Our previous tutorial on “How to keep Good Testers in Testing Position” has a pointer that mentions appreciating the testers for their good work.
“Reward Testers for finding good quality bugs. Conduct weekly or monthly competitions like ‘Bug of the week’ to reward them. This will help to build a successful QA team”.
The same concept is used by Eric Jacobson, a Software Tester, to keep the motivation alive in his testing team. Eric found an interesting idea to reward good testers. The idea of holding a Bug contest. He awarded the ‘Mercury’ cap to the tester who could log the most bugs in a given week. See the Winner of this Contest.
Table of Contents:
- Motivating Employees – Know How
- How to Motivate Your Team
- #1) Set Clear Goals and Share Business Vision
- #2) Make Team Feel Valued (Reward & Recognition)
- #3) Communicate With Team Frequently and Openly
- #4) Foster Teamwork
- #5) Provide a Pleasant, Positive, and Healthy Office Environment
- #6) Provide Opportunities For Growth and Development
- #7) Reduce Number of Pointless Meetings
- #8) Avoid Micromanagement (Give Space to Employees)
- #9) Embrace Failure (Stop Punishing)
- #10) Pay the Employees What they are Worth
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Motivating Employees – Know How
A small tweak that we would rather suggest to make this technique more effective is to award the testers who will find the Quality Bug, which may be called “Bug of the week”. This way, quality bugs will be the main focus of software testers rather than running behind the quantity. You should not ignore those small UI bugs as well.
Every leader should be a fan of awarding testers for their good work. It may be any kind of appreciation. Maybe a small gift or just a few kind words of appreciation from the lead or manager. This will keep the spirit alive in testers to find new and quality bugs.
Motivation is an important aspect of any workplace, and leaders at all levels should constantly strive to make the team feel motivated, energized, and inspired. Desired results are guaranteed if employee motivation and satisfaction are taken care of.
The organization can achieve operational excellence by keeping the employees inspired. Hence, organizations and their leaders strive to figure out how to motivate a team.
How to Motivate Your Team
To accomplish exceptional results, you must continuously consider how you can motivate and inspire your team. It is vital for leaders to continuously analyze and brainstorm on one very important topic, ‘how to motivate the team to improve performance’.
Managers (leaders at all levels) are frequently subjected to a wide range of issues/concerns from their staff/team, and as a new leader, it’s difficult to know where to begin. Leaders should possess and develop team motivation skills. How to motivate your team as a leader should be a critical topic to master for leaders at all levels of their careers.
Here are seven powerful ideas for keeping the team motivated, steering the employees in the correct direction, and fostering teamwork to reach defined goals.
Set specific and measurable (SMART) goals that are defined by the business vision regularly so that the progress can be tracked and the team can see their success practically. Setting goals benefits the team by offering a target to aim at.
As a leader, it is important to work with all the members of the team to set (SMART goals) goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic (relevant), and Timely (time-based).
Once the goals are set, make sure that each of the team members understands what these goals (tasks) are, what their relative importance and priority are, and what is the entire team’s role in achieving them is. Writing SMART goals is an art in itself.
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A SMART goal incorporates all of those elements to help you focus your efforts and boost your chances of success.
Team members will very likely feel motivated and inspired if they know what they are working towards. A leader’s job is to make sure that all the team members are well aware of the business vision and what is the ultimate goal. This will help in fostering teamwork to achieve better results, which will make the team feel motivated and valued.
#2) Make Team Feel Valued (Reward & Recognition)
Employees enjoy being praised and recognized for a job well done, especially in front of their peers, since it makes them feel valuable. Motivating software engineers is vital to keep the project deliverables on track and delivering quality. Appreciation might go a long way to make them feel like they are contributing to the team and reaching their goals.
There are several options/ideas of appreciation or giving prizes, and they don’t have to be expensive. It can be as simple as meal vouchers, shopping gift cards, etc.
