10 Things to Avoid as a Software Tester

Today, software testers hold a unique niche in an industry full of developers, programmers, managers, and search engine optimizers. With the growing demand of software testers, the software testing industry expects you to be more experienced, knowledgeable, and analytical. It doesn’t mean that there is no space for a fresher; however, the recent trend in the testing industry demands you to have analytical and programming skills.

It is often believed that the quality of a software product depends upon the characteristics of a software tester, i.e. how well he applies his approach to test an application. A brave tester thinks out of the box to explore more bugs and brings quality to the end product. However, there are few awful tendency shown by a tester at times, and must be avoided to improve the product’s quality.

  1. Bug Bot:  A smart tester should not merely depend upon the Internet to file the bug report. Stopping at the first clue of a bug and filing report without investigating into its own testing environment are some of the acts of a careless tester.
  1. The ‘Programmer’ tag: A tester’s sole strength lies in testing the application. There are often tussle between testers and programmers while taking any responsibility of a fault. Testers usually avoid indulging in any coding activities, which creates a bad impression as a professional and raises questions about his technical abilities.
  1. Document Dependent: A proper documentation of the requirements is essential before performing any test; however, a tester must not be too dependent on the documentation that he/she cannot initiate the test on his own.
  1. An Ugly Testing Approach: A tester’s attitude is not just defined by testing. A tester must be able to write decent bug reports and investigate deep into the case, while being consistent at the same time.
  2.  The Temporary Investor: A professional tester must gain knowledge about the product while testing it, rather than just performing test and creating reports. 
  1. Protesting: A tester must never run away from responsibilities, even if it’s difficult. Blaming the code or test plans is an act of bad software tester. 
  1. Dictatorship: There has always been an argument on the ideas and solutions while performing software testing.  A tester must stop pointing out the mistakes of others and implement the ideas beneficial for the project. Even an experienced tester can be a bottleneck to productivity, if he acts as a dictator.  
  1. The overcautious: Testers often work while being on the safe side. They ensure that all requirements, documentations, and plans are set before performing any test and are not generally comfortable thinking out of the box. However, a good tester must have the attitude to explore new things out of their comfort zone.
  1. The Careless: There are few careless attitudes like missing backup, snapshots, leaving system out, failing to reproduce bugs, etc. common among fresher. However, these things must be overcome with time and experience. 
  1. The Lazy Fake Cracker: With the automated software testing strategies, testers get the privilege to use the latest tools and methods to test complicated software. Most often it proves to be deceptive and requires a lot of investments. An intelligent tester must get the software tested right the first time.