So...what tester are you?

The Socialiser
Observed Behaviour : Laughing, chatting, enjoying their work and having fun
Favourite Phrase : Let's get a drink and chat about it
Nemesis : Very few people

Every team should have a Socialiser. The Socialiser is the tester who enjoys being at work and has a laugh. The Socialiser doesn't just go to work, sit there, do the job and go home. They want to have a laugh and they want to make friends. They often organise social events and are very effective at bridging the gap between teams or team members.

The Socialiser is often referred to as The Morale Officer due to their key role as team night out organiser and coffee break manager.

The Socialiser sometimes needs a kick in the right direction when their social life is starting to take precedence over work.

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)

So...what tester are you?

The Intellectual
Observed Behaviour : Spends lunch times writing poetry, reading foreign language books and studying science
Favourite Phrase : "The end of centrally engineered one size fits all initiatives, an intelligent approach to cutting red tape through redesign of processes and cultures, a renewed emphasis on strategic development so as to better equip our testing to meet the amorphous challenges of managing cross platform bugs, risks and opportunities"
Nemesis : Anyone who doesn't understand them

The Intellectuals are great. They are not only good testers but they also make your average programmer feel stupid (not an easy thing in my book). A conversation between an intellectual programmer and an intellectual tester though is something you may only get to hear once in your career. It will also either send you to sleep or knock you unconscious, either of which could be more enjoyable.

The problem with the intellectual tester is that they use words, phrases and sentence structures that don't mean anything to most people. I need three hours, a dictionary, a thesaurus and Google translate to work out what the intellectual is trying to say.

The Intellectual and The Expert go well together. The intellectuals use of long words and jargon automatically makes them an expert (as no-one can truly understand what they say - except other Intellectuals). But not all experts are intellectuals.

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)

So...what tester are you?

The Networker
Observed Behaviour : Networking, talking, wandering
Favourite Phrase : I know someone....
Nemesis : No-one (if they are sensible)

The Networker basically knows everyone, everywhere. You have a problem with Active Directory, the Networker knows the girl who wrote part of it. You have a problem with Oracle databases. The Networker's brother designed it. The Networker knows everyone inside and outside of the company. They have contacts everywhere.

Other testers should work out who The Networker is on their first day at work, they are an invaluable resource. The downside of working with The Networker is that anyone you talk about The Networker to, knows The Networker. So you need to be careful about what you say. Nobody dislikes The Networker - not publicly anyway.

Building your own network can be an invaluable process though. Information within a company often flows through the most unlikely of sources and being able to tap that information when needed can often make the difference between success and failure.

After all, knowledge is power. Or something like that.

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)

So...what tester are you?

The Drafter
Observed Behaviour : Initially confused look as to what exactly they are doing working as a tester
Favourite Phrase : I'm not really a tester, I'm just helping out
Nemesis : Seasoned testers

The Drafter is a member of another team brought in to test.

Sometime Drafters are brought in under the misconception by management that "anyone" can test.

Sometimes Drafters are brought in simply to help out.

They can come from any other department in the company; admin, finance, programming, support, documentation, sales, etc

Some Drafters continue down the testing career even though they may lack the critical thinking and passion needed to cut it.

However, many Drafters get the testing bug, find they like the job, find they have that naturual aptitude to root out bugs and then move on to become superb testers.

Others just fizzle out until the company they work for either

1. goes bust or closes
   
2. hire someone else who makes The Drafter look incompetent
   
3. the Drafter retires
   

The time between being called a Drafter and becoming a fully fledged tester can vary per person, but generally speaking as soon as you start defending quality and asking difficult questions then you can safely assume you've made the move.

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)

So...what tester are you?

The Expert
Observed Behavior : Interrupting and explaining how things work
Favourite Phrase : I know all about that
Nemesis : Everyone

Like most of the tester types there are two sides to each of them. Often a positive and negative side. And The Expert is no different.

The positive Expert is someone who is undoubtedly an expert in their field. They know their stuff. They are "The Oracle". And they are always willing to help. We all no doubt strive in some way to be an expert in our chosen fields, technologies or roles. And once we reach The Expert level many of us are humble and helpful.

However, the negative Expert is someone who feels they are an expert when in reality, they may not be. And if they are an expert they ensure the whole world knows about it. The kind of person who you only know is at work because you can hear them....being experts. But you can only hear them when they can jump in to a conversation and be The Expert. Otherwise they sit quietly, waiting for the right conversation. Waiting to pounce and show off about how much they know.

The negative Expert is often known to be randomly talking away when in reality they are simply still responding to a conversation that ended over 4 hours ago. If The Expert is ever proven wrong they normally respond with "It used to work that way" or "The Oxford English Dictionary is wrong" or "I was actually talking about a subtle version of that which is why what I was saying seemed wrong"

So in aiming to be an Expert it would be prudent to understand how to use those skills once at that level. Help people or shout about how good you are? You decide...

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)

So...what tester are you?

The Micromanager
Observed Behaviour : Bean counting, spying, backstabbing, whispering
Favourite Phrase : Where are my metrics?
Nemesis : All testers

The Micromanager is normally a test lead or manager who isn't fully in charge. They have a team and often a set of testing goals. The goals are normally vague and impossible like 'no defects by release' or 'exhaustively tested' or 'use all best practices'. The Micromanager often misses the most important trait that sets 'The Boss' aside from them. It's called guts. The Micromanager can't say 'No' to management. They simply bow, accept and then rain terror on their team.

