{"id":7570,"date":"2016-09-08T18:53:25","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T18:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.abstracta.us\/?p=7570"},"modified":"2025-05-05T21:21:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:21:08","slug":"life-software-tester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/","title":{"rendered":"The Life of a Software Tester"},"content":{"rendered":"

Happy Day of the Software Tester!<\/span><\/h1>\n

Every September 9th is a day that reminds us to take a moment to celebrate testers. It\u2019s a great day to give them a pat on the back and <\/span>send them some love<\/span><\/a><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>It\u2019s also a great day to give testing the recognition it deserves. If you are not very familiar with it, then this post will be a good introduction. If you are a tester, we urge you to share this post with others to inspire them to join us in the testing world! Let’s find out what software testing entails and take a look at a day in the life of a software tester.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>What is Software Testing?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Essentially, the job of a tester is to help provide its organization with meaningful information about the quality of the system under test in order to reduce risk, optimize performance, make sure it satisfies the requirements (it does what it was designed to do), and functions properly, among other things. <\/span><\/p>\n

Testers are naturally curious beings, always asking \u201cWhat if\u201d questions regarding a system\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cartoon Courtesy of Cartoon Tester<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They think outside of the box, anticipating actions that users may take that others in the organization may not be planning for. <\/span><\/p>\n

Basically, without software testers, there wouldn\u2019t be someone dedicated to finding the issues within the software of a computer, machine, program, etc. that could cause it to not work properly. Thanks to QA engineers, you can Instagram your vacation photos, pay bills online, or call your family over a web application quickly and seamlessly. <\/span><\/p>\n

Just like your average superhero, they are out there fighting the evil pests that disturb the functionality of the world around us. So what is their life like?<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a very broad view (for the purpose of this post) of what a tester does:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>What is a Day in the Life of a Software Tester Like?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

On any given day, a tester may find him or herself involved in one or more of these activities:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Attend Meetings<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

This is where they learn about the details of a project. Testers need to know about their subject from the get-go. This is also where they are able to ask questions, make comments and do training related to the testing. In any project, testers should be involved right away in order to help plan testing with development, making sure to build quality into the product during every phase. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/span>Learn the Requirements<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Testers save others\u2019 work from errors. Sometimes, a tester has to test an application that they have never interacted with before, so it can be useful for them to review the requirements set by those who do know it and provide feedback. There is always a lot of mutual learn by doing. Sometimes the tester tests without the software requirements specifications and documentation. In this case, they will use exploratory testing, mind maps, and other techniques to learn more about the system. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"giphy<\/p>\n

<\/span>Prepare for Testing<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

By having the right requirements knowledge and\/or documents, they know how to get to work and it doesn\u2019t just happen at a flick of a snap. Before executing tests, a tester must understand the technology, the data model, the risks, context, etc. This is when the tester creates the test cases and scripts, sets time for each case, among other tasks. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"giphy<\/p>\n

<\/span>Execute Tests<\/span><\/h3>\n

Woot! This is fun, but it\u2019s not just about executing the tests, it includes getting any needed clarifications, updating scripts, reporting defects and giving a status report. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"giphy<\/p>\n

During and after execution, the tester must ask many important questions:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow would the user feel about this?\u201d<\/span>
\n\u201cHow can we make the user\u2019s experience better?\u201d<\/span>
\n\u201cWhat if\u2026? What if\u2026? What if\u2026?\u201d (There are never too many what if questions!) <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Clarify, Investigate Bugs, & Get to the Root Issue<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Once bugs have been found, it is the tester’s job to explain about the reported bugs, including conducting a causal analysis. This can also cover reproducing the bug, which involves having to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>re-run the steps of the test to see if the problem happens again<\/span>. The tester always <\/span>double checks<\/span><\/a><\/span> that a bug has truly been fixed before calling it \u201ccase closed.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"giphy<\/p>\n

<\/span>Final Analysis<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Often called retrospectives, after every great software development project, meetings are held for reflection and commentary to be made. A lot of the discussion centers around questions like, \u201cWhat went right? What went wrong? How can we improve the practices and which do we need to get rid of?\u201d These are all questions to be asked at the end of any project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For even more things that testers do on a daily basis and how they provide value for software development teams, read this follow up post<\/a>!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How are you celebrating the heroic day of the software tester?<\/span><\/p>\n

GIFs courtesy of GIPHY<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Recommended for You<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The Ultimate List of 100 Software Testing Quotes<\/span><\/a>
\nWhat is a Software Tester?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy Day of the Software Tester! Every September 9th is a day that reminds us to take a moment to celebrate testers. It\u2019s a great day to give them a pat on the back and send them some love. It\u2019s also a great day to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[127],"yoast_head":"\nA Day in the Life of a Software Tester | Abstracta<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Happy Day of the Software Tester! Let's find out what software testing entails and take a look at a day in the life of a software tester.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Day in the Life of a Software Tester | Abstracta\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Happy Day of the Software Tester! Let's find out what software testing entails and take a look at a day in the life of a software tester.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog about AI-powered quality engineering for teams building complex software | Abstracta\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AbstractaQA\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-09-08T18:53:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-05T21:21:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/The_Life_of_a_Software_Tester-min.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"420\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"236\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AbstractaUS\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AbstractaUS\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Blog about AI-powered quality engineering for teams building complex software | Abstracta\",\"description\":\"AI-powered quality engineering\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.abstracta.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/e424bebdd8462d10e2ea6e5956d3dfd7.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/\",\"name\":\"A Day in the Life of a Software Tester | Abstracta\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-09-08T18:53:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-05T21:21:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3cc530c545cab16fae6829f65fe4419e\"},\"description\":\"Happy Day of the Software Tester! Let's find out what software testing entails and take a look at a day in the life of a software tester.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/\",\"name\":\"Software Testing\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"item\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/life-software-tester\/\",\"name\":\"The Life of a Software Tester\"}}]},{\"@type\":[\"Person\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3cc530c545cab16fae6829f65fe4419e\",\"name\":\"Abstracta Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cab9c9f3dec946bd8867fdb2abbd10a?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Abstracta Team\"},\"description\":\"We are a technology solutions company specializing in software testing, custom software development, and AI-driven software solutions. We provide top-notch, holistic solutions to enable continuous delivery of high-quality software. Our purpose is to co-create first class software, generating opportunities for development in our communities to improve people's quality of life. Organizations such as BBVA Financial Group, CA Technologies and Shutterfly turn to us for comprehensive quality solutions, from rigorous testing to innovative AI copilots and bespoke software development. Sharing our learnings with the community is rooted in our values. That is why we believe in collaborating with the IT community by sharing quality content, courses, and promoting thought leadership events. Recognized with several awards, we are committed to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Our experienced team, dedicated to continuous learning and improvement, has earned the trust of numerous clients worldwide, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. We are a fast-growing company, and we are looking for proactive and talented people, who can assume responsibilities, bring new ideas, and who are as excited as we are about our mission of building high-quality software. If you are interested in joining the team, apply here https:\/\/abstracta.us\/why-us\/careers.\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7570"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7570"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13504,"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7570\/revisions\/13504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}