When I started working as a tester, I was usually just following the crowd. I only tested the parts that I was asked to test. I followed the rules. I followed the process such as reading requirements and transforming it as test cases or test scripts. I was a pretty inexperienced tester back then. The more I joined different types of teams the more I learned what testing should be.

No, it is not about creating test cases and test scenarios. No, it is not about how many test cases you have defined and created. No, it is not about how elaborate your test plan, test strategy, or whatever specification you have made or documented.

The most important of testing is asking questions; questioning the project, questioning the process, questioning the product, questioning the requirements, questioning the risk, purpose, and action to be carried out during testing.

Therefore, I currently believe this differentiates a junior tester, senior tester, experienced tester. It also differentiates between a good tester or bad tester.

Testing is not only following the procedure and requirements that have been defined. But testing is about challenging the product/software and whether it has done what it is supposed to do. I still believe when the requirement is defined, we are still able to challenge it and questioned the stakeholder or the consultant “Are you sure it is user friendly enough?“, “Does it make sense to allow a child to buy a product without the consent of an adult?“, and etc.

It does not mean because we are titled as tester, then we just need to create test case based on requirements and follow that test case blindly. No! It is a big No No!

I defined testing as:

A procedure to evaluate critically the presence of quality  or truth of something. In order to evaluate it, a series of questions, problems, evaluation, and test hypothesis are designed to validate and verify the presence of quality.

 

Happy Testing!

 

Sources:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/test