Page - 237 - in The Future of Software Quality Assurance

Next-Generation Software Testers: Broaden or Specialize! 237 and risks areas, and create tests accordingly. Programming knowledge helps in identifying possible errors in the code and work closely with the developer on static analysis and unit testing, possibly using Test Driven Development. It is advisable to learn at least two programming languages, e.g. Python, Java or C++. Of course having programming skills also strongly support the ability to perform test automation tasks. With the increasing complexities and integrations in the application, relyingonmanual testingalonecannotget the jobdone. Weband Mobile Technologies Todaymost testersmustalsobecomefamiliarwith thewebandmobiletechnologies so that they can understand the application, its build and scalability and apply a suitable course of actions for its testing. It is highly important that testers keep an eye open on web and mobile technology advancements since it guides them in comprehendingthecodingarchitectureand technicalchallenges todelivereffective testingsolutions. SoftwareDevelopmentLifecycle Testers need to learn and understand the software life cycle as it will help them understand the development tasks and plan testing cycles accordingly. Having an in-depthknowledgeofsoftware lifecyclewill alsohelpanticipatechallenges in the developmentprocesswhichcanguideintakingtherightmeasuresbeforehand.With AgileandDevOpsmethodologiesbeingpopular, testersofcourseneed to learnand understandtheseaswell,especially the impact thishasonhowtestingisperformed. ProjectManagement Learning the skills of project management will support the tester in becoming a better testmanager.Projectmanagementskillsalsopreparetesters tobeaccountable andanswerablefor theirworktoconcernedstakeholdersandalsoundertakerespon- sibility and management for specific test activities. This way, project management skills contribute todeliveringquality results, improvingtheentire test process. ConfigurationManagement Thepurposeofconfigurationmanagement is to establish andmaintain the integrity of the component or system, the testware and their relationships to one another. For the tester this an important process to ensure quality and as such it is essential to have some knowledge on configuration management. In addition also, testware needs to be managed via this process. All items of testware should be uniquely identified, version controlled and tracked for changes, related to each other and related to versionsof the requirementsso that traceabilitycanbe maintained. 3.3 Broadening:Domain Knowledge In this context, domain knowledge is defined as knowledge about the environment in which the target system operates. For a tester it’s important to understand the domain in order to be able to communicate with business stakeholders (product