What does it do? With the development of technology many new terms we do not understand have emerged. Have you heard about the QA Manual? Do you want to know more? We bet you do, as working in the IT sector is not only desirable, but it also carries a lot of income to everyone involved. Our society is slowly shifting towards many jobs that have their roots and foundation in the IT department.
There will be a need for IT specialists to be introduced to their profession. This is happening even as we write this article. Considering we have you as our reader you want to know more. If you continue reading your knowledge will be greater than before, and you’ll have a new door opened for you. A fine example of what we’re trying to say is QA engineers. It is an interesting and highly paid but, at the same time, difficult IT profession. No one said it will be easy, but considering the money involved there’s no reason for anyone not to be interested, and dedicate time and hard work to excelling in this domain.
While becoming a QA engineer won’t happen overnight, it is much easier to become one than ever before. The IT sector requires this profession, and many companies are offering courses and education on the subject. Of course, you’ll need both as it is not possible to just start working in this domain without any prior knowledge. You can become a professional after special courses. If what we’re suggesting already has your full attention you can read more here. While getting straight to work, and getting your hands dirty is almost always the best route to take, we would love for you to take some of your valuable time, and read this article. Once you’ve done that you can search other sources and get closer to your new goal of becoming a QA engineer.
What is manual testing?
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Quality assurance is a popular profession that almost everyone can learn. But, you probably haven’t heard of it under this name. It is also called a manual tester, and this is a term that probably sounds much more familiar to everyone reading this piece. So, what is the job of a specialist in this department? That’s a fine question, and even if a job is well paid you need to know what are your duties. This specialist finds errors and bugs in different applications, programs, websites, etc. He works in IT companies and is indispensable in any field of their activity. Now, this sounds like something you could do, right? While it seems straightforward when you first hear about it, let’s take a deeper look at what are the obligations of an QA engineer.
Manual QA verifies applications and provides complete quality control of products. He looks at apps from the user’s point of view. We’ve all been in this situation as the users themselves. How many times you’ve noticed that a game or an application has a bug? Probably a hundred times. And now, in the future, your job could be to find these bugs and remove them.
Note that manual QA implies manual testing of products. That means that the specialist learns applications in the same way as the user: do installation, registration, launch, operation, etc. There are other automated testing technologies, but they are not suitable for all products. Therefore, manual testing is necessary for every project. This is where you would step in if you decide to chase a career in the IT sector. Considering how fast this particular department is developing many of us will seek our next employment there. But, how the whole process is done? This is another good question. Let’s dwell on it for a bit.
How to perform Manual Testing?
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Manual testing is one of the simplest techniques. But, you shouldn’t underestimate the effort needed to perform it on a high level. You don’t need to know how to use any tools, but dedication to the work is necessary.
How to do the manual testing:
Read and understand the documentation and AUT (Application Under Test).
Create draft test cases that cover the requirements described in the documentation.
Make a review of written test cases with a team lead.
To do the test cases.
Report about found bugs.
After the bugs are fixed, rerun the test cases. It is necessary to ensure they will work after the developers’ fixes.
Manual Tester responsibilities:
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Let’s take a quick look at the main job responsibilities of a tester. You’ll find some of them completely new, while others you probably encountered at your last job.
Monitoring and troubleshooting
Firstly, the specialist has to check the quality of the products developed and analyze the errors that people may encounter when using the applications.
Testing
The next step is the development of test suites and their normal execution, preparation of test data, and writing of a test methodology. This is the centerpiece of the entire profession, but the work doesn’t end there.
Analysis
During the checks, the data obtained are analyzed. Identified deficiencies are categorized and entered into the database.
Support
The tester does not eliminate the found problems and shortcomings. He regulates and supports the process of their elimination: finds bugs, reports them to other specialists, and supplements the necessary information about the defect if needed.
Defect documentation
To perform the tests and record the results, the tester must properly enter the information in the technical documentation. Verification of data completeness and relevance is recommended.
How to get a job in the QA?
Everyone may be a tester, but this is not an easy way. Getting a job calls for preparation. You need to know the basics of testing (theory), English, basic Linux, and Gita command. Soft skills are also important:
The ability to communicate in a team, resolve conflicts, etc. It is best to follow special courses in which you will be taught all the complexities of the profession. The benefits of education in IT courses are:
- Affordable prices;
- Small study period; from several months to a year;
- Good knowledge;
- Opportunity to collect a portfolio;
- Practice;
- Supervision by experienced staff;
- Round-the-clock support;
- The opportunity to study on an individual schedule;
To work with the courses, you only need to have access to the Internet.
Note that the tester is a promising profession. Many experts are recycled as fully-fledged programmers. The fact is that if you want to enter the IT sector this is your best opportunity and a great place to form solid foundations for any future endeavor in the sector.
