Summary
In the current times, we are surrounded by technology from every angle. Displays revolve around us daily, and there are fewer places without them in the world. Not all of us are aware that behind each screen, countless people had to take care of the quality of users’ experience.
There are many names for them. One of the more common ones is “Quality Assurance Engineer” (or QAs). What distinguishes Quality Assurance Engineers is that they are not only working on the core product. Quality Assurance has a wider scope. When Quality Control’s main objective revolves around the core, QAs are building proactive plans in order to make workflow better from the very beginning. The goal is to prevent quality failures at each phase during the project development process. There are different forms in which these experts are working, but usually the goal is the same. They want to deliver something that is a joy to use and free of issues so you can use it without any complications. Sounds idealistic, right? That’s because it is usually this way.
You can’t, and you won’t, but you can still try. What makes this role incredible is that QAs will each always try to improve or adjust things. The status quo is not looked at kindly among these professionals; that’s very much in the job description.
Sometimes, the description does not tell us how software is supposed to function. Especially when the software is on its way and is mostly only on paper. Even at that moment, there is a place to confront requirements with some logical criticisms. What we mean by that is to show that what looks good on paper sometimes does not look well in reality.
It is complicated at first, but each time you highlight things you don’t like or would rather adjust, you become more confident about proposed changes. It’s crucial for you to do so. Confidence is the key in this job. It’s one of the metrics that we QAs are being judged by. You won’t be able to argue your case if you are feeling self-conscious. Getting confident is a slow process, and it won’t come “just like that”.
In an Agile environment (which these days we are mostly working in) we are constantly adapting to changes around us, as it’s one of the rules of Agile development. We are amidst a constant evolution of behaviors that we are trying to navigate to some level.
QAs are also evolving just like our surroundings. They are usually adjusting to, e.g., developers which are making the same errors in code time, and time again. They may result in similar bugs over, and over again. QAs’ role is to limit those kinds of situations and show that the mistake somebody made in the past ought to be eliminated in the future. This establishes the process for improvement, which will make working on a project easier. The improvements may include improved communication in the team, making transparent documentation easier to read, getting to know the product, and knowing all its secrets such as flaws or reoccurring bugs. Even adjusting your Jira board or bug lifecycle can be something that will help.
It was just one example from us. The number of times that QA experts may make projects easier are potentially limitless and is mostly dependent on one’s creativity. During the author’s career, he met a lot of passionate QAs that had their own visions on how to ensure quality in projects.
There are different approaches to how a company may utilize Quality Assurance Engineers. From what we may observe, there is a high demand on the IT market for those kinds of specialists. Having a team of QAs is what each company now has and needs to have.
In our previous blogs, you could get a taste of what is the role of a QA, and the value that they are adding to the project. But there is also a dark side of the moon. QAs have some disadvantages. They need to learn a lot not only about product itself but also technical stuff. It may be a time-consuming process, so companies need to have some spare buffer before QA will produce added value. Of course, there are some exceptions. Summarizing, we think there are more advantages than disadvantages and good QA will try to secure your product from the additional costs and make your customers more satisfied. Finally, we would like to ask you, what do you think about QA role? Maybe you are looking for highly experienced specialists or if you are one, maybe you want to be involved in some cool projects?
Since you don’t need to have an in-depth technical knowledge, everyone can become good QAs. If you are patient, know what constitutes a quality app, learn fast, have an easy time communicating, and have the attention to detail, you are probably the type of person that would easily become one of us.
If you are looking for a great testing journey, then check out or start learning to ISTQB foundation certificate as it helps set up some QA mindset at first and will be a great addition to your growing career. See you on the QA path. Stay curious!
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