Obtaining Test Manager Skills and Keeping Them Current

We recently published a well received article The Expectations and Challenges Facing a Modern Day Test Manager that discussed how a Test Manager is expected to possess a multitude of Current Technical Knowledge and Soft Skills.

In this article we will go into more detail regarding how some of this knowledge and skills can be obtained, and importantly, how to keep them current.  

Knowledge of Automation Tools and Other Test Tools

As a Test Manager, there will be an expectation that you have experience of many different test tools. This can actually be quite an unfair expectation as there are so many tools available to meet different requirements, and to gain in-depth knowledge takes a significant amount of time.

Following the approach below will go a long way towards helping Test Managers meet this expectation.

One of the best ways to learn about an automation test tool or any other type of test tool is to actually use it. So if you need to gain an understanding about a tool you are unfamiliar with, or need to further your knowledge of a tool you already have an understanding of, then rigging it up and using it will provide some valuable hands-on experience. 

The issue here is that it may not always be practical to do this during company time when there are other responsibilities taking priority. However, there is nothing to stop you rigging up a test tool on your computer at home and setting yourself some objectives to achieve. If the tool in question isn’t open source then there are usually trial licences available if you don’t have a full licence.

Trying out a few different tools and scratching the surface will at least allow you to develop a basic level of understanding across a breadth of tools. If you then want to know even more about a specific one, you can subsequently devote more time to it.

To help speed up the learning curve, you could see if there are others within the company you work for or within the testing community that have used the tool in question and will help you out. If your company already uses the tool then try to buddy up with someone who would be happy to share some of their wisdom.

Tip! Find out what they like for lunch and offer them a free lunch in exchange for some of their time.

In addition to the above, there are plenty of sources to obtain information on specific test tools such as YouTube, Books, eBooks and Online tutorials. 

At techTesters we often come across candidates whose test tool knowledge and experience have become out-dated and don’t quite meet the requirement of the hiring company. To ensure you keep your knowledge and skills in this area current, it makes sense to regularly keep track of the most popular test tools in use and periodically invest time into familiarising yourself with them. This requires endeavour and discipline but is a necessity towards staying current.

 Obtaining Product Knowledge 

Having a reasonable level of knowledge about the different products under development within the company you work for is vital to be an effective Test Manager as you will often be involved in technical and business discussions about them and will need to contribute and make testing related decisions.

Often, the problem here is that it’s unlikely anyone is simply going to come up to you and offer to provide a detailed technical and business focussed product overview. So really, as a Test Manager this is something you have to proactively do for yourself.

Unlike with test tools, you are less likely to find out much about bespoke company products from YouTube or books so you will need to home-in much more on your colleagues and utilise in-house documentation. 

From both a technical and business aspect, the approach to obtaining product knowledge is pretty much the same. The first step is to use the product either in a Test Environment or in Production to gain some understanding. Follow this by obtaining documentation in the form of specifications, user stories and user guides. Read them and then re-read them until they make sense. With a combination of these two aspects, you should have a good head start.

The next step is to then talk to people who hold the product knowledge. This is most likely to be Product Owners, Business Analysts, Developers, Technical Architects and of course Testers. If you have already used the product and have read plenty of literature then you should be in a good position to ask some meaningful questions.

Tip! You usually find that if you have shown some initiative in advance of approaching someone to ask questions, and show some genuine interest, they will be quite enthusiastic towards helping you gain more knowledge. As mentioned earlier, buying someone lunch in exchange for their time is always a good tactic.

As product design and functionality is frequently updated, keeping up-to-date with the changes is important. One way of achieving this is to regularly get yourself invited to product demos and showcases where you can see the changes being demonstrated and discussed.

Gaining Soft Skills

Something we at techTesters have found is on the increase is that employers are putting significant emphasis on soft skills and that they are proving equally as important for a Test Manager as technical skills.

Soft Skills include:

• Being able to communicate effectively at all levels
• Stakeholder Management
• Providing Product Demonstrations
• Presenting to an Audience
• Team Management 
• Chairing Meetings or facilitating Stand-Ups
• Mentoring and Coaching
• Interviewing Techniques

Although all the above can be taught in the classroom to some extent, in reality, the more you actually perform them, the better you become. Therefore, a Test Manager will most likely develop these skills gradually.

To help with gaining soft skills, it is good practice to seek feedback from others regarding your performance on these aspects and act upon it. Rather than avoiding the areas of weakness, be assertive and try to spend more time on these areas to gain confidence and experience.

Regarding interview techniques; observing candidates being interviewed by your colleagues will help you gain experience and give you confidence when interviewing your own candidates.  

Other Opportunities to Gain Knowledge & Skills

There are plenty of other ways to gain the knowledge and skills that will help you succeed as a Test Manager:

Attend Networking Events where there are talks on specific testing related subjects. You will find techTesters sponsor some of these and help to source guest speakers.

Attend Knowledge Sessions that are held within the company you work for such as ‘Lunch-N-Learn’ or ‘Brown Bag’ sessions.

Read books; Borrow them from colleagues, buy second-hand or new ones.

Engage in dialogue with other teams and attend their workshops or demonstrations. Being knowledgeable is part of the remit of a Test Manager so it shouldn’t be seen as an issue if you ask to be involved, ask questions and seek knowledge.  

Summary

Being a Test Manager is demanding and there is an expectation that you will have a significant amount of knowledge and skills in many areas. There are a number of approaches for obtaining knowledge and skills, as well as making sure they then remain current. It is down to a Test Manager to be proactive and continuously invest time into achieving this. As with most things, you will only get out of it, what you put in to it.