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Try for freeEach year, aspirants enter the software industry through various roles. Software testing is one of these roles. If you are a beginner or planning to kick-start your career in software testing, this article will take you on a journey to some of the unknown and undiscussed aspects of this industry. We’ll also travel through the emotional aspects of software testing, exploring the stress, challenges, and strategies for staying sane in a high-stakes environment.
Table Of Contents
Testing – An Emotional Activity
So, if you are still wondering whether software testing is a stressful job?
Yes, it is.
In a competitive world, a lot of jobs come with stress and pressure.
So, what makes software testing different? Let’s look at some of the human aspects that touch the nerves of this profession, making it an emotional activity:
- Time: Time pressure is a constant companion in the world of testing, amplifying the emotional toll of the job. As a testing professional, you will often find yourself with tight deadlines to test a new feature before it goes live. Every second counts as you race against time, ensuring that the product is stable and the user experience is seamless. Remaining calm and focused amidst the chaos is a trait, honed through experience and emotional intelligence.
- Emotional Stress: Each bug discovered is a victory for software testers, but it also puts you in a situation where you are the messenger of bad news. When the whole team is cheering for the product to succeed, a tester celebrates finding critical issues in the product. This puts even the most seasoned testers into an emotionally stressful state.
- Blame Game: In cases when critical failures are found in production, testers are often the first people getting hammered. The pressure to diagnose, resolve, and prevent such slippage can be overwhelming, leading to heightened stress levels among testers.
- Team Differences: Testing is a team game, and like any team, differences in mindset, culture, and interests add a layer of complexity to the job.
“Software testers always go to heaven; they’ve already had their fair share of hell.”
– Anonymous
Stress Boosters in the Software Testing World
Now that we’ve explored the emotional landscape of testing, let’s understand the various factors that contribute to stress in the software testing world.
Activity: Use the below factors to calculate your stress score at work. Add “+1” for every factor that you face in your day-to-day work. By the end of this section, we will calculate your testing stress levels.
Work-Related Factors
- High Expectations for Accuracy & Coverage
Testing is not limited to writing test cases. It is also about ensuring comprehensive coverage and traceability reports. The pressure to leave no key aspect unchecked and untracked can be immense, leading to high stress levels.
2. Rigorous Attention to Identify Bugs
Testing requires a keen eye for detail and depth, as even the smallest oversight can lead to catastrophic bugs slipping through the gaps. High focus and attention lead to high stress levels.
3. Leaving No Stones Unturned
The fear of missing a critical area or variable in test design can keep testers up at night, driving them to push themselves.
4. High Stakes & Impact on Missing Critical Issues
Today, the world runs on software. This raises the stakes and impact of missing critical issues. These things can have far-reaching consequences for both the product and as well as company’s reputation.
5. Project Complexity and Client Demands
Navigating complex projects with frequently changing / uncertain requirements or bleeding-edge technology needs can become a source of stress for testers. The situation aggravates when coupled with demanding clients who expect flawless execution amidst uncertainty.
Technology Related Factors
- Keeping up with Continuous Learning Requirements
At present time, staying ahead of the curve requires testers to constantly upskill and expand their knowledge base, which is an overwhelming task.
2. Need for Adaptability to New Methodologies
As new methodologies and best practices emerge, like other tech workers, good testers need to be adaptable and willing to embrace change, adding another dimension of stress to the job.
3. Understanding Complex and Diverse Systems
Testing isn’t just about understanding the system from an end-user perspective; it’s also about navigating complex and diverse internal details of an application. This can be mentally taxing in certain projects.
Time-Related Factors
- Frequent Release Cycles Increasing Pressure
The pressure to deliver results quickly can lead to burnout among testers, especially when coupled with unplanned release cycles.
2. Managing Workload During Crunch Times
Shared testers among multiple projects lead to crunch times that can be stressful, as they’re tasked with juggling multiple deadlines simultaneously.
Communication Factors
- Collaborating with Cross-Functional Teams
Testing involves collaborating with cross-functional teams, each with its priorities and objectives, leading to conflicts and misunderstandings.
2. Effectively Communicating Technical Issues
Documenting and communicating technical issues clearly and concisely can be challenging, especially when dealing with non-technical stakeholders. Lack of this skill can add to the stress levels.
