Example Career: Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers

Career Description

Develop and execute software test plans in order to identify software problems and their causes.

What Job Titles Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Might Have

• Quality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst)
• Quality Assurance Engineer (QA Engineer)
• Software Quality Assurance Engineer (SQA Engineer)
• Software Quality Engineer

What Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Do

• Design test plans, scenarios, scripts, or procedures.
• Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers.
• Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content.
• Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability.
• Participate in product design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, product designs, schedules, or potential problems.
• Document test procedures to ensure replicability and compliance with standards.
• Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope or delivery dates.
• Conduct software compatibility tests with programs, hardware, operating systems, or network environments.
• Test system modifications to prepare for implementation.
• Monitor bug resolution efforts and track successes.
• Review software documentation to ensure technical accuracy, compliance, or completeness, or to mitigate risks.
• Provide feedback and recommendations to developers on software usability and functionality.
• Update automated test scripts to ensure currency.
• Create or maintain databases of known test defects.
• Install, maintain, or use software testing programs.
• Install and configure recreations of software production environments to allow testing of software performance.
• Monitor program performance to ensure efficient and problem-free operations.
• Identify program deviance from standards, and suggest modifications to ensure compliance.
• Develop or specify standards, methods, or procedures to determine product quality or release readiness.
• Design or develop automated testing tools.
• Investigate customer problems referred by technical support.
• Conduct historical analyses of test results.
• Perform initial debugging procedures by reviewing configuration files, logs, or code pieces to determine breakdown source.
• Evaluate or recommend software for testing or bug tracking.
• Coordinate user or third party testing.
• Collaborate with field staff or customers to evaluate or diagnose problems and recommend possible solutions.

What Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Should Be Good At

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Should Be Interested In

• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

What Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Need to Learn

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.