Requirements for a Tester / Quality Analyst

Testing as a Freelancer 
Someone asked me if it was possible to work as a Freelancer and test sites. According to me i have never understood if any job can be done as a Freelancer unless you are doing it as an honorary job, without expecting any payment. NO job can be done without commitment and focus on the end product as a goal.

A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. This is what freelancing means from wiki. In my view, testing is an ongoing process and it usually takes some time to completely build a site. During the process of development, at every stage testing has to do be done. So, to maintain continuity and understanding , if freelancers come and go- testing bits and parts then, i guess, quality cannot be assured. To have the site properly tested, it is essential to have a tester who is there with the product to know about the entire cycle of requirements and changes.

I would strongly suggest that anyone who wants to take up a testing job, prepare yourself for availability and commitment. READ the word TESTER backwords quickly and it suggests what your job is. YES, it is RETEST, RETEST, retest and retest......

Computer Knowledge
Integrating test cases in the format developers require. Sometimes, it's only in the form of screenshots. So, knowledge of tools to take screenshots and editing them. Sometimes, it is in written format in excel sheets. More advanced formats can be used in the form of tools to keep track of the each and every team member in tools like Fogbugz, Testuff etc.
Knowledge of  Browsers to do cross browser testing on different Operating systems.Internet browsing is always helpful.
As you proceed, detailed testing requires adequate software knowledge too.

English
English is understood to be global language and a common mode of communication. A tester MUST have a command over the language without spelling mistakes.Proper punctuations, capitalization , sentence formation is the first step to effective communication.

Logical Deductions :
The tester's job is NOT only to follow the process actually described or specified in the requirements. It is also, to look into every possible way, the feature could be abused or used in a way to break the site. Check out Realm Of Empires to understand this.

- Have two accounts A and B
- Have no spies in account B
- Send an attack from account A to account B
         a) Only knights
         b) Knights and spies
         c) ONLY 500 spies
- Go to account B and on the header of the village - 2 incoming attacks are displayed because, spy attack is hidden : OK till here
- Go to the map in Account B
- Hover over the village of account B

Expected result : It should show 2 incoming attacks because the spy attack is supposed to be hidden
Actual result : It shows 3 incoming attacks.

So, you can see here, this will never be specified but has to be logically deduced that if this feature is not available , then it should not be shown anywhere in the application. Also, check out the reports of the application. The many features to be made available or not to be made available with different types of flags,was mind boggling to develop and test.

Communication :
The MOST important aspect of a successful tester is to communicate well. You may know and understand that there is something wrong, but that is of NO use unless you can explain it to the developer to replicate the bug. Remember, no developer likes to be pointed out that their is a bug and have very little patience to listen to a Tester's rant about any issue, however critical it may be. So, there is a methodology followed:

Title of the bug : Very important to catch the developers attention. It should convey the essential of the BUG. It's just like twitter. In a few words it should convey everything

1) Title :  Account created with Incomplete data of user
2) Steps to replicate:
     a) Navigate to Home page( give URL)
     b) Click on Create your account
     c)  Page displayed asks to your first name and last name as mandatory fields        
     d)  Leave them blank
     e) Click to register
3) It is a very good process to have screenshot to follow your test case.
4) Expected result : The mandatory fields should get a red astrix or some text asking to fill those fields.
5) Actual result : User gets registered

This is simple example. As you proceed to actually test a site, every small thing has to be tested. Attention to details is a MUST. Requirements of the client has to be read word by word and test scenarios have to be thought out, combining many different features. Sometimes even a single line in a requirement by client can have 10-15 test cases.

Availability: Deadlines are ONLY for testers. Always be AVAILABLE for testing.

Be ready to test whenever developer completes his work. A 24-48 hr turnaround of testing in my opinion is valued by the company. I again reiterate - Developers/Clients have very little patience. Once the product is ready, they want  it to be tested and released IMMEDIATELY !! If you are working from home, being available is a must.

Adaptability :
If you want to work as a tester with developers across the globe, be ready to adapt according to the developer, their time zones, a bit about their culture. Basically, if you are not confident stick to being ONLY professional. A tester has to adapt to the working style of developer and not vice-versa.


COMMITMENT and HARDWORK
Last but the most essential step to progress, BE COMMITTED to your job. OWN the work you do. Take absolute responsibility of the work. Love your job atleast for the time you do it. Hardwork will follow itself. Avoid finding excuses.REMEMBER, the sites success is in the hand of the TESTER. And it is not an easy job to shoulder such a huge responsibility. YOU ARE THE HAND who is running the world without letting it COLLAPSE.

