This document provides guidance for testers on how to improve their skills. It discusses developing initiative by moving from a passive to an active role. It also emphasizes the importance of communication, personal efficiency through prioritization, and developing analytic thinking skills. The document provides examples of challenging situations and recommends constructive actions to take rather than destructive reactions.

3. First Steps in becoming a better tester
Codrin Merlusca

4. What I thought…

5. What we must...

6. What we could…

7. The Recipe

8. Main Ingredient

9. Initiative

10. Initiative Levels

11. Level 1 - WAIT

12. Level 2 - ASK

13. Level 3 - PROPOSE

14. Level 4 - ACT

15. What is your initiative level ?

16. Communication

18. DO NOT ACT IMPULSIVE

19. Be Prepared with all the information
 Initial Condition
 Actions step by step
 Expected result (according to requirement)
 Actual Result
 Requirement interpretation
 Process knowledge (according to project rules)
 Test plan

20. Listen, understand and offer him the testing perspective

21. Personal Efficiency

22. Our NEVER daily work

23. Our daily work

24. Prioritization

25. Efficiency after prioritization

26. Analytic Thinking

27. Analytic Thinking
Analytic Thinking is the abstract
separation of a whole into its
constituent parts in order to study
the parts and their relations
In other words…

28. Analytic Thinking

29. Overload
Scenario 1:
You are responsible testing a delivery that will be in 2 days instead
of 4 days.
The usual amount of work has not decreased and also you have
been informed that you must treat this with high interest.
Scenario 2:
You are responsible in testing a delivery that lasts 4 days.
After 3 days of hard work you are informed that some new
changes will be in and you must redo the tests, the deadline
instead is not changed .

30. WHAT TO DO
Provide an effort estimation regarding the testing activity requested
Provide a quality risk argument
Discuss with the architect regarding the impact of the change
Provide a proposal regarding the optimization of the test activity
( reducing the activity to high priority, the important/urgent)
Provide test reduction possibility also consulting the Quality Team
Inform the TL about the situation
WHAT NOT TO DO
Faint so you can gain pity
Present your resignation
Call your mother and cry
Drink at work

31. Mentoring
You are the most experienced tester in the project.
Now you are a mentor for a new colleague.
The amount of load in the project is the same and due to your
new mentoring tasks to help when he requests, you might not
finish in time the delivery

32. WHAT TO DO
Prioritize his tasks
Teach him to gather all the unclear issues and plan a moment in the
day to clarify them
Teach him to take notes for the things you clarify and to keep it in a
“how to” document
Take him for a few hours to observe the way you are executing the
tasks so he can also learn the mechanism
Take/give weekly feedback regarding your teaching skills and his
comprehensive for knowing what to improve
WHAT NOT TO DO
Curse him
Slap him
Make him cry
Give him nicknames
Make him trip and make fun of him in front of everybody
Advise him to quit

33. Missing Knowledge
You are responsible in testing a specific area and you are having
troubles in creating/executing those tescases due to lack of
knowledge.
Your team is also very busy with different tasks for the same
delivery.

34. WHAT TO DO
Gather the unclear information in a document
Check the documents regarding the specific area (req / arch)
Check the bug/functionality description and implementation information
Check with developers/architects for information
Ask a tester colleague with experience to help you
Keep a document with all the information provided for next time
Inform the TL regarding the lack of knowledge for possible training
WHAT NOT TO DO
Close yourself in the bathroom and cry
Pay someone to do it or try to blackmail
Trip “accidentally” on the stairs and take a sick leave
Get nervous and brake the computer