Professional Tester

The role of the tester has changed fundamentally - but very few people have a clear picture of what skills are really in demand today and who should actually be doing them. It is no longer about the one person with “tester” on their business card, but about test responsibility in a team: from test data management to analysis and automation. The German Testing Board’s updated job description for testing shows which positions exist, when which skills are needed and how concrete career paths in software testing can be derived from this.

Podcast Episode: Professional Tester

In this episode, we talk about what skills a tester needs nowadays and how the job description of a tester has changed in recent years. We shed light on how the way we work in testing has evolved, especially through agile methods, and when which skills are required in the development process. Finally, we give tips on how testers can plan their career and what resources are available to support them.

“Of course, at first it’s all in the team, but over time we’ve learned that sometimes the team is too small, sometimes it doesn’t have all the skills it needs, and sometimes the product is too big that you can’t get by with just one team.” - Jörn Münzel

Steffen Schild, an agile testing enthusiast with experience in numerous industries, founded a testing department and initiated the knowledge exchange platform “TeaTime”. He specializes in topics such as agile testing, test automation and teamwork. He has been passing on his expertise as an ISTQB trainer for Certified Tester certifications since 2018.

Jörn Münzel has over 35 years of professional experience in software development, quality assurance and testing. His experience covers a wide range of activities from programming, testing and test automation to project management in the telecommunications and financial sectors. Over the last 15 years, his focus has been on testing and QA, with an emphasis on test improvement and test management of banking applications.

Highlights der Episode

• Testing is not a role, but an activity - which everyone in an agile team has to take on.
• Test automation, test data, analysis: skills are distributed among several people in the team.
• Programmers have been doing testing for a long time - they just don’t call it that and do it unconsciously.
• Today, a career in testing means taking responsibility for sub-areas, not promotion to management.
• The GTB job profile shows which skills are needed when - for recruiting and self-orientation.

New challenges and necessary skills

In this podcast episode, we discuss the current challenges and changes in software testing with Joern Münzel and Steffen Schild. We shed light on the necessary skills that have developed through agile methods and give tips on career planning in testing.

Challenges in the modern testing industry

Steffen first reported on the current challenges in the industry. He emphasized that testing itself has not changed, but the way of working has. Teamwork has become more important and agile methods are now standard. These new requirements have led to a revised understanding of testing itself. Jörn added to this and explained that the previous way of working, in which tests were carried out retrospectively, no longer works.

From individual tasks to teamwork

Joern went on to explain that testers often used to carry out their tasks in isolation. They received requirements and software to be tested from other departments and then reported back errors. Today, it is important that testers work closely with the team and develop a shared understanding of quality. This new understanding means that testers are no longer just responsible for finding errors, but are actively involved in preventing errors.

Agility requires new skills

Richie talked about how agile methods have changed testing. In an agile environment, testers must constantly perform regression tests and automation is becoming more important. Jörn emphasized the need for new skills such as technical understanding and analytical skills. This is the only way to ensure that quality is maintained in an incremental development process. Steffen added that these changes also offer opportunities: Testers can receive further training in specific areas such as performance or security testing.

The new job description: positions instead of roles

The German Testing Board has revised the job description for testers to reflect these changes. Instead of rigid roles, there are now flexible positions. This allows testers to take on different responsibilities depending on the project phase. Richie went on to explain how important this flexible model is in order to meet the requirements of modern development processes.

Tips for career planning in testing

Finally, Jörn and Steffen gave valuable tips on career planning in the field of software testing. Jörn recommended creating a personal plan and regularly reviewing which skills you would like to deepen. Steffen emphasized the importance of active participation in the team and continuous training. Both emphasized that the German Testing Board offers helpful resources, including the revised job description as a document on their homepage.