Today we are going to discuss an interesting topic in software testing–one that I’m sure any tester or QA can guess. Yes, you guessed it right! It’s definitely the relationship between Testers and Developers.
Testers are troublemakers
Isn’t it funny how testers are considered to be troublemakers by nearly all developers in the world?
Truth is, we can’t really blame them because no one likes hearing about their baby’s faults, and this is exactly what we, as testers, are doing in our quest to deliver a quality product. Therefore, it’s no surprise that there’s constant bitterness between us and developers.
So why the constant conflict?
When there’s an increasing number of bugs or bugs are so severe that the developer experiences difficulty solving them, he becomes frustrated with the bugs as well as the person who pointed them out. Understanding between the two roles conflicts on so many levels.
So is it possible to achieve the desired relationship between Developers and Testers?
My experience has taught me that the best solution is teamwork with friendship among teammates.
Being friends with the developer allows you the opportunity to challenge the product without creating conflict between the two roles. The developer should ensure that he creates a product without any bugs, but ultimately, you both are tasked with the responsibility to ensure an optimal product.
Testers need to ensure that if any bugs are present, they should be fixed before the product is released.
When you as a QA continually work with a team at length, your relationship with the developers becomes friendlier.
You work together as a team to find defects before a product is released, which is an important goal. Furthermore, discussing the designs and solutions raises the developer’s awareness of areas for improvement, and in effect takes the quality mindset to the next level.
While you can find the defects on your own, it is always recommended that you share some of your tactics for testing the application, with the developers. It may help improve their testing approach, but only if everyone cooperates and focuses on the ultimate goal, which is “to deliver with quality”.
What do you think is the best way to achieve a healthy relationship between QA and developers?
I believe that it can be achieved if you–
- are open with developers about your strategy so that they can test better;
- attempt to build affable relationships with developers; and
- report issues in such a way that no feelings get hurt.