#3) Communicate With Team Frequently and Openly
There should be effective communication with and within the team. Communication must be two-way. Leaders should maintain an open line of communication with the team at all times. When you think about how to motivate your team remotely, communication becomes a crucial aspect.
It is important to have clear and frequent communication with the employees, as they do not like being kept in the dark about any issues that arise. An open communication path often helps in improving the team’s success and morale.
You should create a culture wherein the team is open to sharing their ideas, views, and feedback. This will also help in cultivating self-organized behavior and will have a positive impact as the team members might approach impediments quite differently.
You should make a habit to check in with the team members regularly and causally, maybe a weekly one-on-one. Maintain an open communication channel so that employees can come and speak with you. Leaders should be open and approachable, which will make the team feel involved and motivated towards achieving better results.
Leaders should know options/ideas of appreciation and cultivate this skill. Some of the following phrases are appropriate for maintaining team morale:
- Feel free to approach me anytime.
- Please don’t hesitate to ask questions.
- You all did a great job. (This can be said for example, after a good release).
- You can do it!! (we can say this if someone is struggling or makes a mistake)
Excessive or inappropriate communication can swiftly degrade a professional relationship.
#4) Foster Teamwork
Teamwork is critical to the success of any business. Each person has unique talents and skills. Organizations may benefit significantly from them when those skills are brought together to achieve a common shared goal.
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When everyone in a team works cohesively towards a common objective, productivity surely increases. The reason behind this is that the team members start feeling more engaged and less isolated. Any problem that arises will be discussed within a team and the team will try to find out a proper solution.
Fostering teamwork is one of the important agile principles. The teams are trained to be self-organized and utilize the power of collaboration to achieve far better results.
Apart from day-to-day tasks, team-building activities should be facilitated regularly so that every team member knows one another and gel bonds with others.
While hiring a new team member, the leader should consider the team dynamics and try to find out whether the new hire, experienced or junior, will work well with the rest of the team members or not.
#5) Provide a Pleasant, Positive, and Healthy Office Environment
The office environment can have a significant impact and greatly influence how employees work, productivity, and creativity. Any conflict or negativity will seriously hamper the work environment. Hence, it is vital to have frequent communication with the team members and keep an open communication channel.
Create a pleasant working environment and an office where your employees want to spend their time. Consider privacy, noise, air quality, natural light, relaxation places, and atmosphere. Encourage healthy practices by offering healthy snacks and access to physical activity.
Leaders who promote these kinds of healthy habits help employees maintain high energy levels and reduce any kind of stress. Employees who are healthy and happy are more likely to be motivated and engaged.
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Leaders should also consider about different struggles of working from home (WFH) and create a proper work agreement (for meetings etc.). Regular employee engagement surveys might prove handy in resolving any potential problems.
Read the guide on Ways to Improve Office Work Environment
#6) Provide Opportunities For Growth and Development
When team members are learning new skills/technology and upskilling, they feel more valuable. Provide the team members with the tailored training they need to progress in their professional careers.
The overall personality development of the employee can also be considered. It is essential to help the team in getting familiar with the latest trends in technology, processes, industry changes, etc.
Another way of providing growth opportunities is to set challenging targets for the team members. Leaders can encourage team members to set their own goals for professional and personal development and work towards achieving those objectives.
More focus could be given to providing training in transferrable skills which can be used at different professional levels.
#7) Reduce Number of Pointless Meetings
Many times meetings can be a huge time waste. According to the analysis, a professional spends around 4 hours of non-productive time in meetings, which is often wasteful. It is critical to reduce the number of meetings and keep any meeting as short as possible.
The following points should also be considered for any meeting:
- Send a meeting invite in advance to the prospective attendees.
- Invite only those people who are really required to attend the meeting.
- Circulate the agenda before the meeting (good to have it in the meeting invite).
- Make sure that host and the other attendees attend the meeting on time (practice and teach this habit). In short, start the meeting on time.
- If an in-person meeting is required, reserve a large enough meeting space/room.
