Attributes Of A Good QA Engineer

A good QA Engineer has a ‘test to break’ attitude, an ability to take the point of view of the customer, a strong desire for quality, and an attention to detail. Tact and diplomacy are useful in maintaining a cooperative relationship with developers, and an ability to communicate with both technical (developers) and non technical (customers, management) people is useful. Previous software development experience can be useful as it provides deeper understanding of the software development process, gives the tester an appreciation for the developers’ point of view, reduce the learning curve in automated test tool programming. Judgment skills are needed to assess high risk areas of the application on which to focus testing effort when time is limited. A good QA Engineer also understands the entire software development process and how it can fit into the business approach and goals of the organization. Excellent communication skills and ability to understand various sides of issues are important. In organizations in the early stages of implementing QA processes, patience is especially needed. An ability to find problems as well as to see ‘what’s missing’ is important for inspection and reviews. I think if a person has above abilities he/she can be a good QA Engineer.