TestFlix 2021 – Melissa Tondi

Atomic Talk Title: The Tester’s Role: Balancing Technical Acumen and User Advocacy

Many of us didn’t start our careers in testing. We generally moved from a different internal role or “happened upon “QA” via another career path. It was common for people who were product users to be hired to jump start their technical career. Now, we see the growth of tester positions that require coding experience or a computer science degree with little emphasis on the testing profession. She identifies factors that caused the test/QA role to become mainstream and how it shifted to become more technically focused. Melissa helps fill in the gaps with a test strategy that incorporates a solid automation strategy which allows for balance between supporting the development efforts while equally emphasizing user advocacy tests.

Takeaways:

1. Discuss the changing landscape of the role of testers
   
2. The challenges of hiring, and a way to shift the pendulum back to balance technical acumen with a user advocacy role.
   
3. Thoughtful discussion on what makes a good tester
   
4. How test leaders can continue to promote our profession
   
5. How to accentuate the value testers bring to organizations.

Speaker Bio