Page - 18 - in The Future of Software Quality Assurance

18 G.Bath competencies” is therefore best addressed by using a framework model which enables the different competencies to be organized. Initially, the well-known T- Modelwillbeused,but thiswill laterbeextendtoamorecomprehensiveandusable form. The T-Model, as the name suggests, organizes competencies into two cate- gories: 1. Broad-based, general competencies which may be applied to a wide range of projects. These competencies, such as being able to communicate effectively to a wide range of stakeholders, are represented by the horizontal part of the T. Testers should try to achieveallof these competencies. 2. Specialized competencies, such as being able to set up a test environment for mobile application testing, are represented by the vertical part of the T. Testers mayacquireanynumberof thesecompetenciesas required. Aselectionof typicalcompetenciesfromeachof thesecategories isgivenbelow. 5 General Competencies Some of the more important general competencies are suggested below. It would be expected that different people might want to put other competencies on this list. Defining the NG Tester using a skills framework allows for this flexibility. Havingsaid that, it wouldbeunusual tonotfind the followingcompetencieswithin aparticularNG Testerdefinition. 5.1 TestingEssentials The fundamental skills of a tester will always be required, whatever the project or context. These are the skills which enable testers to find defects more effectively andefficiently than thosewithout thoseskills. Competencies requiredof theNG Tester: • Design tests using the “traditional” black-box techniques. This includes the ability to design tests using equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision tables, state transitiondiagramsandcombinatorial techniques. • Performeffectiveexploratorytesting. • Take on various tasks in the testing process (e.g. analysis of user stories, design andexecutionofappropriate tests).