Importance of Collaboration between Developers and Manual Testers

The collaboration between software developers and Manual QA testers is crucial for the success of a project. The relationship between a developer and a tester is similar to a partnership, where both individuals work in unison to ensure the project’s success. Their collaboration is vital in delivering a high-quality software product that fulfills all requirements.

By working together, developers and QA testers can address potential issues, improve the software’s functionality, and ensure it meets the expected standards. This effective and successful collaboration paves the way for a seamless development process and a final product that satisfies both technical and user-related aspects.

What is the Role of Manual Testers in The Software Development Process?

The role of quality assurance (QA) in manual testing may seem obvious, but it encompasses more than just testing during the testing phase. QA goes beyond testing and involves various activities. Much of a manual tester’s time is dedicated to specific tasks like writing test cases and bug reports. QA should thoroughly test the application or website, but additional responsibilities are involved.

Some of the other primary duties of a manual QA engineer include the following:

• Analyzing requirements and creating a query list based on those requirements.
• Writing and executing test cases to identify usability and performance issues.
• Conducting exploratory testing, which involves simultaneous test design and execution.
• Verifying consistency across multiple devices and platforms to ensure that the software functions correctly on different devices and browsers.
• Creating detailed reports and documenting areas for improvement.
• Participating in test planning meetings and providing feedback to the testing team.
• In summary, the role of a manual QA tester extends beyond testing, encompassing a range of responsibilities that contribute to the overall quality and performance of the software being tested.

Benefits of Developers Collaborating with Manual Testers

One of the major advantages for developers when working closely with QA is the rapidity with which they can receive comprehensive feedback. Traditionally, the role of QA involves identifying and reporting issues to developers before any release takes place. The timing and level of detail in these reports are of utmost importance.

Developers crave immediate feedback on their code, especially while they still have a deep understanding of the requirements or user stories and how they accomplished them. Once developers transition to coding a new requirement, they must invest time and energy in switching between projects.

Discovering bugs after this transition forces developers to constantly switch back and forth between different projects, significantly reducing their productivity. The quickest feedback can be obtained through Automation QA. Developers are free to create their own unit tests, although the primary responsibility of maintaining automated testing suites usually falls upon the QA team.

Depending on the application and the development process employed, there are two main approaches to running automation: scheduled testing or integration into the build process. In either case, the objective is to identify issues as swiftly as possible, allowing developers to make necessary updates while their new code is still fresh in their minds.

In addition, QA tests are crucial for rapidly covering common user workflows. The proficiency of the manual testers in the product is essential when it comes to developing a comprehensive set of pertinent regression tests. QA engineers typically need to keep the regression suite up-to-date as the application becomes more complex.

The greater the level of detail in these tests, the earlier bugs can be detected during the development process. Furthermore, while new features are being created, QA testers will devise tests that cater to fresh requirements or user stories, guaranteeing a thorough examination of all possible scenarios.

Benefits of Manual Testers Collaborating with Developers

Incorporating automation-friendly elements in the design process can greatly facilitate future automation efforts. If developers are willing and able to assign a static identifier or property to a control, it can be immensely helpful for automation tasks down the line. Implementing static identification makes it much easier for quality assurance (QA) teams to create scripts and tests that consistently locate objects.

As a result, they will need to rely less frequently on developers for assistance. Additionally, this approach streamlines reducing the number of manual tests, if necessary. When introducing a new control, whether built entirely from scratch or modified from an existing one, it is advantageous for QA teams to understand its properties and available means of interaction.

QA teams with engineering knowledge can leverage this understanding when developing scripts or unit tests. Having sample scripts available for software testers who are used to manual testing and lack scripting skills can be extremely beneficial when it comes to testing automation.

Communication is key

To ensure developers and testers are aligned in their goals and tasks, clear and open communication is essential. Focusing on the interpersonal aspect and fostering open communication between these roles can improve their interactions, making them more pleasant and productive while ensuring they stay on the same page during work.

Whenever feasible, prioritizing face-to-face interactions is highly beneficial as it helps bridge any communication gaps among team members. Direct conversations between colleagues enable real-time problem resolution, thorough discussions on important issues, and mutual understanding of the subject matter.

Additionally, face-to-face communication improves the persuasiveness of team members when advocating for specific actions, and group discussions foster an engaging atmosphere that encourages active participation from the entire team. While face-to-face meetings are ideal, they may only sometimes be possible due to factors such as remote work arrangements and geographical distance between team members. In such cases, online meetings serve as a viable alternative.

Numerous collaboration tools are also available in the market, designed to facilitate productive and effective communication. These tools enable teams to collaborate remotely, overcoming the challenges of physical distance and ensuring that developers and testers can communicate efficiently.

Conclusion

Ultimately, developers and manual testers share a common objective: delivering a high-quality product that meets user expectations. Recognizing the value each role brings to the table is crucial for success. By embracing the notion that the contributions of developers and QA testers are assets rather than liabilities, the development and QA processes can be streamlined, resulting in smoother project execution and improved overall product quality.

If you are interested in Manual QA or/and Automation QA courses, contact Spincareer today for more details.