Paper By: Bret Pettichord
Software development requires various talents and roles. This article takes a look at two of these roles: testers and developers.
On an effective team, testers and developers complement one another, each providing perspectives and skills that the other may lack. A common mistake is to see testers as junior developers, and to thus encourage them to emulate the skills and attitudes of the developers. In fact, good testers have many traits that directly contrast with the traits good developers need. With understanding, managers can make the most of these divergent skill sets and use them to build a successful team.
Many developers don’t realize how difficult system testing can be. It takes patience and flexibility. It requires an eye for detail and an understanding of the big picture. Many testers are frustrated working with developers who think testing is easy. My understanding of this dynamic was deepened when I got a chance to see several developers take over the system testing. They had been used to relying on a team of dedicated testers, who were no longer available to test the product.
Since I had experience testing the product, I trained them during this project and saw them struggle with tasks they had previously underestimated. In the process, I noticed some differences between the skills and attitudes of testers and developers.
I want to avoid stereotyping. There are, of course, many good developers who can test well, and there are many testers who can write decent code. But in many ways, the skills that the jobs require are different and often in opposition to each other. Understanding this is important to getting teams of different people to work well together.
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