Introduction

If you're a manual tester or someone already in a testing role looking to advance, it's easy to think that learning automation or coding is the next big step. While these skills are important, they're not the most critical thing to master. The key to progressing your career lies in shifting your mindset—from being a tester to becoming a quality engineer.

Why Focus on the Quality Engineering Mindset?

1. Think Beyond Testing: Quality engineering involves building quality into every phase of the software development lifecycle. It’s about influencing design, development, and delivery to ensure the highest standards of quality are maintained.

2. Focus on Business Value: Move from thinking about "Does this feature work?" to "Does this feature provide value to the business?" Align your testing efforts with business objectives.

3. Be a Quality Advocate: Champion quality at every level, from development to stakeholders, and promote practices that integrate quality into the process from the start.

Key Steps to Evolve from Tester to Quality Engineer

1. Master the Quality Engineering Mindset:

Understand the broader picture of software quality, including user experience, business outcomes, and system resilience.

Think about how quality impacts every aspect of the development cycle.

Example: Instead of writing test cases to simply find "bugs," consider how each test aligns with user stories, business rules, and KPIs.

2. Start with BDD (Behavior-Driven Development):

Learn how to write feature files using BDD and the Gherkin language before diving into programming languages or tools. Focus on the "what" (business rules) over the "how" (implementation).

Example Feature File:

Feature: User Account Management

Scenario: User Registration

Given a user navigates to the registration page

When they enter valid personal details

And they submit the form

Then their account should be created successfully

And they should receive a confirmation email

3. Automate Business Rules, Not Just Code:

Focus on automating scenarios that reflect business rules and user behaviors rather than implementation specifics.

Example: Automate tests that validate business logic, like discount calculations or order fulfillment workflows.

4. Use Example Mapping and Feature Mapping:

Use these techniques to collaborate with your team and derive well-defined scenarios covering all aspects of requirements.

Example Mapping Session:

User Story: "As a user, I want to add items to my wishlist so that I can purchase them later."

Rules:

Users must be logged in to add items to their wishlist.

Items already in the wishlist cannot be added again.

Examples:

Given a logged-in user with an empty wishlist,
when they add an item,
then the wishlist should contain one item.

Given a logged-in user with an item in their wishlist,
when they try to add the same item,
then a message should indicate the item is already in the wishlist.

5. Lead by Example and Mentor Others:

Share your knowledge about writing effective feature files, using BDD, and focusing on business value.

Example: Conduct a workshop on writing Gherkin scenarios or pair with testers to help them implement tests reflecting business rules.

6. Continuously Learn and Improve:

Stay updated with the latest trends in quality engineering and software testing. Participate in community discussions and focus on continuous improvement.

Conclusion:

To advance your career, start by mastering the quality engineering mindset. Focus on BDD, automate business rules, and be a quality advocate. The right mindset is what sets quality engineers apart. Start your transformation today! 🌟