Unit I

Testing Teams and Development Teams

By Dr. Vibha kaw Raina

 Roles & Responsibilities in a Software Testing Team

While every company follows a different structure of the

testing team, there are a few members who are common
in every structure and fulfill the expectations of the team.
This includes:
1. QA Leader:
QA Leader is the most important member of the testing
team. While it is extremely crucial for him/her to have a
clear understanding of the testing process or
methodology. It is also essential for him/her to be familiar
with the varied test-program concerns such as test
environment and data management, trouble reporting and
resolution, etc.
 The Main Roles and Responsibilities handled by the
QA leader are:
• Acts as a point of contact for inter and intra departmental interaction
• Represents the software testing team as well as enables customer
relationship
• Deciding the test budget and schedule
• Identifying the testing activities for other team members like testers
or test engineers
• Planning the entire testing process
• Checking the availability of the resources to execute testing
activities
• Identifying if the process of testing is going in sync with the
software development
• Preparing the status report of testing activities
• Sharing updates on testing with the project manager
• Planning pre and post-test meetings
 Roles & Responsibilities in a Software Testing Team

2. Test Lead
With a clear understanding about the applications
business area and its requirements, a test lead is a
person who is also familiar with the varied test-
program issues such as test data management, test
design, and test development.
His/her expertise in numerous technical skills such
as programming languages, database technologies,
and computer operating systems also enable
him/her to deliver the best at his/her job.
 The Major Role and Responsibilities of a Test Lead include the following:

• Technical expertise related to the test program and

approach.
• Provides support for customer interface, staff planning,
and supervision, as well as progress status reporting.
• Validating the quality of the testing requirements such as
testability, test design, and script, test automation, etc.
• Staying updated about the latest test approaches and tools
• Assisting the software testing team to be aware of the
latest trends in the world of software testing.
• Arranging walk-through for test design and procedure.
• Implementing the test process.
• Ensuring that test-product documentation is complete.
 Roles & Responsibilities in a Software Testing Team

3. Test Engineer
• The role of a test engineer is to determine the
best way to create a process that can enable
one to test a particular product in the best
possible manner.
• Test engineers can have different expertise
based on which they are assigned a role in a
company.
• Some of the common test engineers working in
an organization are as mentioned below:
 Roles & Responsibilities in a Software Testing Team

• a) Usability Test Engineer

• These engineers are highly proficient in designing
test suites as well as have a clear understanding of
the usability issues. With excellent interpersonal
skills, they are also skilled in test facilitation.
Some of their common job roles include:
• Designing the usability testing scenarios
• Administering the process of usability testing
• Developing test-product documentation
• Participating in test-procedure walk-through
 Roles & Responsibilities in a Software Testing Team

b) Manual Test Engineer

• With a clear understanding of the Graphical User
Interface (GUI) design and its standards, manual
test engineers are highly proficient in designing test
suites and various testing techniques. Some of the
major responsibilities of these engineers include:
• Using associated test data to design and develop
test procedures and cases
• Manually executing the test procedures
• Attending test-procedure walk-through
• Following the required set standards
 Roles & Responsibilities in a Software Testing Team

c) Automated Test Engineer

•  Also known as Automater/developer, these engineers
also have a good understanding of the GUI design and
software testing. They can also be relied upon for
designing the effective test suites as well as efficiently
working with test tools. Some of the common roles
handled by them are:
• Designing and developing test procedures on the basis
of requirements
• Following rest-design standards
• Attending test procedure walk-throughs
• Executing the tests and preparing reports for the same.
 Roles & Responsibilities in a Software Testing Team

4. Network Test Engineer

With a high level of proficiency and expertise in a variety of
technical skills such as programming languages, database
technologies, and computer operating systems, network test
engineers are good at product evaluation and integration skills.
Their Major Roles at an Organization include:
• Performing network, database, and middle-ware testing
• Developing load and stress test designs, cases and
procedures
• Implementing the performance monitoring tools on an
ongoing basis
• Conducting load and stress test procedures
 Roles & Responsibilities in a Software Testing Team

5. Test Library and Configuration Specialist:

This job role requires one to have a network,
database, and system administration skills along
with expertise in technical skills
including programming languages, database
technologies, and computer operating systems. Their
major job roles include the following:
• Managing the test-script change
• Maintaining test-script version control
• Upholding test-script reuse library
• Creating test builds, wherever required
 Roles & Responsibilities in a Software Testing Team

6. Tester
Having a sound knowledge about various concepts involved in test
designing and execution methodologies, a software tester is the one who
is able to interact efficiently with the development team. His/her major
roles as a part of software testing team includes:
• Designing the testing scenarios for usability testing
• Analyzing the testing results and submitting the report to the
development team
• Creating test designs, processes, cases and test-product
documentation
• Conducting testing as per the set standards and procedures
• Ensure that the testing is carried out as per the defined standards and
procedures
• References:
https://www.testbytes.net/blog/software-testing-team/
 Roles and responsibilities in a software development team

