Hi, my name is Fatimah and I’m a QA tester at ParallelScore. The purpose of the following article is to describe my day-to-day life as a tester. You might find this interesting if you continue reading! A tester’s everyday life in a software company is quite busy, with a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders. Quality Assurance testing has become a vital part of software development, contributing to the success of the final product in every sector. ParallelScore is a company whose employees are very passionate about what they do. To me, the company’s main way to retain its employees lies in the fact that they foster their self-motivation and independence, which makes the work environment more enjoyable. Despite a challenging and competitive market, the company has always encouraged its employees to produce interesting and reliable product features. It was evident that this was going to be a great experience for me during the first week of my resumption of work. Although the company has changed a lot in recent years, its main goal has remained the same: creating useful and stable software products that people can use.
09:00 AM
I prepare for the day and head to the company’s studio to perform my testing. The option of working remotely exists, but I still travel to the office every day. In the beginning, I worked from home as a QA tester, but after a while, I realized it wasn’t for me. My first task on arrival at the office is to set up my tools and start working. I enjoy the challenge of finding bugs in our applications, and locating them is a real thrill. As I review some of our projects, I take notes on any problems I find. My next move is to review everything I’ve accomplished so far and begin new tasks or revisit the ones that are still unfinished.
10:00 AM
My colleagues and I have a daily team meeting via zoom by 10:00 am. We use the stand-up meetings to keep track of everyone’s progress and deliverables. We discuss problems or issues that have arisen and how we plan to resolve them. Each task also has a due date and it is important that we get them done on time. We communicate with each other so that we can reach an agreement as a team. All our opinions and thoughts must be aligned. This is why we have daily stand-up meetings. Over time, this practice has become part of our team’s ethos. Stand-up meetings provide an opportunity to discuss agile practices.
11:00 AM
In my role as a QA Tester, I monitor whether the development and deployment of an application went smoothly. An integral part of testing is ensuring the product works. In order to accomplish this, I must develop test cases to ensure that all features work correctly. Test cases are a group of steps that repeatedly verify functionality, and once they pass, we consider the application ready for deployment. Each test case I write reveals a new side to the application. As a first step, I carefully read each requirement. In this way, I can understand the limitations and needs of an application. I also take the requirements document information and break it down into steps that I want to verify. As a result, the requirements are narrowed down into smaller test cases. I sometimes draw out a diagram to help me decide what to test. Every day is different and it always keeps me on my toes. There is no time for complacency as new features are constantly being introduced that need to be tested to ensure they function properly.
12:00 PM
Collaboration is an important part of our product development process. To determine whether some features can be automated, I collaborate with the rest of the team members in order to create efficient systems. Since we work remotely, everyone stays in close contact during working hours and we track our progress using a project management tool called “Microsoft Azure DevOps.” I ask high-level questions to determine which story to write next. I contact the client to find out what he wants to be tested. While acceptance criteria are written for each story, I still ask questions to clarify what criteria must be met for a specific situation. Acceptance criteria (also called user stories) are short statements that describe the purpose of your software. This is a standardized way of getting important requirements from users or business stakeholders into your testing plan. In order for acceptance criteria to be good, they should be detailed enough so that automated tests can be written for them and that people who read them know what the purpose of your project is and what they can expect from it. It is important that acceptance criteria are clearly defined in order to function properly.
1:00 PM
By writing test cases outlining the testing procedures and gaining a thorough understanding of the required documents, I can identify what needs to be tested and how. This helps me focus on the reviews and make sure that I’m not missing any important steps. I can also identify knowledge gaps and work to fill those in, which makes it easier for our team to stay on top of documentation. Being a quality assurance tester is more than just making sure that test cases are up-to-date. It takes hard work, dedication, and a high level of attention to detail in order to be successful. My job also involves guaranteeing that the final product meets client expectations and deserves their investment. It is important for me to understand the different kinds of testing that can be conducted on this platform. Testing methods include load testing, regression testing, system testing, and usability testing. Taking this step can be time-consuming. I might be testing a mobile app one day and a web crawler the next. I use different kinds of tools such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to test the visual look-and-feel of a program, the responsiveness of its interface to a user’s actions, and even its performance. For testers to be good at what they do, they must be creative. In addition, they should think outside the box and use their abilities to create reliable and high-quality software that’s easy and intuitive to use.
2:00 PM
Since I am responsible for ensuring that the product functions properly, I discover defects and propose solutions to these problems. Once the bugs are resolved, I file them and close them. I also compile release notes for the company’s new products and send them out to clients.
3:00 PM
During this time, I carefully read a lot of emails, bug reports, documentation, etc. They help me identify what testing must be done as soon as possible. Each task entrusted to me and my team must be completed based on their priority. Another tester may have tried a new algorithm or methodology, so it’s up to me to check that it works and if not, disable it.
4:00 PM
As a QA test engineer, my day is never the same and I am constantly learning. Around this time, I typically do more research to help me improve my techniques. It is unrealistic for me to assume that every system will work flawlessly and besides, technology evolves constantly.
5:00 PM
Integrating new user stories into the existing system has a high priority for me. The product has to continue to work as it should after changes are made. I continue running the tests after every new story to make sure they are fully integrated with the rest of the system. Aside from that, I keep track of my time and round up any work I do.
Conclusion
There is no typical day in the life of a QA Tester, which is what makes this position so great for those that crave variety. The work can be tedious, but it’s also interesting to see how professional programs interact with users different from themselves.
Are you up for a challenge? The world of testing always has a place for you. In this position, you are responsible for ensuring the quality of the software your company uses. That is, verifying that the product has all the features it’s supposed to have, that it meets the company’s standards and that it functions as intended regardless of load and performance. You should also be up for analytical thinking, as well as be able to work in a fast-paced environment, and have good problem-solving skills. Additionally, you should have an understanding of basic computer programming languages, like HTML and CSS. An excellent QA tester possesses excellent technical skills, strong problem-solving abilities, and superior attention to detail. The career opportunities available to QA testers are diverse and everywhere. These professionals typically test products from start to finish in order to identify bugs and ensure solutions. The goal of testing is often remediation, which means that these professionals sometimes encounter software bugs prior to their release and recommend fixes. If you are looking for a job that will allow you to travel, testing jobs are a great fit. ParallelScore is looking to hire great talents as well. For more information, visit our careers page.
