You're looking to advance your career in software testing. What can you do to become a manager?

To advance in software testing: 1. Gain experience: Work on diverse projects to enhance your skills. 2. Develop leadership qualities: Show initiative, mentor colleagues, and take on leadership roles. 3. Pursue education: Consider certifications or further education in management or related fields. 4. Network: Connect with professionals in management positions for guidance and opportunities. 5. Communicate effectively: Develop strong communication and interpersonal skills to lead teams effectively.

In addition to gaining experience as a tester, aspiring software testing managers should actively seek opportunities to lead small projects or teams. Taking on leadership roles allows you to develop crucial managerial skills such as communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution. Additionally, cultivating relationships with mentors in the field can provide invaluable guidance and insights as you progress towards your goal of becoming a manager.

1. Become a Champion for others. Mentor them. Help them succeed. 2. Volunteer for leadership opportunities. Practice extreme ownership and actively participate in cross-functional team discussions. 3. Level up your testing game. Gain experience and master diverse methods. 4. Network and communicate your career goals.

Another part of gaining experience and growing as a QA is to focus on 3 important things and try to grow the horizon of thinking around these three with time 1. Understanding what the product is? 2. What is supposed to do? (Which will cover all the functionality and product performance related stuff) 3. Try to be customer centric with thinking which will help to be better at building UAT test cases.

To advance your career in software testing and become a manager, consider the following steps: - Acquire leadership skills through training or courses. - Seek opportunities to lead projects or teams. - Develop strong communication and interpersonal skills. - Build a track record of successful projects and initiatives. - Pursue relevant certifications or advanced degrees. - Network with professionals in managerial roles. - Seek mentorship from experienced managers. - Demonstrate strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities. - Stay updated on industry trends and best practices. - Be proactive in seeking out opportunities for advancement within your organization.

Observe and learn from experienced managers or leaders in your organization or industry, understanding their strategies, decision-making processes, and communication styles.

Focus on developing leadership skills, gaining managerial experience through projects or colleagues in different companies. Seek opportunities for professional development, such as management courses or certifications.

There is a vital element in learning from others - decision analytics. An experienced person will tell you how and why decisions were made and lessons learned after this situation. Therefore, you need to find one of the following options: - a mentor who is ready to share knowledge, - conferences where real experience is studied, - networking sessions with the opportunity to ask questions to experts, - articles and videos from experts with case studies, - training & seminars from practitioners on a given practical topic. And remember that by listening to the opinions of an experts, you will learn decisions and their consequences. Therefore, it is better to choose practitioners than theorists. They know the value of mistakes.

Invest in developing leadership qualities such as effective communication, problem-solving, decision-making, team building, and conflict resolution, through training, mentorship, or self-study.

To ascend to a managerial role in software testing, enhance leadership skills through training, workshops, and mentorship. Deepen technical expertise in testing methodologies and tools. Acquire project management knowledge, possibly obtaining certifications like ISTQB or PMP. Demonstrate problem-solving abilities, collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, and showcase tangible results that highlight your impact on project success. Actively network within the industry, express career aspirations to your employer, and seek opportunities to lead testing teams or initiatives. Continuous learning, a proactive approach, and effective communication are key to securing a managerial position in software testing.

It's important to remember that becoming a manager is not always a natural extension of your software testing skills and is in fact a completely different area of knowledge. You will also need to learn general management skills. I would educate myself on three main areas 1) Delivery Management, 2) HR Management, & 3) Coaching & Mentoring For Delivery Management I would learn about project management this could either be from online courses or from reading books on the topic. Certifications are typically perceived as particularly beneficial here so taking a training course on PMP or SAFE would be beneficial. For HR Management and Coaching & Mentoring as a Test Manager build your personal experience and find a good book :)

Expanding your knowledge as a manager is pivotal. In the realm of software testing management, broadening your understanding beyond technicalities is crucial. Dive into the nuances of business contexts, customer needs, market trends, and industry standards. Embrace project management, budgeting, resource allocation, risk management, and quality assurance. Aligning testing objectives with business goals ensures stakeholder value delivery and competitive edge maintenance.

Stay updated with the latest trends, tools, and methodologies in software testing and related fields, broadening your expertise and understanding of the industry landscape.

To be on track for testing leadership positions, I see some points you should work on: - Enrich you skills and knowledge in the three pailrs; testing practices, project management and people management. - Develop your soft skills. - Develop your planning, monitoring and reporting skills - Understand some financial aspects in order to budget. - Develop your knowledge by reading and training.

Actively seek opportunities within your organization or through networking to take on leadership roles, such as leading testing teams, managing projects, or coordinating with stakeholders.

To reach the level of a software testing manager, it's important to actively seek out opportunities to showcase your skills and potential. Be open to taking on challenging projects and extra responsibilities, and don't be afraid to initiate improvements. Express your interest in the role, seek feedback, and apply for internal or external positions. By demonstrating your readiness, ambition, and initiative, you'll be one step closer to securing a managerial position in software testing. Remember, with hard work and dedication, you can achieve your career goals.

In addition to managing the Test teams and projects, in my opinion Test Managers should not hold themselves from getting their hands dirty. Meaning, if need be, time to time it is good to help the team in executing some test cases. Test managers can stand out as leaders who not just get the teams to get their job done by delegating but rather jump in and help in getting the job done. This is just one example but it is observed that managers are liked more when they lead by example. This also strengthens the bond in the team.

Consider obtaining relevant certifications or advanced degrees, showcase your achievements and contributions, and actively seek feedback and mentorship to continuously improve and prepare for managerial roles.

Besides all the very relevant points already noted, an important thing to consider is: when you are managing, you're primarily solving other people problems - problems that can ahppen even in the more horizontal of corporations. So, at every opportunity to solve problems not directly related to your job that you can tackle succesfully, that's something that'll elevate your merit for a leadership position