• Roles and responsibilities matter

• Identifying, defining and communicating roles
and responsibilities is fundamental to a team’s
ability to deliver. Clear definition of
responsibilities allows each team member to
focus on their work and provides the structure
needed for them to feel comfortable in their
role.
• Some of the typical software team roles and the
key responsibilities of each team member are as
follows.
 From Business
1. Business Unit Manager
• In a business to business environment the person in this
role could have a range of titles.
• Essentially they are the end customer, the person who
you are building a things for.
• They will have the initial ideas, knowledge of the features
required and provide the driving force to get things done.
• They will likely be the ones paying.
Key responsibilities:
• Initiate the project
• Provide the project / product vision and strategy
• Sign off key milestones
 From Business
2.Product Manager
• In some organisations, the Business Unit Manager may play
this role, however it is helpful to decouple responsibilities in
order to:
• Allow the Business Unit Manager to do their day job i.e. run
the business
• Allow the Product Manager to focus their time on the product
• Bring in Product Management expertise such as talking to
customers about their needs and conducting objective research
Key responsibilities:
• Challenge and translate the project vision into a roadmap
• Create, develop and define the features of the product
• ‘Own’ the product from inception to launch
 From the tech team

1.Business Analyst
One of the most valuable roles in the development environment but often
the most overlooked.Possibly because the work is sometimes rolled into
the Project Manager position. For an internal software development team,
this may be acceptable providing the PM is a full time PM, adequately
trained and has enough business knowledge to communicate effectively
with the Product Manager.
• The Business Analyst is a key point of contact for the Product Manager.
They will work to further refine and define features often in conjunction
with a Technical Lead to ensure they are ready for development.
• Key responsibilities:
• Clarify features
• ‘Protect’ developers from Product and Business interruptions
• Liaise with the Technical Lead and Product Manager to resolve queries
 From the tech team

3.Project Manager
The Project Manager delivers the strategy set out by the
Product Manager.
The Project Manager ensures the development team has
everything it needs to get the work done.
They remove any blockers and manage all meetings and
communication.
Key responsibilities:
• Schedule, chair and document relevant meetings
• Analyse project and team performance to better understand
where process improvements can be made
• Ensure the development team have the resources they need
to deliver the work
 From the tech team
4.Technical Lead
The title of this role is often misleading as it implies that this person
must be the ‘best’ developer on the team. However this isn’t
necessarily true.
This role provides the Project Manager and Business Analyst with a
designated point of contact in the development team without having
to interrupt other developers.
This role may be rotated per sprint or as frequently as necessary.
Key responsibilities:
• Protect the other developers from the Project Manager and
Business Analysts questions
• Be knowledgeable about the features being developed in the sprint
• Attend relevant meetings including demonstrating features in the
sprint
 From the tech team
5.Developer
Developers make up the core of the team which may number
between 1 and 7 members.
A dev team of 8 or more is probably more efficient broken
down into two teams.
As developers will actually build the required features, they can
have the biggest impact on the team's performance.
Their time should be protected and respected.
Key responsibilities:
• Develop the features laid out in the sprint
• Update the Technical Lead and Project Manager on progress
in stand up meetings
• Focus and be brilliant
 From the tech team
6. UX / Designer
• Should be involved throughout the delivery process from beginning to
end.
• UX / designers are brought back into the process once developers have
tried and failed to make a feature meet the requirements of the Product
Manager. By then it is too late and the product fails to deliver.
• No matter how little UX / design work you believe is involved in a feature
or how well it has been prototyped in advance, it’s worth bringing in a UX
/ design person to your backlog refinement meetings.
• Identify early on if and when they will be needed to ensure the details of
features deliver.
• Key responsibilities:
• Turn the project or product vision into a visual thing
• Work with the Product Manager to create a user experience that meets
requirements
• Support the development team through the build process
 From the tech team
7.QA / Tester
• The role that can make or break a product / project.
• A good QA’s work ensures the product or project is a success.
However if done badly, the whole product / project / company's
reputation can be impacted by the fall out.
• Testers know a lot about the products they work on but that often
means they are a go to person for general queries.
Key responsibilities:
• Understand feature requirements defined by the Product Manager and
Business Analyst
• Ensure features built by developers meet the criteria defined in the
requirements
• Engage with development teams to agree and understand QA
processes
https://this.isfluent.com/blog/2018/roles-and-responsibilities-in-a-softwa
re-development-team
•
Characterisitics of Test Engineers:
• Test engineers (also known as software testers) are
pivotal to the success of a company when
developing and launching a new software, system
or product.
• It is their responsibility to make sure the new
product achieves adequate fault/test coverage,
allowing them to eliminate any problems or bugs
with the new development.
• Ensure the new product is safe, functional and
meets the appropriate specifications before it is
deployed to everyday users – it is their job to make
sure the finished product is of the highest quality.
Essential Skills & Qualities of a Test Engineer
In order to succeed as a test engineer, you’ll need to have a
whole host of skills under your belt – it’s a complex and
intricate role that requires very specific skills and
competencies.
Here are some of the main skills and qualities employers often
look for when hiring a new test engineer:
• Functional Testing – Test engineers must be able to run and
manage fault tests in order to assess whether the product
meets stringent requirements. Having strong analytical skills
and excellent attention to detail helps here.
• Troubleshooting – With the development of a new product
or system, hiccups and problems are inevitably going to
occur, so engineers must be able to accurately diagnose the
problem and come up with an effective solution.
 Essential Skills & Qualities of a Test Engineer
• Strive for Improvement –  The engineers who excel in this
industry are the ones who take the initiative and actively seek
opportunities to make processes more effective. You need to
be able to learn from what hasn’t worked so well and
welcome the idea of changing how you work in order to
become more efficient.
 
