quality assurance

2020 confetti Softer Testing Skills to Focus On in 2020

Although technical skills will always be essential for testers, this should be the year we also have a collective responsibility to focus on two softer aspects: being realistic about goals for quality, and bringing back simplicity into the software engineering discipline. Here's how these goals can bring value in 2020.

Mukesh Sharma's picture
Mukesh Sharma
Person holding a sparkler with New Year's fireworks in the background Top 10 TechWell Insights Stories of 2019

Career development was on many software practitioners' minds in 2019, as some of our top stories were about having a technical lead on a Scrum team and making the switch from quality assurance to quality engineering. Stories about new ideas such as DevOps and continuous testing also ranked high. Check out the roundup.

Beth Romanik's picture
Beth Romanik
A tester exploring their software A Software Testing Primer

When development teams are pressed for time or budget, testing is often the first activity squeezed out. But testing will actually save you money in the long run. This story gives the basics of why it's crucial to test early and often, the types of testing you should perform, and how to get proactive against bugs.

lIya Dudkin's picture
lIya Dudkin
Ascending staircase with a web of connections on the ceiling Testers Must Use Team Connections to Enable Quality

The quality team has the greatest reach in its visibility and ability to connect with all other engineering and non-engineering teams. For a tester to realize their fullest potential, they need to acknowledge and leverage this reach by communicating and collaborating with all other teams to create the best product.

Mukesh Sharma's picture
Mukesh Sharma
Shachar Schiff Security Testing and Assessing Risk: A Slack Takeover with Shachar Schiff

Thought leaders from the software community are taking over the TechWell Hub to answer questions and engage in conversations. Shachar Schiff, founder and principal consultant at BadTesting, hosted this Slack takeover and discussed assessing code coverage like a risk analyst, risk assessments outside security, and more.

Kelly McGee's picture
Kelly McGee
Two identical airplanes performing a stunt in tandem 2 Ways to Standardize QA Practices

Testing can get complicated when each project is using a completely different toolset, language, and reporting status, with different measurements and formats. Testing is a reaction to context and what we encounter, so how we test cannot be standardized. What we can standardize is the stuff that surrounds the testing.

Justin Rohrman's picture
Justin Rohrman
Computer built with gears Smart Testers Adopt Smart Automation

As technology continues to evolve, questions around the role of quality also continue. Is manual testing still required? What should the role of automation be? Where are we heading with quality? Smart testers hoping to develop their careers will have to brush up on their exposure and expertise and embrace automation.

Rajini  Padmanaban's picture
Rajini Padmanaban
A quality guild made up of software testers in the community Creating a Community of Testers

Many teams are divided by product or feature, with only one dedicated tester per team. How do you learn and grow in your career when you’re disconnected from your peers? One solution is to create your own community of testers that spans the organization. Here are some ideas to start and facilitate a Quality Guild.

Philip Daye's picture
Philip Daye