Day in the Life of a QA Manual Tester: What to Expect

 A day in the life of a QA manual tester typically starts with a daily stand-up meeting to synchronize with the team, share updates on current tasks, report any blockers, and plan the day’s activities. The morning is often spent reviewing test cases, updating test plans, and prioritizing tasks based on project needs. Testers then collaborate with business analysts and developers to understand new features or changes, ensuring they have a complete understanding of requirements and acceptance criteria. They also design detailed test cases to cover all functional aspects of the application.




In the afternoon, testers execute manual test cases, perform functional, regression, and exploratory testing, and log defects in the bug tracking system. They report bugs with detailed steps to reproduce, severity, and screenshots or logs, and participate in bug triage meetings to prioritize and assign bugs. Collaboration and communication are crucial, as testers discuss issues and feedback with developers and provide updates on testing progress. The day usually ends with the preparation of a test summary report and planning for the next day’s activities, ensuring all documentation is up-to-date and tasks are organized.


A day in the life of a QA manual tester involves a variety of tasks aimed at ensuring software quality and functionality. Here's a typical outline of what to expect:

Morning

1. Daily Stand-Up Meeting

  • Objective: Synchronize with the team.
  • Activities: Share updates on current tasks, report any blockers, and plan the day’s activities.

2. Test Planning and Review

  • Objective: Prepare for testing activities.
  • Activities: Review test cases, update test plans, and prioritize tasks based on project needs.

Mid-Morning

3. Requirement Analysis

  • Objective: Understand the new features or changes.
  • Activities: Collaborate with business analysts and developers to ensure complete understanding of requirements and acceptance criteria.

4. Test Case Design

  • Objective: Create detailed test cases.
  • Activities: Write new test cases or update existing ones, ensuring they cover all functional aspects of the application.

Lunch Break

Afternoon

5. Test Execution

  • Objective: Execute manual test cases.
  • Activities: Perform functional, regression, and exploratory testing, log defects in the bug tracking system.

6. Bug Reporting and Triage

  • Objective: Ensure all issues are documented and prioritized.
  • Activities: Report bugs with detailed steps to reproduce, severity, and screenshots or logs. Participate in bug triage meetings to prioritize and assign bugs.

Late Afternoon

7. Collaboration and Communication

  • Objective: Ensure smooth communication within the team.
  • Activities: Discuss issues and feedback with developers, attend team meetings, and provide updates on testing progress.

8. Regression Testing

  • Objective: Ensure previous functionality still works after changes.
  • Activities: Re-test previously tested functionalities to confirm no new issues have been introduced.

End of Day

9. Test Summary Report

  • Objective: Document daily testing activities.
  • Activities: Prepare and send a summary report highlighting test coverage, bugs found, and any blockers.

10. Planning for Next Day

  • Objective: Organize tasks for the following day.
  • Activities: Update task boards, prioritize next day’s activities, and ensure all documentation is up-to-date.

Tools and Skills

Common Tools:

  • Bug Tracking: JIRA, Bugzilla
  • Test Management: TestRail, HP ALM
  • Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams
  • Documentation: Confluence, Google Docs

Essential Skills:

  • Attention to Detail: Critical for identifying subtle issues.
  • Analytical Thinking: Necessary for understanding complex systems and identifying test scenarios.
  • Communication: Key for collaborating with different stakeholders and conveying issues clearly.
  • Problem-Solving: Crucial for troubleshooting and debugging issues.

Conclusion

A QA manual tester plays a vital role in the software development lifecycle, ensuring that the product is of high quality before it reaches the end users. The role involves a mix of planning, execution, and collaboration, making it dynamic and integral to the success of the project.

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