Let’s imagine that you’re an inexperienced QA engineer who just started working in a fast-growing software company. But the catch is that you’re the first tester hired. You’re the only one responsible for developing a QA process in this IT sphere. And even though you’re the newbie, everyone in your company is counting on you and expects that you will do the right thing always and everywhere. This situation requires a huge responsibility.

Further in the article, we’ll talk about traps that open up in the testers’ day-to-day work. They will be extremely useful for those who manage test processes and organize QA work. Even if someone finds these tips superficial, they may help you to test software much better.

Tester Isn’t a Lifeguard

It’s a completely wrong idea that software testing is a responsibility of a QA team only. As soon as a part of a web product is ready, they start testing it, and nothing more!

Ideally, QA engineer should always look for solutions to improve development processes so that software contains fewer defects. Daily help for programmers and testing heuristics is the most effective way to ensure that thoroughly tested features are free of defects and that they can safely be released into production.

If QA consultants position themselves as a lifeguard of quality, it is bound to be a cause for their pride and an unwavering sense of their importance. But when a development department, project managers, and other stakeholder members of the working group are also in this situation, software quality is raised to another level, which is extremely problematic to achieve alone.

Autotests Should Be Used Wisely

Automated software testing is the most underestimated thing in engineering. Any automated testing can be a universal safety net, especially within projects that cannot be thoroughly tested manually.

But it is worth working well on a universal automation strategy, considering the views of the whole project team and getting their technical approval beforehand.

You Can’t Test Everything: Keep Track of Time

There is nothing wrong with QA enineer working on two or even three projects simultaneously. Of course, each of these projects has its deadline and actual priorities.

In order not to get confused about what to test in the morning, and what can be postponed to the evening, you need to set priorities every day.

If there is any doubt about Project X, focus entirely on it! After all, time is the most important and valuable resource. Because you cannot say with certainty that there are no defects in X, do not hesitate to test it to infinity (within reason).

There’s never enough time to test everything, so it’s important to allocate your time efficiently. Test what you think is important: the most common scenarios, critical points, and well-functioning scenarios, and use your time wisely!

For example, such techniques as equivalency class tests or boundary value tests will allow you to minimize the number of test cases while maintaining high standards of web product quality. A great tester knows not only what to test, but also what does not need to be tested.