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Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

Develop and execute software tests to identify software problems and their causes. Test system modifications to prepare for implementation. Document software and application defects using a bug tracking system and report defects to software or web developers. Create and maintain databases of known defects. May participate in software design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, operational characteristics, product designs, and schedules.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Evaluate or recommend software for testing or bug tracking.
    • Conduct historical analyses of test results.
    • Install and configure recreations of software production environments to allow testing of software performance.
    • Visit beta testing sites to evaluate software performance.
    • Coordinate user or third-party testing.
    • Collaborate with field staff or customers to evaluate or diagnose problems and recommend possible solutions.
    • Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers.
    • Develop or specify standards, methods, or procedures to determine product quality or release readiness.
    • Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers.
    • Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability.
    • Monitor bug resolution efforts and track successes.
    • Monitor program performance to ensure efficient and problem-free operations.
    • Conduct software compatibility tests with programs, hardware, operating systems, or network environments.
    • Review software documentation to ensure technical accuracy, compliance, or completeness, or to mitigate risks.
    • Monitor bug resolution efforts and track successes.
    • Update automated test scripts to ensure currency.
    • Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope or delivery dates.
    • Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content.
    • Perform initial debugging procedures by reviewing configuration files, logs, or code pieces to determine breakdown source.
    • Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content.
    • Test system modifications to prepare for implementation.
    • Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope or delivery dates.
    • Investigate customer problems referred by technical support.
    • Perform initial debugging procedures by reviewing configuration files, logs, or code pieces to determine breakdown source.
    • Identify program deviance from standards, and suggest modifications to ensure compliance.
    • Create or maintain databases of known test defects.
    • Provide feedback and recommendations to developers on software usability and functionality.
    • Conduct software compatibility tests with programs, hardware, operating systems, or network environments.
    • Design or develop automated testing tools.
    • Evaluate or recommend software for testing or bug tracking.
    • Identify program deviance from standards, and suggest modifications to ensure compliance.
    • Collaborate with field staff or customers to evaluate or diagnose problems and recommend possible solutions.
    • Design test plans, scenarios, scripts, or procedures.
    • Install, maintain, or use software testing programs.
    • Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content.
    • Participate in product design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, product designs, schedules, or potential problems.
    • Document test procedures to ensure replicability and compliance with standards.

    Skills

    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.

    Abilities

    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.

    Knowledge

    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    Education

    Education
    Bachelor's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    128270/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    61.67/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    221,900
    Yearly Projected Openings
    14000

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Intellectual Curiosity
    • Cautiousness
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Integrity

    Tools

    • Central processing unit CPU processors
    • Computer servers
    • Desktop computers
    • Digital cameras
    • Flash memory storage card
    • High end computer servers
    • Integrated circuit testers
    • Mainframe computers
    • Network routers
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers

    Technology

    • Access software
    • Accounting software
    • Administration software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Application server software
    • Backup or archival software
    • Business intelligence and data analysis software
    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Cloud-based management software
    • Clustering software
    • Communications server software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Computer based training software
    • Configuration management software
    • Content workflow software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base management system software
    • Data base reporting software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Data mining software
    • Desktop communications software
    • Desktop publishing software
    • Development environment software
    • Device drivers or system software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Enterprise system management software
    • Expert system software
    • File versioning software
    • Filesystem software
    • Financial analysis software
    • Geographic information system
    • Graphical user interface development software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Human resources software
    • Industrial control software
    • Information retrieval or search software
    • Instant messaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
    • Medical software
    • Metadata management software
    • Network conferencing software
    • Network monitoring software
    • Network operation system software
    • Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Object oriented data base management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Platform interconnectivity software
    • Portal server software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Program testing software
    • Project management software
    • Requirements analysis and system architecture software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Storage networking software
    • Transaction security and virus protection software
    • Transaction server software
    • Video conferencing software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Web platform development software
    • Word processing software