3. Dealing with Conflicts and Differing Opinions
Conflicts and differing opinions are part of any team environment. Navigating these dynamics can be draining leading to cognitive dissonance for testers.
Emotional Factors
- Perception of Testing as a Less Prestigious Role
For most newcomers in the testing world, there is a common perception of testing being a less prestigious or useful role compared to development, leading to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. While the perception is wrong, it can add to a lot of stress.
2. Sensitivity to Repetitive Tasks and Burnout
Testing can involve repetitive tasks, which can quickly lead to burnout if not managed effectively.
3. Experience and Skill Level
Junior testers may experience heightened stress levels due to a lack of experience and confidence in their abilities. Whereas, Senior testers may face stress from leadership responsibilities, such as mentoring junior team members and making high-stakes decisions.
Activity Analysis: If your score from the above activity is 8 or above, then you are working in a considerably stressful situation. To help you cope with stress, it is important to be conscious of your stress factors and find ways to reduce stress.
P.S. Seek professional help if you feel stuck in a high-stress environment.
Combating Stress with Emotional Intelligence
In the previous section, we discussed various stressors as well as emotional factors that lead to stressful situations for software testers. Good emotional and personal management can help combat these stressful situations.
Let’s understand how can emotional intelligence (EI) help you combat stress.
So, what is Emotional Intelligence?
It is the ability to manage both your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you.
| High Emotional Intelligence (EI) | |
| Characteristics | Helps with |
| Self-Aware | Anger Management |
| Self-Managed | Negative Thoughts |
| Socially-Aware | Criticism & Conflicts |
| Good at Negotiations | Pressure and workload management |
Here are some strategies to get better at your emotional management and raising your overall emotional intelligence:
- Reflect on your own emotions. Ask others for perspective when in doubt.
- When criticized, don’t take offense. Instead, ask “What can I learn or offer?”
Check out this article by Prashant Hegde about Hanlon Razor available on Testsigma blog to get better at this: Why Testers Should Embrace Hanlon’s Razor (testsigma.com)
- Use “The Pause”. Avoid reacting to things immediately. You can always choose to take a pause instead of reacting quickly. Taking a “pause” creates an opportunity to think and choose a better response.
- Explore the WHY behind stressful situations.
- Why does this person (subordinate, customer, manager, or teammate) feel this way?
- What are they dealing with that I don’t see?
- Why do I feel different than them?
- Build social awareness & social skills such as:
- Persuasion. Recommended read: Persuasion for Testers – Satisfice, Inc.
- Influence. Recommended read: The Secrets of Consulting
- Negotiation. Recommended read: Yielding to Pressure vs. Negotiating
- Leadership. Recommended read: Leading Your QA Team to Success: Insights from a Head of QA (testsigma.com)
- Conflict resolution & Effective Communication. Recommended read: How Testers Can Communicate Effectively in Today’s Business World (testsigma.com)
Practical Tips – From Experience
Now that we’ve discussed the concept of emotional intelligence and how you can work towards raising your emotional intelligence, I want to share some practical tips from my own experience.
I use these tips as a periodic self-reminder in times of stress and crisis. It works!
- Every day, you make a choice. Know that it’s always in your control to make a choice.
- Plan for small steps instead of overnight changes.
- Reconsider negative events from a positive perspective: Try to focus on the positive aspects.
Tip: Ask yourself “What is the opposite of it?” to formulate a positive statement
- Talk about solutions instead of problems
- Incorrect❌: The reported defects often have missed essential info on how to reproduce it
- Correct ✅: Our bug reporting guide can mention what information is necessary to understand and fix defects. We can share that with our team of testers.
- Use Socratic Questioning: i.e., Question the thoughts that contribute to your anxiety. Ask yourself:
- “Are my thoughts based on facts or feelings?”
- “How would my customers see this situation?”
- “How likely is it that my anticipated risks will come true?”
- “What’s most likely to happen in case of failures?”
- “If this goes wrong, will it still matter in a week? A month? A year?”
- Do regular exercise & meditation: There is no golden rule for it. Everyone has their approach and preference. Do whatever works for you but find ways to:
- Move your body
- Calm your mind
- Avoid straining your body
- Live an ergonomic lifestyle
- Remind yourself: You have to spend 40 years here with your career.
”Don’t sweat the small stuff, it’s all small stuff”
Richard Carlson
