Needed: more software testers
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There are huge career opportunities for software professionals, and companies are effectively tapping this growing market, says V. MANI
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Have you ever thought of becoming a software tester? If you are unsure what software testing is all about, consider this: would Bill Gates have managed to become the richest man in the world without a diligent tester in the background? Read on for the answer.
Testing plays a strategic role in ensuring product quality in the software development process. It helps a software development team focus on the customer's needs throughout the product cycle. While deploying software solutions, large enterprises today enlist the help of Independent Validation and Verification (Testing) companies to conduct functional testing of the solution. In such cases the company requires domain-specific testing skills.
Research firm Gartner estimates the worldwide software testing market at $ 13 billion and the global outsourcing testing market opportunity in this year to be at $ 4.5 billion. A META group study reveals that the market in India will touch $ 700 million-$ 1 billion by 2007.
The potential for outsourced testing is huge; as a result there is increased demand for skilled testers in India.
In software companies, testing professionals work closely with the IT/ development teams to finalise a high-level strategy covering scope, types of testing to be done (functional, load, etc), test environments, defect management and contingency plans, and how to validate requirements.
Building a plan
Professionals are also required to build a plan with effort estimation, timelines, resource requirements and the acquisition of the agreed tools. Once unit testing is completed by the IT organization, the verification and validation team applies pre-defined criteria before accepting the test load. On accepting it, they conduct integration testing, system testing, regression testing or non-functional testing. A library of plans, conditions, cases, data, scripts and related documentation is maintained.
The final stage involves reporting and analysis. The team continuously reports on testing progress and provides productivity reports to help evaluate risks, and monitor schedules and quality of work. The following are some of the roles professionals will play during the course of their career:
Test Engineer (0-2yrs).
Senior Test Engineer (2-5 yrs).
Test Leader (4-6 yrs).
Test Manager (6-10 yrs).
What do companies look for in professionals?
The ability to follow processes.
Work on an issue until it is resolved.
Ability to identify the problem.
Ability to understand and find a solution to the problem.
Understanding of test methodologies.
Experience with testing tools from leading vendors such as Mercury, IBM, Compuware, Segue etc.
Understanding of the entire test lifecycle, levels of testing, execution, defect reporting and tracking are basic skills required at all levels.
As testers move up the ladder they need to pick up skills in coding and unit testing, case design and automation.
Soft skills count
Test Leads would need to understand scheduling, metrics and tools evaluation. Managers need to build capabilities in process management, risk management, effort estimation and organisation management. Soft skills (strong communication, learning ability, process and customer orientation) are extremely important.
To be a software testing professional, one would need training in software quality, testing, IT infrastructure, security testing and service management.
There are several certification programmes for quality assurance/testing run by organisations such as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), American Society for Quality (ASQ), Quality Assurance Institute (QAI) and International Institute for Software Testing (IIST).
Software testing is creating huge career opportunities for professionals in India. Software companies, from India and abroad, are investing in establishing centres of excellence to effectively tap this growing market.
Software testing also requires constant creativity and eye for detail. Companies are adopting initiatives to keep the creativity and enthusiasm up in a technology-intensive, fast-changing, complex area. At PSI Data Systems, activities to keep the job of software testing professionals dynamic include:
Role rotation to facilitate building multiple skills.
Ongoing induction programmes and training interventions, e.g. knowledge-sharing sessions for dissemination of best practices/lessons learnt to the entire team within the bounds of any confidentiality agreements with clients.
Sufficient timeline overlap planning for outgoing and incoming team members to facilitate smooth hand-overs.
Documentation of work products, issues and project status to reduce dependencies.
Maintaining a knowledge repository.
Testing is increasingly seen as a specialised service. IT companies are offering testing as a standalone service to take advantage of the opportunity it poses. Software testing is becoming an independent professional discipline, as it not only brings objectivity and transparency to defect reporting process, but also improves the core business strategy.
For more information, contact media@psidata.com
(The author is Vice President-Programme Office, Head-Testing Centre of Insight, PSI Data Systems)
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