Why everyone cannot be a (good) tester?

In conversation with one of the management member of mid-size company, we were talking about general trends in software testing and what kind of challenges the industry is facing in general. Suddenly a statement drew my attention to argue with,

Whats specific about testing? Anyone can do it.

Although this was not the first time, I was listening that disdainful statement, as usual, I could not keep patience and jumped in. The further talk went on like this –

Me : So, what do you think about testing which is not specific?

The other person : What is specific? Testing is nothing but just to execute the application here and there and find out something which is not working.

Me : So you are saying testers do not add any value to the specific project?

The other person : They might add some value if found critical bugs and can be corrected but I don’t see them as a contributor.

Me : Good to know that but I possess exactly opposite understanding about testing and would like to explain you why.

Me : Now tell me, are you a fan of bland food?

The other person : No, not at all but what is the relevance between my taste buds and importance of testing?

Me : If you add salt in recipe, you enjoy recipe without complaining but even without noticing presence of salt. Its only when the absence is noticed when the salt is not added.

The other person (thoughtfully) : Hmmm…..

Whenever I deal with this kind of discussion, I feel bad about how software testing is being looked. Yes, it’s not a generic view. There are some people, organizations and managers who respect testers, just like other team members and sometimes more than that. But still, the picture is not as beautiful as it seems.

Generally, what do you think, why do we test anything?

The standard answer would be -

We want to improve quality of that application / product / software.

If you too have this view for software testing, yes, anyone can be a tester.

Sadly, tester does not only help in improving quality of your application/product/software, he/she

1. Saves the organization from embarrassing situations created due to critical defects observed by customer
2. Helps in understanding view point of end user.
3. Helps in delivering quality product
4. Asks important and silly questions to understand the thing, which helps developers to grow their own understanding

Tester is like

• A proof reader for the book, that developers write
• A test driver for the newly launched vehicle from a well-known auto-mobile company
• An ingredient which helps in serving the recipe with expected taste.

And that is why not everyone can do testing. It needs specific skill set, an end user’s eye, analysis power, art of presentation, communication skills and ultimately, one has to be an idea generator. After all, no two products can be tested with same ideas. And while a developer loves his baby (the code, he wrote) like anything and does not want to see anything wrong in it, the tester plays a role of teacher, who nurtures the baby (the application) for good (quality).

Your views?