Are Certified Software Testers Really the Experts?
Becoming a Software Tester can be a very challenging task. There are many who do it because they love to use their creativity to find problems or flaws in programs; others become a Certified Software Tester to prove to the rest of their colleagues that they can be superior and many more get a Certification just because of the economic rewards they will get from their employers. But, does a certification turn a Software Tester into an expert? The debate is being held constantly in many IT departments and among many development teams.
While some say that Software Testers are not what they seem, there are some who consider them to be a vital part of the Software development process.
It is often questioned whether or not the tester actually did the testing because their results are used but is sometimes not confirmed. It is extremely common to simply say that certain features were tested without actually having done so. A good Certified Software Tester, however, makes sure that every process on the list is checked and that every test can be repeated with the expected results obtained previously.
Before the actual testing can begin, there are many requirements that have to be fulfilled beforehand. Documentation has to be complete and if there are any changes in the Software, they must also reflect the modifications made in the Documentation as well. A reliable Certified Software Tester will find the fastest way to start the actual testing. A good tester will prepare mentally for the test creating scenarios for different kind of users, situations and configurations without having to rely on the documentation for starting the tests.
A major complaint from the developer team is that they get blamed for every flaw and failure found after the testing is finished. A bad software tester will find it easy to blame someone else for their own mistakes without anybody else actually being able to prove them wrong. While finding flaws and mistakes is the work of a Certified Software Tester, they must be well documented so that the developing team can fix any problems. If the Tester blames anyone without actual documented proof or the ability to reproduce the test, no amount of certifications will provide the top level professionalism required for any Testing task.
�Expert� is a relative term and is usually used to describe your knowledge and experience in a particular subject or field. But who determines what an expert is in the field of software testers? A Software tester, whether certified or not, will not necessarily be an expert in the eyes of everyone, but they should comprise enough knowledge and experience to effectively point out relevant flaws within a given software. They should also be in a position to give recommendations on how to make the software more productive and user friendly.
The fact is that the tester represents the end user and as such; he or she should be able to utilize the software in a manner that the average end user would and thus be able to provide feedback on the software�s rating. Are they experts? Maybe, maybe not; one thing is for sure and that is that they have to be knowledgeable and experienced.
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An expert on R&D, Online Training and Publishing. He is M.Tech. (Honours) and is a part of the STG team since inception.