“You only pick bugs from software, what’s more?” they say. The developers assume I have a relaxed job as I do not oversee other 'complicated' stuff like client confirmation, prototyping, development, code review, and logic.
But guess what? I look after the loopholes they might have left while coding-- such as inadequate documentation, misinterpreted client requirements, and what not.
There is a lot of misunderstanding regarding a tester’s role, and this is frustrating.
I go through mixed emotions due to the changing pressures of software testing; sometimes it is easy and sometimes it is oh-so difficult.
Before I explain how testing is capable of saving lives, let me address some challenges in my everyday work routine:
Is a Tester’s job redundant?
I need to discuss a few points that bother me at work as a tester and it’s time to clear them before I praise my existence!
I do not feel included, but expectations are always high
This is the most common situation in every software development project. Mostly, they do not include testers in product requirement meetings which causes communication gaps and eventually missed deadlines.
The thing is, the software development team has high expectations from testers. I am expected to:
- prepare documentations (amid strict timelines),
- assure test coverage (because I will be the bad one if I forget to cover one scenario)
- ensure timely completion of testing phases (as if we follow a script).
- report every bug with details
- generate analytical reports (it needs time but who will understand this?)
- work as a software watchdog (so only my neck gets grabbed when a faulty product gets delivered).
Recently, Jira Test Management Tools like Kualitee have been a great help for me in overcoming these challenges.
I detect bugs to help you
Typically, finding bugs is considered a problem instead of being seen as an asset to delivering an error-free product. Sadly, testers are associated with creating problems in the software because they find them. Every bug a tester reports is considered a fault.
The truth is, we help the entire software development team in delivering a clean product. Otherwise, a faulty product only damages the service provider’s reputation as well as the product’s market value.
I might sound cranky, but these are facts and I need the world to know that TESTERS ARE ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES since we find faults in your product for your benefit.
I strive to deliver an error-free product
We are in a constant struggle to make a product error-free but at the end of the day, there is always that one bug lurking in the dark, aiming to destroy our hard-earned trust, EVERY TIME!
This unpredictability often raises doubts about us for only beating about the bush and doing nothing.
Testers like me break a sweat to achieve maximum test coverage and identify risk areas while implementing test scenarios. Still, we fail to deliver a flawless product (because there is not such a thing as a flawless product).
That being said, we help the entire software development team deliver a quality-driven product and no one can deny that fact.
Now let’s talk beyond benefits and discuss how testers are saving your lives.
Testers assure safe air travels and save lives
Testers are saving lives through their services in multiple industries, majorly in healthcare, paramedics, and the transport industry. For a deeper understanding, I will discuss air traveling and a safer passenger experience. I promise this will be an eye-opener for the naysayers regarding a tester’s job.
The tycoons in the airline industry are investing in apps to assure safer travel and hassle-free booking experience for their commuters. Particularly “Test Automation” testers are seen as important resources to achieve the crucial goal.
The need for testing in the airline industry is rising to validate and execute the latest technologies, logistics, control, and management systems.
Automation testers perform smooth test cycles to assure quick feature deployment and approvals as a result. The simple testing processes, therefore, help in assuring safer travels but also flawless passenger experiences. They save passengers from terrible flight experiences as well as airline companies to save their reputation.
Why can we not risk a glitch in the aviation industry?
Several horrific incidents in the airline industry were caused due to a single flaw.
These incidents have been highly threatening to passengers’ lives and schedules as well as damaging to the airline companies’ reputations. The loss caused is often irreversible.
Software flaws (sensor malfunction) in the Boeing 737 Max airplanes led to two plane crashes — the Lion Air flight jet in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines airplane in March 2019 — killing 346 people in total. Later, NASA entered to investigate the software glitches in the Boeing airplanes.
In a similar incident during a holiday season, on September 28, 2017, Lufthansa and Air France, the primary software system providers to British Airways, had undergone a software malfunction in their system which crashed the check-in procedure for 15 minutes. The glitch affected 70,000 passengers and caused 600 flights to cancel.
These are just two examples but stressing enough to understand how one software glitch can cause massive damage.
In this regard, winning customer loyalty is the biggest challenge as they trust an airline to help them reach their destinations safely and in time. But a small glitch can weaken the trust instantly, ultimately causing huge monetary and reputation harm to the airline brands.
Therefore, to overcome the above challenges, the service of competent testers is crucial because this is a matter of life beyond booking and check-in experiences.
Testing to the rescue
So, how do testers save the passengers’ lives/ schedules as well as the airline company’s reputation?
We bear the burden of saving a brand’s image and that is why our job is quite tough. Let’s find out how:
When a jet takes off, millions of code processes in the background within various system components. Now, we as testers are expected to check each set of codes for flaws and verify if each software unit integrates well with other units.
The ever-evolving airline industry requires a modern testing solution to thrive in the skies fearlessly. Nowadays, Test Automation is highly trusted to test modeling and simulation structures of aircraft systems.
- We testers, recommend performing a detailed documentation activity of system requirements for flawless aircraft software testing.
- These requirements and specifications include smooth app performance for a satisfactory online booking and in-flight experience.
- No coding skills are required in the aircraft system testing allowing testers to write comprehensive test scripts with minimal effort.
- Accurate test executions eliminate redundancy and increase maximum test coverage with greater ROI.
- The testing practice improves the aircraft software’s efficiency and makes it error-free for a seamless passenger experience.
The discussion, hence, proves the value of testing for the airline industry as well as the worth of a tester’s job.
Ending note…
As discussed, working as a tester has given me the sense of responsibility to make every experience helpful for people. The aviation industry and other such sectors undergoing massive digital transformation are still vulnerable to cyber threats and software malfunction that require testing services.
We, testers, learn new tools, latest technologies and new techniques to test the innovations. The world trusts us for delivering a flawless product and therefore, calling testing a low-profile job is wrong when we are saving and making lives easier on a large scale.
So next time if someone comes at you with a quizzical expression, stay calm, and tell them testers are making this world a better and safer place.
Testers are the unhailed superheroes, and I am proud to be one!
