Tatiana Ribeiro Nunes, Senior Quality Control Analyst, advises on how to grow at work in the testing field.

As an experienced test analyst, I soon realized that when talking about the evolution of software quality, it is interesting to discuss not only test tools and techniques but also the behavior and posture that serve to generate a greater number of excellent professionals in the testing area.

Today, the biggest challenge for traditional testers is to understand that a workday is not as structured as before and that we now face protagonists when switching to agile testing. However, this change of thinking has become essential in the workplace because the relationship between people becomes very important in the corporate environment and, consequently, in team productivity. In the past, testers worked in isolation and focused on finding system errors. But today, when thinking about change, we must start thinking about ourselves first, particularly considering our attitudes and behaviors. We really need to focus on how our ways of acting may impact on our daily work.

From a personal point of view, we can think about things like:

-What do I need to learn more?

-How can I better understand how things work?

-Do I know how to express myself and communicate better?

-How can I act differently from a quality perspective to scale, seeking to evolve?

-How can I handle change better?

-How can I be more productive?

But we don’t want to overthink everything either!

How to evolve as a person

After working for many years in the field, I have excelled in software testing and quality. With each project, I can adapt to new things quickly and easily.  I always have in mind to be alert and focused, I’m always ready to maintain a good relationship and put myself in other people’s shoes. I know how to prevent mistakes and how to deal with technical and business people – always striving to express myself well in writing, in person and in a clear, simple and objective way.

So, how have I managed to get to this point and what is my advice?

It is important to be persistent, as you may not always understand and perform a task on the first try. Look at the product and anticipate problems that would only be identified by customers in production.

When delivery times are tight, use time management organization to work on tasks without losing focus. Understand what the customer needs, think about system expectancy and always be patient and positive. Most of all, always be responsible and reliable.

Always seek to be better

Adding to this, I believe in never forgetting the essence of writing the description and inconsistencies in a clear and well-understood manner. Try to be as objective as possible to speed up the correction process. This helps to avoid developers’ doubts and increasingly ensures the quality of the tests. Be happy to pass on your knowledge!

If you change the way you think about always favoring the team, sharing knowledge, doing things with excellence, then you will have a good understanding of business rules. Once that is done, you can keep going straight ahead! Seek to be better at what you do, always be a team cooperate player, and always think about how I can improve my teamwork skills. People will want to work with you, meaning the team advances and adds value to the product.

The tester who really knows how to do and can pass on the knowledge is extremely valuable, as this knowledge is not always easily transmitted. This is because each project has its particularities, especially complex projects.