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Career Description

Develop and execute software test plans in order to identify software problems and their causes.

What Job Titles Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Might Have

• Quality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst)
• Quality Assurance Engineer (QA Engineer)
• Software Quality Assurance Engineer (SQA Engineer)
• Software Quality Engineer

What Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Do

• Design test plans, scenarios, scripts, or procedures.
• Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers.
• Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content.
• Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability.
• Participate in product design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, product designs, schedules, or potential problems.
• Document test procedures to ensure replicability and compliance with standards.
• Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope or delivery dates.
• Conduct software compatibility tests with programs, hardware, operating systems, or network environments.
• Test system modifications to prepare for implementation.
• Monitor bug resolution efforts and track successes.
• Review software documentation to ensure technical accuracy, compliance, or completeness, or to mitigate risks.
• Provide feedback and recommendations to developers on software usability and functionality.
• Update automated test scripts to ensure currency.
• Create or maintain databases of known test defects.
• Install, maintain, or use software testing programs.
• Install and configure recreations of software production environments to allow testing of software performance.
• Monitor program performance to ensure efficient and problem-free operations.
• Identify program deviance from standards, and suggest modifications to ensure compliance.
• Develop or specify standards, methods, or procedures to determine product quality or release readiness.
• Design or develop automated testing tools.
• Investigate customer problems referred by technical support.
• Conduct historical analyses of test results.
• Perform initial debugging procedures by reviewing configuration files, logs, or code pieces to determine breakdown source.
• Evaluate or recommend software for testing or bug tracking.
• Coordinate user or third party testing.
• Collaborate with field staff or customers to evaluate or diagnose problems and recommend possible solutions.

What Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Should Be Good At

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Should Be Interested In

• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

What Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers Need to Learn

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.