So they bean count. They spy on their team. They micro manage. They back stab. They always blame someone else. They whisper. They plot. They always pick the 'best' and most experienced people and stick them in their team regardless of team moral or dynamics. They have favourite team members, more often than not it's The Expert. The Micromanager says things like "Come on, let's work as a team and do it my way" or "It's not a blame culture, but it's definitely their fault"

The Micro manager doesn't trust anyone because they know, deep inside, that the team will achieve great things without them.

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)

So...what tester are you?

The Nit-Picker
Observed Behaviour : Continuous cross checking of all documentation with application
Favourite Phrase : Yeah, but this email you sent 2 years ago states.......
Nemesis : Everyone

The Nit-Picker takes longer to test than most, raises an enormous amount of defects of which only 1% are genuine bugs. The Nit-Picker raises defects for everything that isn't documented, even if it works and makes sense. They use the medium of defects to talk to the rest of the project team. They often raise several instances of one bug, often with the sole aim of raising their bug count. They take a long time to test, cross reference every piece of documentation and craft beautifully detailed bug reports.

On the plus side, they are extremely thorough.

The Nit-Picker is not receptive to change though. The Nit-Picker requires everything to be documented and every change to be written down. Any conversation that takes place needs a signed paper follow up of all agreed details. Change controls terrify the Nit-Picker. Missing documentation is a Nit-Pickers worst nightmare.

The Nit-Picker often spends a lot of time producing cross reference documents and matrices that on the surface seem useful but end up costing time and money to maintain. The Nit-Picker believes a standard set of metrics should be applied to all testing projects. The Nit-Picker loves Best Practices. Often the Nit-picker focusses on the things that don't matter and argues about irrelevant points until the cows come home.

Working with a Nit-Picker is a challenge. They not only require a constant feed of documentation but often refuse to start work until the documentation is signed off in triplicate under the false belief testing cannot start until an agreed date and drop of software. They require patience, time and paperwork and this often proves too much for most testers.

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)

So...what tester are you?

The Wanderer
Observed Behaviour : Wandering
Favourite Phrase : Just nipping over there
Nemesis : Test Leads and Managers

The Wanderer is an amazement to most testers. They appear to do nothing except wander around the office or the car park. They always have a notepad in hand and always appear to be off to a meeting. Yet all they do is wander. It's amazing how they manage to remain employed. Either they have less work than most or they are simply uber efficient.

The Wanderer always looks busy though. The notepad and purposeful walk give off an air of importance, when in reality they are probably off to the carpark for a crafty cigarette or off to the toilets to play on their mobile phone. The Wanderer rarely talks to anyone and always avoids eye contact with seniors.

At times all of us fulfill the role of The Wanderer. In small doses wandering is good for the mind and body. It allows time to clear your mind, ease the strain from the screen and get some fresh air. But when 90% of your time is wandering and 10% is working it's time to question your real motivations.

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)

So...what tester are you?
 
The Automator
Observed Behaviour : Automation, automation, automation
Favourite Phrase : But I can't do that in this testing tool
Nemesis : Manual Testers

The Automator is a really interesting character. They live to automate. They automate everything. They talk like a programmer and act like a tester.

They are great when they arrive on earth in the form of a toolsmith who knows just enough about everything to be helpful. A toolsmith knows how to code and has an understanding of testing. Often a deep understanding and experience of testing. And they are good coders. They solve testing problems with tools. And not just automate tests. If it needs doing...we'll find the right tool to do it.

It's when they arrive on earth in the form of a one tool tester that they start to lose their intrinsic appeal. The one tool tester only knows QTP or Winrunner or any other of the big vendor tools.  It's not that they couldn't understand, learn and use others, it's just that it would go against their code of automation ethics to use anything other than their beloved tool. They often have brand loyalty, not test problem solving loyalty. If it can't be done in this tool...it can't be done.

I love the Automators. They are unique amongst the development community. Part tester, part programmer. Part human, part machine.

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)

So...what tester are you?

The Boss
Observed Behaviour : Chilled, relaxed, in control, great communicator and has the respect of the team
Favourite Phrase : Not a problem
Nemesis : Senior Management

The Boss is essentially the opposite of the Micromanager. The Boss gets R.E.S.P.E.C.T. The Boss can say 'No' to management and often does, which makes them unpopular above, but truly respected by those below. But The Boss doesn't see anyone as being below or above. They just see a team and a set of goals and respect all for their opinions and skills. And if The boss has goals that are vague or impossible, The Boss will say so.

The Boss picks a team of people who will work well together, not just individual talent. The Boss picks a well balanced team of experienced and junior team members. The Boss considers the social make up of the team, rather than the individual team members. The Boss understands that junior team members need to learn and often have the most creative minds. The Boss understands that teams can make or break a project.

The Boss buys cakes and beer for their team. The Boss trusts every member of their team. The Boss is fair, yet critical at the same time.

In other words. The Boss is a leader....an inspirer. They have integrity, honesty and trust. They stand up for what they believe in, but are not arrogant or misguided. And if you find a boss like this, you are very lucky indeed.

Images supplied by Rosie Sherry at The Software Testing Club (@rosiesherry)
Content and idea by Rob Lambert.. (www.thesocialtester.co.uk) (@rob_lambert)