Top 10 Technical Skills Every Software Tester Must Have

Software testers are not easy to find. Every tester must have the technical skills to be able to achieve that job. Jerry (Gerald) Weinberg, a well-known computer scientist and testing expert, once stated that “if you’re not learning something every day, you’re not testing.” This is true when technology, agile and DevOps methods are rapidly evolving, while continuous development and accelerated deployments are becoming more complex. Testing becomes a crucial phase. This allows testers to work harder and requires more thought.

To keep up with current trends, it is essential to learn about them and improve your technical skills. To gain greater insight into this situation, each tester must be proficient with technical skills. You can communicate effectively to developers the problems and failures in the system with great effectiveness.

Software tester who has a solid understanding of requirements analysis and design can gain a great deal of insight into the defect cycle. They are able to identify the code area with the most defects and suggest ways in which developers can fix it. A tester has a lot of technical skills that can help prevent defects from being introduced to the code.

Top 10 Technical Skills Every Software Tester Must Have

1. Agile Testing

Agile software development principles are followed in software testing. Agile testing is an iterative development method that allows requirements to be developed gradually by customers and testers. The development follows customer requirements.

Agile testing is a continuous process, but not sequential. Testing begins at the beginning of a project and there is continuous integration between development and testing. High product quality is the main goal of agile testing and development.

Also read: 10 Tech Trends That Changed the Way We Test Software

2. Automation Testing

Manual testing is not the best way to go. You need to take advantage of the latest technology, the increasing complexity of software, and the integrations within the application. Software testers and QA engineers need to be proficient in automation skills. This is because it allows for greater accuracy and uses the best business logic and technicalities. Many test automation tools fully support this type of testing and provide the tools to accomplish tasks efficiently and quickly.

3. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

It is one of the most important and preferred things. If a tester is open to learning software development lifecycle management skills. They will be able to understand application development tasks and plan the testing cycles by studying the entire SDLC structure. A strong and thorough knowledge of the SDLC cycle can help testers to anticipate any complexities in an application. This will allow them to take the correct steps before they occur. Testers must also be familiar with other development mythologies such as Kanban, Waterfall and Scrum, Lean, and Lean.

4. Technologies in Web and Mobile

Every tester should be familiar with the most current technologies in mobile and web. They can then understand the application’s build and scalability, and determine the best course of action to test it. It is important for testers to keep up-to-date with the latest trends in web and mobile technologies. This helps them understand the coding architecture and technical challenges so they can deliver effective QA solutions.

5. Testing Tools and Techniques

Each tester should be familiar with the most recent testing techniques and tools. Black-box testing and penetration testing, security testing as well as system testing and unit testing are all available to testers. They can work on any type of project, regardless of its domain or application. Other than this, testers can use other testing tools such as bug tracking tools and management tools, GUI testing tools, and automation tools to meet different needs.

6. Defect Tracking and Test Case Management Tools

Software testing phases must have a defect tracking system and a defect life cycle. It is difficult to properly manage and track defects. A tester who has a good knowledge of defect tracking tools and test cases management tools like Bugzilla, Jira, and QC will be able to help managers, developers, and testers lock down the defect.

7. SQL or Database

SQL has been the most widely used programming language for database management over the past four decades. Software systems have accumulated a lot of data over the years. The data is stored in various databases such as Oracle, MySQL, and others. Therefore, it is important that testers understand the query and how to manipulate the data. It is easier for testers to provide the correct solutions when data validation is required if they are familiar with SQL and databases. To verify that the correct data is being stored in the backend database, a single SQL query or database can be used.

Also read: Top 5 Test Management Tools For Jira

8. Cross-Browser Testing Skills

Browser compatibility testing is essential because of the increasing demand for different browsers and multiple devices, as well as variations in screen sizes for smartphones.

Cross-browser testing skills allow testers to test the developed application in different browsers. This test ensures that the product is delivered without bugs or errors. It could also be used on any platform.

9. Project Management

Software testing skills include both technical and professional aspects. Testers must be able to take responsibility for the project in order to manage both. After the testing is complete, a tester will deliver the project. Testers will be able to problem solve by learning project management skills. This will make testers accountable for their work and allow them to take over the management of the entire testing project. To promote responsibility, project management skills are also important. The tester can then improve the testing process and provide quality results for the client.

10. Basic Programming Knowledge

Programming does not mean that every tester must be a programmer. It is important to have a basic understanding of the application’s functionality so that testers can create test cases accordingly. Testers will be able to identify potential errors in the code of the application, which reduces the likelihood of bugs and inefficiencies. Every tester should learn at least one programming language, as there are many workarounds for the application.