely on defects, emphasize the features that have been verified and are working correctly. This approach not only provides a positive outlook but also assures management of the product’s reliability.

For instance, your reports might look like this:

        **Features Verified**
        Can open a new account           [PASSED]
        Can close an existing account    [PASSED]
        Can issue a transaction          [FAILED, BUG-1]
        Can withdraw from a bank         [PASSED]
        Can withdraw from an ATM         [FAILED, BUG-2]
    

Such reports demonstrate the value of your work by showing the functionality that has been validated, even if no new defects were found.

Broaden Your Testing Scope

Expanding your testing scope can uncover areas for improvement beyond traditional defect identification:

  • Usability Testing: Evaluate the user experience and suggest enhancements to improve the application’s usability.
  • Performance Testing: Even if not a primary responsibility, understanding performance bottlenecks can provide valuable insights.
  • Security Testing: Basic security checks can reveal vulnerabilities that might have been overlooked.

Automate Where Possible

While your role may primarily involve manual testing, automating repetitive test cases can free up your time for more exploratory testing. This not only improves efficiency but also demonstrates your initiative to enhance the testing process.

Continuous Learning and Self-Improvement

Invest time in learning new testing techniques and tools. This can not only improve your skill set but also bring fresh perspectives to your testing approach.

Conclusion

In a mature and stable product environment, the value of a tester extends beyond finding defects. By focusing on defect prevention, enhancing reporting, broadening your testing scope, and embracing automation, you can significantly contribute to the product’s quality and reliability.

Enhance Your Testing with Repeato

For those looking to streamline their testing process, consider using Repeato. Repeato is a no-code test automation tool for iOS and Android, designed to help you create, run, and maintain automated tests quickly and efficiently. By leveraging computer vision and AI, Repeato simplifies the setup and execution of tests, allowing you to focus on more critical testing tasks and ensuring high-quality releases.

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