Manual testers may wonder about their place in the world as test automation is increasingly necessitated by the accelerating churn of software development. Test automation allows development to proceed at a rapid pace without compromising quality, but this situation leaves many manual testers uncertain about their roles and looking to upskill. It's important to understand that it isn’t simply a case of manual testing vs automation. Test automation isn’t about replacing the effort of manual testers but rather providing developers with rapid feedback and continuous integration during the development cycle.
Where does this appetite for increasing test automation leave manual testers?
As a manual tester, your existing experience, skill, and quality assurance-focussed mindset will still be applicable in test automation. One of the key findings of the 2021-2022 World Quality Report (one that Inspired Testing fully concurs with) is that the right people with the right skills are crucial for software quality assurance, even more so than using any particular tool such as automation.
This begs the question: what are the skills of a successful software tester?
4 Key Manual Testing Skills that will make you a successful Automation Tester
If you are currently a successful manual tester, you’ll already have four key skills or characteristics that will make you great at test automation:
- Interrogation Skills
- Diligence
- Working with resolve and self-discipline
- Critical thinking Skills
Software testing is not so much about the tools as the thought process. You can develop your skillset in various tools and processes such as test automation, but the underlying thought process and characteristics are what make for a successful tester. Bas Dijkstra , Head of the Inspired Academy, is fond of saying that manual testing is just testing, and test automation is testing using certain tools.
You should not let the ‘manual testing vs test automation’ debate put you down. If you are currently involved in manual testing, you should be confident in the skills and characteristics that make for a great software tester. All you need is some more tools under your belt!
Have you registered for South Africa’s Best Test Automation Training in a week, presented by Bas Dijkstra and Louise Gilbert at the Inspired Academy?
