QA Testing Theory in QA Life

“He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards a ship
without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast.”
Leonardo da Vinci

Regardless of industry, success is defined by the quality of services and products. This is especially true in IT. Quality assurance is an extremely important part of the software development process, and QA engineers play a key role in working towards perfection.

To determine what knowledge is required for software testing jobs, ask questions including:

• What does it mean to be a good QA engineer?
• What can QA engineers do as team members to improve the quality of services or products, and how can they build an effective testing process?
• What is the role of the software testing process in the project lifecycle?
• What are the skills needed by a test specialist in software testing to understand what a project needs at each development stage?

The answers to these questions are found in QA testing theory, an essential, integral part in understanding the quality assurance process.

What is QA testing theory?

Let’s consider the following questions:

• Have you ever tried to solve a puzzle without knowing what the solution is meant to look like?
• Have you ever tried to piece together a complex LEGO model without step-by-step instructions?

Well… why would things be any different with QA testing?

QA testing theory serves as a guide for the smooth and consistent flow of the QA process.

As an example, even if a QA engineer knows how to test quickly, this won’t be sufficient without QA best practices. QAs should have a clear understanding about QA processes, phases, testing types, levels, test documentation, reporting, software testing techniques, etc. For example, QAs should know how to write clear bug reports and test cases (TCs), when a checklist is most appropriate, and which type of testing is best in a given situation. Without this background knowledge, QA testing can be a frustrating task.

Writing TCs every day, testing new features, and participating in meetings doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re bringing practice and theory together in the most effective way. You need to utilize them both together; the two are distinct but inextricably connected.

Knowledge Required for Software Testing Engineers

There’s a wide range of knowledge required for software testing engineers, which can be broken down into hard and soft skills. Hard skills include a technical set of knowledge — specifically a software testing knowledge base that distinguishes a tester from other IT specialists. QAs also need a technical set of knowledge that encompasses information about operating systems, databases and SQL, computer networks, web technologies, mobile platforms and technologies, and (for automation QA engineers) the basics of programming.

In this article, we’ll outline the knowledge and skills required for software testing that distinguishes a tester from other IT specialists — something both manual and automation QA engineers need in order to get great results from combining theory and practice.

Software Testing Knowledge Base Includes:

• Understanding of software development methods: a general understanding of software development methods and their relationship with the testing process, as well as prioritizing their own work depending on the stage of project development.
• Understanding testing’s place in the overall development process: a deep understanding of all stages of the testing process, and creating an appropriate test process and improving it depending on project needs, and the ability to plan your own work within the scope of the received task depending on the stage of testing.
• Working with documentation and requirements: analyzing requirements, determining the relationship and interdependence between different levels of requirements, formulating questions in order to clarify unclear points, and analyzing requirements in order to identify their shortcomings, and breaking down the requirements into set of conditions for traceability matrix creation in order to help with test-cases and ongoing development.
• Understanding the test documentation types: creating test plans, checklists, and test cases. It’s also important to know which type of documentation is best to use and when.
• Understanding of testing techniques, levels, and types, and the ability to apply them adequately to the situation
• Working with bug reports: confidence creating efficient bug reports with clear summaries (when reading just the summary, team members should understand the described bug), knowledge of the bug report life cycle, the ability to use bug tracking systems at all stages of the life cycle, and assessing an application in order to identify the source of any errors.
• Test estimation and planning: general understanding of planning principles and creating and utilizing a test plan and strategy, a comprehension of the principles of labor cost evaluation, the evaluation and planning of individual and team work (depending on your experience and role on the project), and an understanding of project and product risks.
• Working with test results reports: providing necessary information by generating a report with testing results and analyzing testing results reports to plan future strategies.

The Difference Between QA Testing Theory Knowledge and Practical Skills, Depending on QA Engineer Level of Experience

A QA-specific software testing knowledge base should be comprehensive in terms of theory, but its practical application will depend on your role and experience (both duration and type). For example, an Associate (Junior) QA engineer should know what a test case (TC) is and be able to write clear TCs, but it is not necessary to have experience in writing a test plan or defining test metrics. Still, an Associate QA should have a deep understanding of QA theory behind those tasks and why they’re important for the team.

A Lead QA engineer, on the other hand, should have a complete set of theoretical and practical knowledge. They should understand high-level planning and responsibilities, like creating a test plan and strategy, planning, creating test reports, and building a test process based on best practices, and participate in estimations for QA activities. While an Associate QA will spend most of their time assessing and testing functionality and working with test documents, a Lead QA will focus on setting up a QA Process to achieve the project goals.

How Exadel Applies Theory to Deliver High-Quality QA Services for our Customers

QAs at Exadel build on and prove their theoretical knowledge by passing ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) certifications (Foundation, Advanced, Agile, and Automation).

The ISTQB presents a body of knowledge based on best practices developed by hundreds of international testing experts. By following the ISTQB standards, we have better communication and greater efficiency within and across teams as well as with customers as ISTQB is recognized worldwide. In addition, as QA engineers are often part of the overall development process, they should understand, work, and build all processes through >Scrum. That’s why we recommend that all of our Lead QAs also obtain PSM-1 Certifications.

The Exadel QAs’ technical knowledge is based on best practices and international standards including those of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for Web Applications and services, the Human Interface Guidelines (for iOS mobile testing), the official guidelines for Android mobile testing and the Open Web Application Security Project (for continuously-updated security testing guidelines).

This means that we can work on any system, architecture, or device, from mobile and web applications to APIs, analytics tools, and TV consoles, etc.

Benefits of a Good Theoretical Knowledge Base in Practice

QA engineers should continually strive to improve. This comes from understanding QA theory, then applying it, and iterating — learning from direct experience and putting improvements into practice. This cycle will lead to optimal results, including:

• Better team communication
• Reduce micromanagement
• Clear communication with the customer (through easy-to-understand reports and interactions)

Wrapping Up

Bringing your QA practice in line with theory is a crucial component of getting great results from testing. It will help you in every area of your work — from test planning to bug reports. Practical experience and theory should go hand in hand in your approach to becoming a fantastic QA specialist! Why not create an action plan outline right now? Devise an outline of how you aim to improve by combining theory with practice in your job, and then monitor your own progress and improvements!

Author: Volha Yakhimovich

Originally published at https://exadel.com on October 11, 2022.