#8) Avoid Micromanagement (Give Space to Employees)
A leader should give the team liberty and space to make them feel you trust them to complete the assigned work in their own unique way. Whereas creativity is easily hampered in case of any micromanagement from the leader.
The employee will start feeling uneasy and might feel stressed as well. There is high chance the employee might decide to leave the organization. It is essential to build an environment full of trust in the workplace. Allow the team to self-organize and seek assistance as necessary.
#9) Embrace Failure (Stop Punishing)
Failure is inevitable, and mistakes are bound to happen. It is all but human. Instead of punishing the team, encourage them to focus their attention on the data that came with the mistake and try again.
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The idea is to learn valuable lessons from our mistakes so that the same mistakes are not repeated again & again.
#10) Pay the Employees What they are Worth
Make sure that remuneration is according to the market standards, and it is consistent with what the other companies in the same industry category and geographical area are paying.
People tend to leave their jobs just for a 4-5% hike in their salaries. It is very crucial not to lose the most skilled employees just because they are being underpaid. So, paying your employees what they are worth should be the norm and not the exception.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does a leader motivate their team?
A leader motivates their team by using a variety of tactics and can use different fun motivational ideas for teams, some of which are readily available. To begin, it is critical to establish clear and motivating goals. Leaders create a sense of purpose and direction for their teams by communicating a clear vision and creating achievable objectives.
This clarity aids individuals in understanding the worth of their contributions and fosters motivation.
Great leaders develop a positive workplace culture that promotes collaboration, open communication, and mutual support. Leaders encourage their team members to openly express their thoughts and opinions by cultivating a culture of trust, respect, and inclusivity.
Recognizing and celebrating accomplishments, providing critical feedback, and creating growth opportunities all contribute to team motivation. Leaders inspire trust and appreciation by setting a good example, demonstrating integrity, and investing in the professional growth of their team members.
To summarize, a leader encourages their team by establishing clear goals and creating a positive work atmosphere. Leaders instill a sense of purpose, develop teamwork, and inspire their team members to reach their full potential through effective communication, recognition, empowerment, and personal growth opportunities.
2. How do you motivate an unmotivated team?
Motivating an unmotivated team can be challenging, but with the correct approach, you can rekindle their excitement and involvement. To start with, it is critical to understand the underlying causes of their lack of motivation.
Discuss any problems, impediments, or sources of dissatisfaction with team members openly and honestly. Taking care of these concerns can contribute to a more supportive and positive work environment.
Following that, focus on re-establishing a feeling of purpose and defining clear, specific goals. Assist team members in understanding the value of their job and how it relates to the bigger organizational goals. Break down larger goals into smaller, more manageable milestones to offer a sense of accomplishment and progress along the way.
To boost morale and promote positive behaviors, provide regular feedback and acknowledgment. Individual contributions and team accomplishments should be highlighted and recognized. Explore possibilities for professional development and progress to rekindle their motivation.
It is also critical to lead by example and show real concern for team members’ well-being and achievement. Leaders should be supportive and approachable. Encourage open-door communication with them, actively listen to their concerns, and involve them in decision-making wherever feasible.
3. What are the 4 types of motivation?
These include:
Intrinsic Motivation: This kind of motivation arises within an individual and is driven by personal delight, interest, or satisfaction from the activity at hand. People that are intrinsically motivated participate in an activity because they find the activity/task inherently satisfying or enjoyable.
Extrinsic Motivation: This kind of motivation is driven by external factors like rewards, recognition, fame, or even punishments. People who are obsessed with extrinsic motivation will continue to work on a task even though it is not likable. Their ultimate goal is to gain fame/recognition or, to escape undesirable negative consequences.
Identified Motivation: Identified motivation is a type of motivation that happens when a person understands or feels the need to perform or accomplish a task but does not act on it. In this case, individuals value and recognize the importance of a task or job. They might not find the task intrinsically enjoyable but understand its importance and are motivated to pursue it, maybe based on their personal beliefs or long-term objectives.
