“Developers with testing skills are in high demand - and the market is empty.” - Richard Seidl
I have been accompanying teams and companies on their agile journey for many years now. But it is still a wonderful moment every time when these historically grown walls between roles and professions are tangibly torn down, resulting in a real boost in collaboration and productivity.
For me, this is particularly visible in software testing. Whereas the teams used to be strictly separated - the test team here and the development team there (with all the conflicts, finger-pointing and friction) - this expertise is increasingly growing together. With the right support in the form of mentoring and training, this is exactly what makes the magic happen: quality and testing expertise become the lived practice of the entire (!) team. Quality becomes an attitude.
Establish testing skills
For mentoring or coaching, people often start by adding a tester to the team. This is a good start, but care must be taken to ensure that a dynamic doesn’t develop in the team along the lines of “look, one tester, then the rest won’t have to worry about quality”. After all, it’s actually about establishing testing skills throughout the entire team!
What remains is to equip your own developers with testing skills. For most software developers, however, training such as the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL) is too abstract and covers topics such as test management, which have little relevance in the day-to-day work of developers. Interestingly, earlier CTFL syllabuses and exams were also suitable for developers with applications to source code. However, technical know-how was gradually banned from the CTFL.
Building bridges
The “A4Q Software Development Engineer in Test” (SDET) certification, which I took a closer look at, aims to close this gap. It was developed in collaboration between the German Testing Board (GTB) and the Alliance for Qualification (A4Q) and teaches precisely those contents of the CTFL that are relevant for software developers: Why testing? How and what do I test in my development process? What are the benefits of static analysis and reviews? How do I create good test cases - in other words, what test case design methods are there?
The content will be deepened even further with components from the ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level - Technical Test Analyst (CTAL-TTA).
To make the transfer to everyday development more tangible, there are accompanying practical exercises that work directly with source code and specifications.
In my opinion, SDET builds an important bridge between software developers and tester skills. Developers with testing skills are in high demand - and the market is empty. The massive increase in demand for test automation in recent years has exacerbated the situation. Further training for existing employees is therefore a sensible step.
And finally, it is a further step towards a holistic, integral team, the reduction of insular and silo knowledge and more exchange on topics at eye level!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did separate testing and development teams hinder collaboration?
The strict separation led to conflicts, finger-pointing, and friction between the groups. Responsibility for quality was shifted rather than shared. When testing expertise, on the other hand, becomes integrated, there is a noticeable boost in collaboration and productivity because the historically entrenched barriers between roles and professions come down. Quality then becomes a mindset of the entire team, not the responsibility of a single department.
How can testing expertise be embedded throughout the entire team?
Mentoring and training are the key drivers. Only through guided professional development does testing become a lived practice for the entire team rather than a specialized task for a few individuals. The goal is to reduce siloed knowledge and foster more professional exchange on an equal footing. An integrated team is not created through reorganization alone, but by building skills among all participants.
Is it enough to place a tester on the development team?
That’s a good start, but not a solution. There is a risk of a dynamic emerging along these lines: Now that there’s a tester on the team, the rest no longer need to worry about quality. This is precisely what defeats the purpose, because testing skills should develop throughout the entire team. The tester on the team should therefore act as a mentor, not as the person solely responsible for quality.
Is a traditional tester certification suitable for software developers?
Only to a limited extent. In 2023, the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level was too abstract for most developers and included topics such as test management, which have little relevance to a developer’s day-to-day work. Earlier versions of the curriculum, which included hands-on exercises directly on source code, were quite useful for developers; however, the technical know-how was gradually removed from the Foundation Level.
What topics should a testing training program for developers cover?
The development-related aspects of testing knowledge are most useful: why testing is done in the first place, what and how to test within one’s own development process, the benefits of static analysis and reviews, and the various test case design methods available. In addition, there are technical deep dives, such as those covered by the Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst certification. Hands-on exercises using source code and specifications make the transfer of knowledge tangible.
Why are developers with testing skills hard to find?
The market was practically empty in 2023. The sharp increase in demand for test automation in the preceding years had further exacerbated the situation, as this requires precisely the right mix of development and testing expertise. For this reason, upskilling existing employees is often a more realistic approach than searching for ready-made candidates on the job market.