• Ability to Work in a Team – It doesn’t matter what level
you work at, you’ll need to be collaborating and liaising with
colleagues to make sure everything runs seamlessly. You
need to build and establish trustworthy relationships with
various departments, and constantly be communicating so
that everyone involved in the project is always kept up to
date with the latest information.
 Essential Skills & Qualities of a Test Engineer
• Meet Deadlines – Test engineers usually have
deadlines to meet, so it’s essential that these
specialists work well under pressure. Most
projects are likely to involve numerous
members of staff who are all working to agreed
goals, so it’s critical that they all maintain their
deadlines in order to deliver an efficient
service and ensure the project is completed on
time.
 Essential Responsibilities of a Test Engineer
The exact day-to-day responsibilities of a test engineer
depend on their specific job role and their employer, but
general responsibilities include:
• Thoroughly test all aspects of the new product/system
to make sure any faults or problems are detected as
soon as possible and to ensure it complies with the
relevant regulations. This will require you to design, set
up and manage a range of suitable test environments.
• Document the results of product tests and
interpret/analyse its results and patterns.
• Liaising closely with the development/production team
to provide feedback on usability and serviceability.
 Essential Responsibilities of a Test Engineer
• Work on both functional and non-functional
areas of an application.
• Testing any returned or faulty products and
fixing any bugs.
• The test engineer’s jobs aren’t over when the
finished product has been delivered to the
client – consumers will inevitably report bugs
so new tests might have to be designed.
• Coach and mentor new testers.
 Cost-Effective Software Testing

• To Enhance Quality and Gain Benefits

• Overspending on testing and still some minor defect
escapes your vigilance then there is huge number of
losses in the business. Such a loss not only
diminishes the value of the desired project, but it can
potentially derail entire company/organization.
• This is one of the reasons one should focus on
gaining quality through Testing in a cost-effective
manner. The process is followed in a liberal manner
which boosts the confidence of the teams working on
a project and helps them achieve the desired results.
 Cost-Effective Software Testing
• For Reliability Estimation
• Consumers are largely wary of faulty products these
days. And once it is known that the product is faulty, it
takes no time for the news to spread. By the popular
consumer logic, all they are looking for is a reliable
product at a reasonable price.
• Through cost-effective testing, we can afford to list
the products at prices that interests the customers and
gives more than sufficient ROI in quick time.
Overspending to ensure quality and not getting
enough returns keeps you stagnant.
 Cost-Effective Software Testing
• Validation and Verification
• Validation and verification are carried to determine
if the system is meeting its predefined objectives.
Therefore, proper plans and strategies are put in
place before proceeding with these processes.
• It is possible that some features can be deemed
unnecessary post validation. Cost-effective testing
ensures you are prepared for the situation and can
also make sure conducting regression tests will not
affect the development process of the product
much.
 Cost-Effective Software Testing
• Operability and Usability
• Cost-effectiveness is crucial in usability testing where you are looking to
evaluate your application from a user point of view. There are a lot of
resources spent on hiring targeted users and obtaining honest feedback
from them.
• While the idea is great, it does not always turn out as expected. A cost-
effective way to test the operational and usability features of software is
for software testers to behave as end-users.
• This prevents from investing in extra resources and making the best of
everything at your disposal. The perfect way to gain cost-effectiveness is
to have the company you outsource the service to follow this process.
• Independent Testing companies practice this because they have a neutral
opinion about clients’ software apps.
 Cost-Effective Software Testing
• Putting a Stop to Defect Migration
• When errors and defects are identified early, you can prevent
them from migrating to the next phase in software development.
If these defects are migrated, it can cost a lot more to rectify and
could also result in starting the process from the beginning again.
• Cost-effective Testing avoids this possibility through the
effective collaboration of testers, developers, and business
analysts. They identify potential defects and flaws in the early
stages and avoid the possibility of defect migration.
• Choosing a cost-effective Software Testing will not be an easy
task. The key factor that you can rely on for making this decision
is the experience of individual Testers in an organization.
Thank You