Behind the Screens: A Day in the Life of a Software QA Engineer
When I mention what I do for a living, the first question I usually encounter is, "What does that mean?" The second question quickly follows: "So, what does your typical day look like?" Initially, people grasp that my job involves testing software, but they're curious about what that looks like on a day-to-day basis. Moreover, I aim to shed light on my daily routine for those considering a career in this field. It's common to have a basic understanding of a profession without fully grasping the day-to-day realities. Therefore, in this blog post, I've decided to walk you through a typical day in my life as a software QA manager/engineer. For those who prefer a more visual representation, feel free to check out my latest episode on my YouTube channel through this link: https://youtu.be/WMQFih_bMts.
The Morning Ride
07:30-08:00
Living in the city offers the big advantage of biking to work, a possibility I deeply appreciate. It's a refreshing and relaxing method to commute to the office, especially valuable considering that I'll be sitting at a desk for the whole day. The journey takes roughly 20 minutes, but it's a highlight of my day as it takes me through a nice park and alongside the river in my city. It's a peaceful way to get ready for work while enjoying some nature.
Setting the Stage
08:00-08:30
Each morning, I set the stage for a productive day by writing down the key tasks that need my attention. Although I have a weekly overview of crucial assignments, detailing each specific activity daily sharpens my focus. My routine includes launching Slack, GitHub, and Jira to review the progress and status of ongoing projects and associated tickets. This ritual helps me identify which tickets require testing and which projects are getting to their next deployment phase. Managing five different projects simultaneously demands a clear and organized overview to prioritize effectively and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
Coffee and Conversations
08:30-09:00
If my to-do list doesn't have any urgent tasks, I take the opportunity to grab a coffee and catch up with my QA team or other colleagues. Since I am working quite often from home, I value these moments of personal interaction, providing a nice change of pace and a chance to stay connected with my coworkers. While I enjoy discussing various topics, I consciously steer our conversations beyond work matters, preferring to talk about the personal and more casual aspects of life.
Diving Deep into API Testing
09:00-09:45
I'm currently involved in an e-commerce project, which is right in the middle of development. The team, while enthusiastic, lacks experience with the specific frameworks we're using, making the testing phase crucial to our success. As a result, a significant part of my day is dedicated to manually testing numerous requests in Postman. Ideally, this would have been a prime scenario for automation, but unfortunately, the product owner wasn't sold on the idea. Now, discussions often circle back to why certain tasks are taking longer than expected. Situations like these are common in the life of a QA engineer, so be prepared if you want to work as one.
Navigating the Daily Huddle
09:45-10:45
Managing five different projects means I'm scheduled for five different daily stand-up meetings. However, not every project is at the same stage of development, so these meetings don't always occur daily. On this particular day, I had three. While these meetings are supposed to last about 15 minutes, they often extend to at least 30 minutes, consuming a significant portion of my time. Sometimes, these dailies are essential, but I can't help feeling that many of the discussions—especially those between two people about a specific issue—could have been more efficiently handled in private conversations. What's your opinion on this? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Preparing for these meetings is also a crucial part of my routine. I take time to note down the progress of my testing, any bugs I've identified, and any questions I have. This ensures I'm ready to give a comprehensive update on my work and discuss any outstanding tasks that need attention during each daily stand-up.
The Core of My Day
10:45-12:00
Once my daily meetings wrap up, I can dive into the heart of my day: testing the open pull requests (PRs). On this particular day, I focused on specific PRs for a university project, which was built with SuiteCRM and PHP. The development team consists mainly of senior developers, making it a nice project to work on. However, a significant challenge arises from the application's complexity, notably its multitude of roles, each with distinct permissions. Testing applications like this can be very challenging. For instance, when a new feature is developed in just four hours, there's an expectation for me to test it within 30 minutes. However, the necessity to test each, or at least the most critical roles, means the process is far more time-consuming than anticipated.
One important thing I've learned in my job is to take my time with testing. Trying to finish tests quickly can help meet immediate deadlines, but missing a problem can lead to bigger issues later on. The inevitable question then is, "Why wasn't this tested?" This underscores the critical nature of taking the time needed to ensure every aspect of the application functions as intended, despite the pressures to move quickly.
Refueling Midday
12:00-13:00
Following the focused testing session, I join my team members for lunch. I've found that a heavy meal at midday leads to sleepiness and a drop in productivity, so I usually opt for something lighter. We either order in or visit a nearby place for their lunch menu. Since my company generously covers one meal a week, it's not only a nice perk but also an added incentive to work from the office.
Weekly Sync-Up
13:00-14:00
After lunch, we have our weekly QA team meeting. This is a crucial time for our team to synchronize and discuss urgent matters. Additionally, each week offers a team member the opportunity to present a topic they're passionate about. This week, it was my turn, and I chose to spotlight the importance of accessibility testing—a subject I find particularly vital. For those intrigued by this topic, I've also penned a blog post on it, which I encourage you to check out for a deeper dive. → https://medium.com/@realtestify/breaking-barriers-the-importance-of-accessibility-in-software-development-9747c91a6de4
In the same meeting, our team lead discussed the upcoming conference season, focusing on which events we might want to attend. Our company has a policy of covering attendance fees for one conference per team member each year. This year, we're leaning towards attending the expoQA in Madrid, although the final decision is still pending.
Refining
14:00-15:00
Yes, you guessed right…my schedule includes yet another meeting: the refinement meeting. Given my involvement in multiple projects, I attend several of these. Some people think QA engineers don't need to be in these discussions, but I strongly disagree with that idea. Testers, with their critical thinking skills, play a pivotal role, especially when developing new features and implementations. Often, you know the product's quality best, understanding both what works well and what doesn't. This deep understanding makes your insights invaluable. Therefore, it's crucial to participate in these meetings; your perspective is not just beneficial, it's indispensable for guiding the project toward success.
Tackling Mobile Testing Challenges
15:00-17:00
My workday ends with testing for a different project, specifically an application designed for mobile devices. I start by downloading the latest files from the GitHub repository to build the apps directly on my work phones. Challenges during the build process aren't uncommon, underscoring the importance of a QA engineer's proficiency with Git and a fundamental understanding of the underlying framework and its nuances. In this instance, we're using Flutter for development.
The testing process itself is straightforward, yet I frequently uncover numerous bugs. This discovery extends the time required to write test reports and create tickets in JIRA significantly. It's crucial to factor in the time needed for documentation when testing, especially with complex or unstable systems, as it often requires a lot of additional time.
Closing the Day
17:00-17:30
As I call it a day, I take one last look at the current status of all projects. I write down any items that require further attention tomorrow—this helps ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Additionally, I make it a point to send out status updates to the various stakeholders involved in the projects. This proactive approach not only keeps everyone informed but also significantly reduces the number of questions I receive the following day. From my experience, stakeholders genuinely appreciate this effort. It's a small task that goes a long way in maintaining smooth communication and building positive working relationships.
As I described a typical day, the role of a QA engineer involves a considerable amount of discussion and meetings, sometimes more so than actual testing, especially within larger corporations. This aspect of the job is crucial; effective communication about your work is a key part of ensuring software quality and project success.
I find my work rewarding and, for the most part, I value the meetings. However, there are moments when I reflect on my day and realize I've only managed to test one pull request. What truly excites me about my job, though, is the diversity of tasks. The field of software testing offers a vast array of testing methodologies across different projects, providing a rich variety of daily activities. The role of a tester is not only fulfilling but also endlessly fascinating, with new challenges and learning opportunities presenting themselves every day.