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I am responsible for testing an enterprise web application, what other things of high value can a tester do to stand out of the crowd. Apart from obvious activities like test data creation, test case execution, bug reports...what other initiatives can a QA engineer , take which will help raise his value to the project/Client.

This might seems like a subjective question, but i need valuable advice..that i will definitely try out in my project and see if its bringing more value and making me more productive.

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  • Other initiatives what you will take has to help in projects so, try reading blogs regarding automation tools(that will help to minimize the work) starts reading on those if you get interested and try to implement them, this will definitely help to create individual identity
    – sameer joshi
    Jan 18, 2016 at 12:42

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Apart from obvious activities like test data creation, test case execution, bug reports...what other initiatives can a QA engineer , take which will help raise his value to the project/Client.

You can only do what the situation and context permit you to do.

In some shops testers get to review the Requirements before they are finalized. If that's the case, spend some time digging in an understanding the Requirements, pointing out any inconsistencies and unclear portions. If you are part of a formal Requirements review process, you can make sure that all parties (Product Management, Development, Test) all have the same understanding of the Requirements. That is a great way to avoid bugs, and thus a strong value add that you can provide.

Periodic summary reports are a service that testers provide in some shops. A report containing the bug count, the list of open bugs and priorities, etc - can be of value to the team.

If your shop conducts bug triage, you can provide extra value by helping to lead the effort - provide bug lists to the participants, be the scribe for the meeting, perhaps update the bug reports in real time as the triage occurs. The provide everyone with the outcome of the triage session.

Basically, testing is a service to the larger team. Find out what they need to be as effective as possible and find a way to help deliver that.

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Are you recommending the best/most appropriate way to test a problem?

Are you thinking of scenarios or perspectives others arn't?

Are you making sure you are seen as a valued asset within the team and not just a rubber stamp?

What I must stress though, is that there is no "quick fix". The main thing is to build up trust and respect within the team. Your hard work and diligence will show over time. If people around you are talented, then you are in a fortunate position, learn from them and help them learn from you. This will only make you better in the long run.

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Suggestions:

  • Work on your writing and communication. You've asked two questions in your post, but haven't used question marks. Ellipses have three periods. Learn the difference between its and it's. Use an active voice in your writing.
  • Speak to people more than you email or message. Conversely, don't socialize too much or waste other people's time.
  • Find topics of interest and share them with the team. This shows initiative and makes the whole team smarter. Call a meeting and present your topic, rather than sending emails with links.
  • Get very smart about your product so that people come to you with questions.
  • Suggest improvements to your group's processes, such as retrospectives, planning, automation ideas, efficiency ideas.
  • Keep track of all your achievements throughout the year so you can summarize them for your performance reviews.
  • Be willing to help and volunteer.
  • Get very organized so you can do all these things and still get your base work done.
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qa_test235, I noticed that your are an unregistered user of this forum and I am not sure how this affects your ability to participate. Become a registered member of Stack Exchange and participate as you can in helping others learn about SW testing and quality engineering.

This activity may seem unnecessary or maybe a burden. Over time this will add some excellent research/blogging/writing skills for yourself. Which in the long run will help you differentiate yourself from other testers.

No matter what you will learn more about the Testing craft.

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  • How does this answer OP's question?
    – demouser123
    Jan 19, 2016 at 6:59
  • @log_file, his question is dealing with how to "stand out" from the other testers by "bringing more value and making me more productive". I suggest by helping others you learn lots of intangible and critical skills that give more value as a tester and as an employee (or consultant). Having lots of skills is not bad to have, which is what I think he is looking for. But in the long run it's how you use your existing skill sets that will truly make a difference for the project. Testing wisdom is always better than Tool knowledge. Of course you need both to be a real stand out.
    – John Burley
    Jan 21, 2016 at 0:55
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Test automation and push toward continuous delivery is slowly but surely reducing the need for manual testing. Learn BDD and other means of how to ensure developers' are writing good automated test and satisfying business needs. To go even further, learn how to write test code yourself; QA experience and knowing how to code will make you stand out from those that know just the latter.

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Do you guys have a specific person that does Automation? If not, I would highly suggest you begin looking into Selenium since you guys are webapp-based, depending on your comfort level with coding you could start with just using the Selenium IDE and using the record function and move up to Selenium Webdriver from there.

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  • How does this work for qa_test1235? Can you explain a bit more?
    – IAmMilinPatel
    Jan 20, 2016 at 2:47
  • Sure, I'm not familiar with the size of qa_test1235's company, but at most small companies you'll see QAs covering multiple testing roles. Speaking from my experiences, I was able to quickly differentiate myself from the other QA's on our team by taking responsibility for the the development and maintenance of our automation testing as well as a supplementary testing role. This allowed me to diversify my skillset in a way that stands out considerably more than a QA that exclusively does manual tests. Therefore I was then encouraging qa_test1235 to add automation testing to his/her skillset.
    – Anthony Zabonik
    Jan 21, 2016 at 3:06

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