How to Improve Manual Testing Skills

Key Areas to Focus On:

1. Understanding Manual Testing Fundamentals

   • Crystal clear understanding of software testing principles.
   • Knowledge of different types of software testing.
   • Awareness of various levels of software testing.

2. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) & Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)

   • Familiarity with different stages: requirements, design, coding, testing, maintenance.
   • Understanding stages of testing in STLC.

3. Analytical and Critical Thinking

   • Good problem-solving skills.
   • Ability to analyze requirements and identify potential issues.
   • Attention to detail.
   • Clear and detailed defect reporting.

4. Domain Knowledge

   • Understanding specific to the application type (e.g., mobile, banking, retail, insurance).
   • Grasp of business requirements relative to the domain (e.g., financial, healthcare, retail).

5. End User Perspective

   • Consideration of the customer perspective during testing.

6. Designing Skills

   • Writing comprehensive and realistic test cases based on requirements.
   • Test cases should cover positive, negative, and boundary conditions.

7. Practical Experience

   • Gaining hands-on experience through real or simulated projects.
   • Proficiency in bug reporting using tools like JIRA, Bugzilla, or even Excel.

8. Communication Skills

   • Strong oral and written communication skills.
   • Effective collaboration with developers, project managers, and stakeholders.

9. Familiarity with Manual Testing Tools

   • Knowledge of test management tools such as Quality Center, TestRail, Zephyr.
   • Expertise in exploratory and session-based testing.

10. Industry Standards and Trends

    • Keeping updated with industry standards through blogs, articles, books, webinars, conferences, and meetups.
    • Networking with other manual testers through communities and groups (e.g., Ministry of Testing, Stack Overflow, LinkedIn).

11. Community and Peer Engagement

    • Sharing knowledge and gaining experience from colleagues and friends.

12. Continuous Learning

    • Staying updated with new methodologies, trends, and securing certifications from boards like ISTQB, CAST, CQE.
    • Enrolling in online courses for skill enhancement.

13. Exploratory and Ad-hoc Testing

    • Mastery in exploratory testing: identifying issues without predefined test cases.
    • Proficiency in ad-hoc testing: quickly finding bugs without formal methods.

14. Documentation Skills

    • Maintaining comprehensive test documentation (test plans, cases, scenarios, traceability).

15. Manual Testing Techniques

    • Knowledge of Boundary Value Analysis, Equivalence Partitioning, Decision Table Testing, and Risk-Based Testing.

Summary

• By focusing on these areas and continuously learning and updating skills, one can become an expert in manual testing.
• Like, subscribe, and stay updated for more such content!