Your Better Half or ....Shadow ?

Christmas celebrations, holiday mood is in the air. In a party hosted last night, every couple was asked to come on stage and they were asked questions about life in general.

Well, the event turned out to be an absolute fun. So, it was our turn. My husband was asked, "Speak a few lines about your better half "

What he said took everyone aback. O ! O ! before you start running your imagination - read on

"Which better half do you want me to speak about ? From Monday to Friday  my better half is my company, my boss, my colleagues, my customers. Saturdays, its the grocer, the bank manager, friends,social obligations, the car mechanic at times too. AND SUNDAYS its my sleep,tryng my hands at cooking, books, and ofcourse my kids ", he said.

Oh boy ! this left the host of the party speechless for a moment. Gathering his wits, he asked me ,"Where are you in his life ? How do you feel you did not even get a mention ?"

I was still gathering myself from the impact of his reply, and expecting exactly the question that was directed to me. 'Oh GOOGLE, please help me', i said. My brain must have looked up every google page with the speed of light searching for an answer. And, the reply returned was 'NO results match your search'

Then i looked up saying 'Oh God, please help me. I know not what to answer'. God said, 'Ask your heart'. Now, i asked my little heart, how best to answer this. And my heart full of pride said,

"I am his SHADOW, always around him. Sometimes pushing him from behind, sometimes at his side walking shoulder to shoulder, sometimes ahead of him- leading him, and sometimes merge with him.You need a special pair of eyes to see this magical effect of women being  their husband's shadows . All his better halves, he has mentioned have the pleasure of spending only some time with him. I, as a shadow, spend every moment with him."

The loving look in my husband's eyes made my life and the admiration i received from everyone must have made him jealous too.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Hope you and your better half...errr i mean your shadow, have a great time. And, if both of you would like to spend some time together getting cosy and enjoying a game, come over and join Realm Of Empires , an online strategy game. We have many couples playing the game. Read about the  RoEmance , that has brought couples together. And of course, if you want to spend just a few hours join the Tournament Realms on 24th on 26th December,2011.

Hiring ?? Hire a SHARK !!

This is the craziest suggestion you must have ever read. Every TEAM needs a SHARK to keep all its employees on their toes.

Rewriting one of my favorite stories heard some time back.

Fish for Japanese..

Waters close to Japan does not inhabit Fish. Boats went farther and farther away to get fish. The fish that was brought back took days and the Fish was not FRESH.The taste was not acceptable. Moreover, most of it went waste.

So, freezers were installed on boats. However, the taste of frozen fish was not appealing.And frozen fish fetched lower price.

Now what next !!

Tanks were installed in boats. Fish were now stuffed in tanks and kept alive. Fish had no place to move in the overstuffed tanks. Slowly they got sluggish , dull and tired, though still alive.

The sale was better but still did not pick up. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

So, what would YOU recommend the fishing companies ??

 Well, this is what they did - They put a small SHARK in the tank of fish. Yea.. Yea.. the Shark did eat a few of them but ALL other fish reached the port energetic and lively !!

What kept the fish full of life even though facing extreme danger ?
CHALLENGE indeed !


Such is HUMAN behavior also. Challenges keep them energized,motivated, better performers. When there is a Shark in the team, everyone tries to cross their threshold limit to compete with the Shark. Challenges are enjoyed by competent and persistent employees. The more the challenge given to them, the more alive they are.

 Hire a shark for your tank and see how many you can spot, having the potential to reach their goals.


As we speak about CHALLENGES, if you want to experience the challenges in a fun filled atmosphere, join Realm Of Empires , online real time strategy game,  to know how far you can go without buckling down. And soon their are, not to be missed, 6 hr tournament realms organized on 24th and 26th December 2011. 


What a way to say goodbye to 2011 !!

" Missed You "

.... chirps the little bird

Many a times wanted to get back to twitter but somehow chirping took a back seat. Two days back i got this mail saying 'Missed you' from Twitter. I was trying to avoid twitter, thinking- i really don't have the time.But these words 'Missed you', seemed to have got stuck in my head and kept repeating. I guess, simple words do have magical powers, though i very well know it is an auto generated mail.

Anyways, what made me curious to get back was to get to know the people Twitter had suggested. Revered tweeple, i hope to blog more and chirp a bit too.