A great variety of expertise is required for a tester to be able to function well in the discipline of testing. A tester needs to have knowledge of:

• The domain (e.g. logistical processes or financial reports)
• The infrastructure (test environment, development platform, test tools)
• Testing itself.

The management is responsible for ensuring that the right person with the right expertise has the right job, preferably in collaboration with personnel and training experts. A carefully controlled inflow and internal mobility policy supported by related training for test personnel are required. However, the negative image of testing makes suitable and experienced test personnel scarce.

The challenge for HRM lies in this combination of the negative image on the one hand and the importance of testing on the other, who can we find to execute this task and, more particularly, how can we keep them happy? An important tool to achieve such satisfaction is to offer the tester a career path.

These linked guideline discusses how to handle this issue. The guideline Points Of Concern devotes attention to a number of points that require attention when setting up HRM for test professionals. The guideline Characteristics describes what makes a tester a tester. What, for instance, are the personal characteristics of a tester? The guideline Career Path gives insight into a possible career structure for testers. Finally, the guideline Training discusses the aspect of training.

Positions

The possible positions of a test professional are described below. They are based on the model of the career cube as described above. The positions are classified as follows:

Junior positions:

• Tester
• Test tool programmer

Intermediate positions:

• Test method expert
• Test coordinator
• Test tool expert

Senior positions:

• Test consultant
• Test manager
• Test tool consultant

The possible tasks and required knowledge and skills are explained per position.

Position of a test professional versus role of a test professional

The significant difference between a position and a role is that the professional holds a position and fulfils a role. A role is aimed at the performance of tasks for the test project or the permanent test organisation in a specific situation. Roles are fulfilled by a test professional. A position of a test professional formally describes which tasks the individual should be able to perform and what knowledge and skills he should possess. A position says something about the suitability for a role. The exact content of the role depends on the situation and varies per project or organisation. In some cases the role is equivalent to the position (e.g. the role of tester).

Example 1 - A test project wishes to fill the role of tester. To this end, an individual is sought who holds the function of tester.

Example 2 - A test project seeks to fill the role of test-team leader with an individual who will also be required to carry out testing (a co-working supervisor). To this end, an individual is sought who holds the function of tester, has practical experience as a tester, possesses the capacity to manage and has the desire to become a test-team leader.