Is It Easy to Test Software?

Software testing seems like an easy job to many people thinking that some little theoretical knowledge will be enough to be good software testers. In this article, Nataliia Syvynska explains that you need more than this to test software efficiently.

Author: Nataliia Syvynska, TestMatick, https://testmatick.com/

There is an opinion that any person can test software since this sphere is just about “playing the program”. Hence, software tester is not a difficult job. But the programming process itself is associated with something complex and vague in terms of implementation. Things like this make some people believe that software testing is a very good opportunity to start a career in IT and to rise significantly higher to the ranks of software developers in the future.

At most product companies, many can tell their software testers how to do their job right. But they have never even thought about advising the programmers. Sometimes such advice is based on some experience, when these employees were testers, even if these ideas were outdated long ago, or they couldn’t rise to a higher level as QA specialists. This interaction can only mean that most in IT see the testing process as the easiest part of software development.

The stereotype that it is easy to test software is also corroborated by International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) certification. A lot of people all over the world have this document. But unfortunately, except for this certificate, their knowledge in the software testing field is very limited. As a result, the market is filled with mediocre testers who are incompetent in their profession and cannot get a job in a quality testing company.

Many people find it easy to test software because of the asymmetry. Since it is not difficult to find a bug, the testing itself is also easy. Some believe that software testers aren’t key employees – any tester can be easily replaced with another one, since this position does not require any complex skills. Software testing outsourcing seems a wonderful idea due to the cost-saving. We won’t analyze offshoring testing, but there are many examples when a significant number of well-paid QA engineers lose their jobs due to offshoring, built on the incorrect idea of replaceability of human test resources!

But so much for analyzing the negative aspects of the misconception that software testing is easy. Basically, in the IT services sphere, there is not enough evidence that good testing should be simple.

Why Is Testing Not Easy?

As masters of their craft, ideally, software testers should correctly evaluate the product, examine its features with a research approach, try it out, observe and finalize. One way or another, this work requires good critical and imaginative thinking. After all, you have to constantly make decisions to maintain interest in reviewing software onward and estimate the opportunity costs of these decisions. QA specialists are constantly looking for non-conformances. Therefore, they look into the software description. And sometimes, this is an extremely difficult task.

Software testers examine the product and build its models to be able to make assumptions and design effective experiments in the future. They are responsible for risk analysis, considering a lot of different factors to constantly generate a huge number of test ideas. Risk modeling and analytical activities are not easy to work with.

Conclusion

Good software testing is not an easy job. It is extremely difficult to perform high-quality software testing. This is because of the wide range of knowledge areas that are, in one way or another, affected, and the range of required skills. But on the other hand, the complexity of the nature of testing makes it a varied and intellectually stimulating job. And all the skills that are required for such a job can be easily learned!