The Different Personalities in your Test Team

This is all tongue in cheek, so if it isn’t to your liking, scroll passed.

While I've been on leave I have had time to reflect with some humour on test teams and their remarkable similarity to certain characters from a Winnie the Pooh book. There are a number of profiles in the books but to be honest, I have recognised them in almost every test team I have been a part of, or managed.

Here are a few of those personalities. Although it may seem a bit juvenile at first, this could help you recognise some of the personalities and that in turn could help you learn how to manage and support them better.

Winnie the Pooh?- at first this person seems a bit na?ve and slow-witted, but they are friendly and thoughtful, and often quite insightful. This person is completely open, upbeat and cheerful – what they lack in experience, they make up for in spirit.?Pooh often asks for advice and leadership from other team mates. They are not always lateral thinkers, and may need to have concepts and ideas explained to them a few times. They are likely to need more comfort and support from their team mates, than other team members.

However. They are honest, open, generous, and a reliable team member. Pooh does not really enjoy autonomy.

Tigger – This is the archetypal extrovert in the team. They are adventurous, high-spirited and often rowdy. Generally they don’t really conform to the world around them and seem to be concerned with having a good time. They tend to be so focused on the present, that they often don’t learn from the past.

Having said all that, Tiggers are also resilient, fearless, optimistic and resourceful. They bring huge energy and a great sense of fun to your team especially when times are tough and the deadlines are looming.

In the office though, your biggest challenge is to keep them focussed. Tiggers tend to perform well under pressure and are not easily deterred from challenges placed before them.?They are pretty self-motivated, and so you don’t need to do much at all.

Eeyore - Eeyore is glum, sarcastic and pessimistic. When they do try to do something (new) it usually is a half-hearted attempt. Eeyore is more cautious than most of the other team members and are often reluctant to go along with their actions.

They can be quite neurotic, and because of this they conclude that they may be unimportant. No ?amount of help from teammates will cheer them up. Eeyores will find all the reasons why something won’t work, and often feel discriminated against by the slightest things.

Owl - Owl is normally the most mature and/or oldest member of the team. They, and most of his teammates believe that he is the most intelligent person on the team but they rarely check to see if these conclusions are actually true.

Owl often rambles on into long-winded speeches and uses words that his teammates do not understand (Read - “jargon”!).?Though they like to present themselves as very knowledgeable, they are generally not much better informed than anybody else.

They can be cross and easily annoyed, especially when teammates ignore or interrupt their long-winded speeches. You will often find that Owls are promoted beyond their competence.

Piglet - Piglet is quietly intelligent but is timid and often takes their lead from others unless overcome by fear. They are born worriers and are reliant on the security and comfort of the rest of the team.?

As a small pig in a large team they have many fears and a lot of energy to focus on these fears.?A person that relates to “Piglet” is always looking towards the bigger picture.

Piglet is generally agreeable, which can be a problem in times of conflict or when a clear decision must be made. However, they increasingly show themselves to be very brave when faced with a crisis, given sufficient encouragement (usually by a Pooh).

Kanga – Kanga is the nurturer of the team.?At first everyone thinks that Kanga is a fierce animal but soon discover this to be untrue. They have a great sense of humour, are kind-hearted, calm, patient and very concerned for the well-being of the entire team.?They like to keep things clean and organised, and are keen multitaskers.

Kanga almost always seems to be in control of their life, holds to an “open door” policy and will also be quick to support anyone who is struggling with something – whether it be within the project or wider life.?However, they do this sometimes at the expense of themselves.