Technical tester, developers in testing, and even QA-SDET — today, Automation QA engineers have a variety of names. Automation is continuously improving and demanding creative, progressive, and problem-solving thinking. It is no surprise why this job title receives so much attention.
Some think that the QA Automation tester has the skills of a programmer and the logic of a manual tester. But if we go deeper, we will see a much broader picture. So, how does it look? What set of skills is necessary to ride the wave of QA automation? Let’s find out.
What is Automated Testing?
Compared to the ordinary path of a manual tester, the story of automation is diametrically different. Everything starts with creating test scripts. These scripts are designed to check the program’s operation after the test cases are written by the manual tester. As a result, such an approach reduces time spent on testing and optimizes testing resources.
What does an automation tester do most of their time? With the help of tools, they design, build and deploy autotests. The final goal is fairly simple — to automate the maximum possible amount of tasks with the smallest snippet of code. All this eventually helps to implement software checks much faster than with manual efforts.
The cycle of automated testing is comprised of lots of actions, but the most important thing is to compare the actual and expected results and generate detailed test reports. The central mission is to see the strengths and weaknesses of a product, compare the results of testing with the requirements, and understand the way to improve a software product. This task streamlines the whole quality assurance process and enables more robust strategies for testing.
Here are some of the most essential skills you should acquire as an automation QA engineer:
#1 Excellent coding skills
To write a practical automation test script, you need to have a general understanding of computer science and solid intermediate or advanced knowledge of at least one programming language. This especially comes in handy when there is a need to communicate with the developer and conduct in-depth functionality testing. Although in automation, there is also Scriptless-based testing, it is impossible without a general understanding of the art of coding.
#2 Framework design skill
Automation QA engineers deal with designing a robust, optimized framework that detects bugs along with other regular processes. Very often, in such cases, testers get the project done by the developer, and it can be done in any language. Automation engineers should have a basic understanding of this coding language or spend some time learning it.
#3 Knowledge of manual testing & QA
Yes, it’s not a mistake. Why is it important? Autotests are performed by a program, which only does what it is told to do. Whenever something goes wrong, the human eye can detect it easily. But when it comes to automated scripts, they still need maintenance by a tester with a deep understanding of basic processes.
#4 Knowledge of development methodologies
Knowing how to conduct automation testing is good, but no less important is understanding how to organize the testing procedures inside of a team, and how to communicate with your customer. Knowing development methodologies such as Scrum, Agile, and Kanban is essential to propel your career. You should know how it works and be ready to follow a specific system. For example, during Scrum meetings, you should know how to avoid awkward situations and know how to present your problem in the right way in front of your colleagues and the customer.
#5 Logical and analytical skills
Last but not least — thinking. Yes, automation QA engineer has a certain mindset. They are not developers, but they are also far away from the standard thinking of a manual tester. They should have an idea of what is the critical priority for a product. Automation testers should also have logical and abstract thinking developed to be able to analyze, to love complex tasks, and to be diligent and attentive to details.
QA Automation engineer core duties
Well, to understand more about what automation is, it is necessary to look behind the curtain of automation QA daily routine: what tasks they perform and what tools they use? Let’s figure it out.
Here are the core duties of an automation QA engineer:
- Write test scripts & handle test cases. The first and foremost task is writing test cases. Usually, an engineer writes, executes, and monitors them. The most important thing is to think about how to write scripts more effectively.
- Use Tools & Design Frameworks. The work of an automation tester is impossible without the needed tools and frameworks.
- Know IDEs. QA engineers should have good knowledge IDEs like Visual Studio.
Final Word: What makes a good QA Engineer?
Although there are lots of skills and responsibilities to learn, you have all the chances to acquire them from scratch. Automation is something in between development and testing, this path is different yet interesting. But it is impossible without your passion.
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