Introjected Motivation: Introjected motivation, like intrinsic motivation, arises from the inside, but rather than from pleasure and passion, it stems from the pressure to perform. This kind of motivation internalizes many unpleasant characteristics, such as irritating or confusing people through repeated negative interactions, or through an inability to please themselves or the person, causing them to feel negatively.
4. What do you say to motivate a team member?
It is vital to motivate team members in order to increase their engagement and productivity. When it comes to motivating a team member, I would begin by recognizing their efforts and emphasizing their unique skills and strengths.
“I would like to take a moment to recognize your exceptional work and dedication,” I would add. Your contributions to the team have been vital, and I appreciate your constant dedication and commitment. Your attention to detail and ability to think beyond the box has always amazed us.”
Another way: I would emphasize the significance of their role within the team and the impact they make on overall project success. “Your skills and expertise are truly instrumental in our collective achievements,” I would continue. The job you do is critical to our success, and your dedication to quality sets a high standard for others. Your positive attitude and collaborative abilities make you an invaluable asset to the team”.
5. How do you deal with a team that has low or no motivation?
Dealing with a team that lacks motivation necessitates a proactive and complete approach. Some of the following approaches can be tried out:
To begin, determine the root causes of the team’s poor motivation. Communicate openly with team members to have a better understanding of their viewpoints, problems, and any underlying issues that may be affecting their motivation. To encourage honest input, one-on-one sessions or anonymous surveys might be used.
Following that, concentrate on re-establishing a feeling of purpose and building a pleasant work atmosphere. Communicate the team’s goals and objectives clearly, emphasizing the significance of their efforts. To generate a sense of progress and accomplishment, divide larger goals into smaller, attainable milestones.
Encourage open communication, recognize accomplishments, and provide regular feedback to foster a supportive and collaborative culture. Provide opportunities for growth and development in order to improve the team’s skills and expertise.
It is also critical to lead by example and demonstrate excitement and commitment to the profession. Inspire and motivate team members by exhibiting a strong work ethic and a good attitude. Encourage autonomy and empowerment by delegating tasks and allowing team members to take ownership of their work.
Provide resources and assistance to assist them in overcoming hurdles and developing their talents. Finally, monitor and analyze the team’s development on a regular basis, changing your techniques as needed to guarantee long-term motivation and engagement.
Conclusion
In the above article, we talked about how to motivate a team at the workplace and keep the team engaged for achieving better results. Employee well-being is becoming a critical aspect for any organization and organizations are trying to adopt different methods to manage the same.
Hope you had a fair bit of understanding. Do share your thoughts in the comment box below.
I have appreciated testers who find defects/shortcomings in the requirement itself. It makes the job of the product/project manager it self difficult.
Appreciation should be showered on those who have found the bugs by interpreting the error logs and pointed the source code line number where the error has occured.
The last but not the least, make the tester realize the developer potential he/she has and do not mourn the loss of a good tester to the development team.
Make sure the testers are smarter than your manager or team lead. One of the biggest mistake you will make is to hire someone less smarter than you in your team!
Hi All,
According to me the tester should be appreciated in appropriate way. Or what we can do is organize a team party to get away from day today schedule. Or we can go to picnic where every one forget everything, can show there real.
Regards,
Pradeep Kumar Sharma
According to me Software tester feels rewarded once his each and every bug and suggestions are considered without any compromises, which will increases his energy level to find more bugs to increase or maintain his performance.
He/She can be awarded as star of the week or any kind of appreciation will work and motivated the tester
With regards,
Jaishri K S
The testers have been classified in different terms like..
1.Who finds more critical bugs for the given project..
2.It does not mean that only the more critical bugs it should happen in all the processes..
3.It does not mean that when the Team Awards the member only they do well ,if they have spirit they will,Actually it should be within ….
Hello,
This wil really form a good Tester’s team. This wil really help team leads.
hi
i want to know How can we breaking down the project among team members in software testing and what is the path for test director,where the test cases are stored.
Please do reply me.
The idea sounds good…it really makes tester to find quality bugs, and this way they tend think out of the box in order to get more and more bugs.
