What Does It Take to Be a Software Tester in an Agile Organization?

Being a software tester involves far more than logging bugs and finding errors. In inspiring agile environments, testers work within development teams, much like working alongside the writers and producers on a movie set. They collaborate with everyone, from junior programmers to senior project leaders and inventors, to keep improving and building quality into products and services.

Communication in an agile team

When you work with a development team, face-to-face conversation is the best way to share thoughts, ideas and discoveries.

Testers initiate much of the communication in Scrum teams. Constant coordination is at the heart of the job. They work with programmers, the Scrum Master, the Scrum Product Owner and anyone else who can add value to the process and product.

Testing can be fun in quick-thinking agile environments. A self-organizing team collaborates more, with less self-interest and fewer arguments between developers and testers. Everyone shares the same goal: improve and innovate an amazing product.

Soft skills

Beyond the ability to test, there are no absolute rules for testers in agile environments. You are part of a team of equals. Develop your technical skills, interpersonal relationships and emotional intelligence. Most companies hiring agile testers look for strength in all these areas.

Strong design and coding skills cannot hide weak interpersonal skills, which can challenge the team. A tester with strong people skills and weaker technical ability, but a readiness and eagerness to learn, may be easier for the team to support. Scrum teams strongly believe in continuous training to develop talent.

An agile tester is like an athlete. You have a specific role, whether playing a sport or writing code, within a team of enthusiastic professionals pursuing success. Attitude comes first, with aptitude a very close second.

Detect ambiguity

Scrum testers help describe product features. Before development begins on a feature or user story, the tester and other team members meet with the Scrum Product Owner to discuss the story card and understand what is wanted. Skilled testers excel here because they can spot ambiguity before testing begins.

Testers can identify relevant scenarios and validate acceptance criteria well in advance. Using this skill before development, rather than during or after it, keeps the team focused on its goals. Testers help prevent issues as well as detect them.

Final Thoughts

In a fast-paced, close-knit agile organization, “just testing” is probably the last thing you can expect. Your work also includes:

• Attend meetings to clarify user stories and changes. Agility is iterative and incremental. Constant collaboration within the team and with the Scrum Master and Scrum Product Owner is essential.
• Communicate effectively so developers, the Scrum Master and the Scrum Product Owner stay on the same page.
• Identify risks, reduce them where possible and prioritize tasks that help deliver a shippable product at the end of every sprint.
• Suggest improvements to automating nightly builds, integration and regression, and to exploratory and acceptance testing.
• Give the whole development team continuous feedback on the status and progress of the product being designed.

Agile testing is a wonderful opportunity to think critically, collaborate with a hardworking team and contribute to something bigger than yourself. If you have the skills and drive to achieve, our partner NPAW (Nice People At Work) has great challenges for you: www.npaw.com/careers