Tester’s Rules of Fruitful Communication
by Nataliia Vasylyna | July 28, 2016 5:43 am
An experienced specialist of software testing or mobile testing[1] knows that having strong communication skills is a great prerequisite for professional’s overall success in a software testing company.
There are plenty of training courses and seminars dedicated to the conversation skills development techniques. Let’s review those of them that can improve the tester’s ability to effectively participate in IT processes.
How Can Testers Improve Their Communication Skills?
- When describing an issue, testers should specify exactly which feature does not work. If multiple functionalities are broken, they should briefly explain it without excessive generalization and avoid remarks like “Regression testing[2] shows that nothing works.”
- It is better to use exact names of elements, for example, “select the File menu item.” This will prevent ambiguity and confusion.
- When proving that something does not work, testers should explain what concrete actions they have taken. For example, if a bug is found during automated testing[3], a tester should investigate and list the features affected by a bug, specify which tests were failed and provide other essential information to developers.
- It happens that, for example, project manager and developer discuss an issue, agree that it is not a bug, but forget to share it with others. That is why it is helpful for a tester to primarily discuss a potential bug with a team, just in case.
- Testers should ask questions if something is unclear for them. If a tester has a lot of questions, it is better not to ask them all during the general meeting but save them for private discussions with project managers.
If a tester sticks to these recommendations and behaves accordingly, his/her communication with colleagues will be highly effective.
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Related Posts:
Endnotes:
- mobile testing: http://mobile.qatestlab.com/
- Regression testing: https://qatestlab.com/services/Step-by-Step/regression-testing/
- automated testing: https://qatestlab.com/services/We-Are-Professionals-in/automated-testing/
- Required Manual Testing Skills: https://blog.qatestlab.com/2019/07/25/manual-testing-skills/
- 5 Ways to Fulfil Effective Communication: https://blog.qatestlab.com/2016/12/06/fulfil-effective-communication/
- How to Establish Good Communication in QA Team?: https://blog.qatestlab.com/2012/07/13/how-to-establish-good-communication-in-software-testing-team/
Source URL: https://blog.qatestlab.com/2016/07/28/fruitful-communication-rules/