Software testing expertise is still a critical need. But as we enter the age of agile and DevOps, the industry is changing. If you’re in a software quality or testing role now as a direct contributor or leader, how should you prepare? What’s your next career step? Here's how you should equip yourself for the future.

Sometimes environmentally based issues arise that impede your ability to access or test the software. Rather than addressing the problem methodically, as with defects, testers often attempt to solve it on their own. Here's why entering the problem into the defect-tracking database is a more efficient way to solve it.

Testers need to find important information about product quality and present it in a way that can be acted upon. As the people building the software, developers are in a great position to observe the product. By monitoring the test environment and conducting unit testing, they can help inform about product quality.