I am Project Manager used tobe QA. QA sucks but developers are total Idiots! thas why u motivate a QAs because to watch stupiditi of devs…
I was qa lead and was best on team motivate with high salary myself dont have interest on fixing eerros u developer fix it i report them…
The not movitate employeers have to be FIRE son as posible because it motivates down the other down the other team members undertand my point? project managers we are GOOD the dummy are the rest of the team. i coordinate internal resources and 3rd parties to be GOOD at the work they doo. i measure the preformance if something is bad then you fired…
maybe some dev cries in my opinion then you go and start been a project manager for 5 years and learn about me, then we talk , undertand my point of view?
Your post says treat everyone else like Idiots, Stupid, Dummies, and Devs Cry is not the approach good teams run with unless motivation by way of degrading everyone is the goal. Just seems not well thought out.
In our company, testers are always compared with developers at the time of appraisal and it is always difficult for a tester to come in the top among a group. Very disappointing and demotivating for an enthusiasic tester.
I used to follow similar kind of technique where I used to use a white board for bug scoring of each tester. The second techique was that I put a threshold of bugs and ask the engineers if they can reach to this limit in a week or so (of course the quality bugs gets the credit). This creates a competition between the testers and the bug count jumps up high quickly.
Mostly testers get motivated through achievements hence manager/lead should provide opportunities to every individual to showcase their skills. Recognition for every correctly channelized effort and achievement provides a great boost to team spirit. Proper opportunities, timely recognition, positive culture, transperancy, ethical leadership inspires team to achieve new hights of success which keeps everyone in the team motivated for longer duration.
Hi vijay,
can you help me ? Please….
I started learning software testing in 2008, i have done ISTQB Foundation level Certification, qualified in Advanced level in brainbench exams, at that time i got two projects and due to recession lost those two projects .
moved to new place and i got 1more project in 2010, even that i lost because, that company had some internal problems. then after few days i have applied for few jobs, i really don’t know what happend i was not able to answer very basic questions also.
waiting for your reply,
Thanks
Satya
HI
Recently, my lead has rewarded the other 3 tester individual Thank You award, which leaving me out. Previously, we had several discussion which offering me to change the team, but it never happen because he could not get the person that he want. How do I get motivation alive? It is not easy to find a new job and I am stuck in that team. Please help 🙁
We implemented concept of infinity gauntlet based on movie avengers where we reward power of 5 stones like space stone means one who wins this can work 2 days from home ,time stone winner will get chance to leave early in month for 2 days also there were restrictions as you can’t use this for release or high priority time and each month there will be new winners etc
It’s good to appreciate which keeps the people motivated.
Development and other team members can also play a role by ranking a bug as per their analysis and if awards comes from across teams its even more motivating
Great idea !!!
In fact I know couple of companies where the testers name flashes on the display board on weekly basis based on the number of bugs he/she finds.
Given a chance I would reward the tester who finds a LOGICALLY INTELLIGENT bug 🙂 no matter how sever it is.
@ Kishore
In this case I would keep the reward for each project and not each team.
Regards,
Suhas M.
Fire the tester
@ Suhas – The idea to display names of testers on display board seems interesting 🙂
i think it’s a good idea to reward testers who find the ligical bugs to keep the motivation of them and break the rotien or the tester will get bored and it will be an ordinary thing not an intelligent thing to find these bugs and to search for it
and that will be the team leader resposibillity to review bugs reports and give the comment
@Stevie
U can break project into different modules and assign them to ur team.
U can upload the test cases using export option in XL.
In TD test cases get saved under “TEST PLAN” tab and test cases can be executed under “TEST LAB” tab.
Hello vijay,
Are you ordinary vijay or Ilaya thalapathi vijay?
Hi,
Some how it is right.. I hope it is for the people who works on the same project. But if in a team different people are handling different projects or products it may differ. Because all the products may not have more bugs. Please reply me in this case how to consider..
Thanks
RUP (Rational Uni process) Development Cycle?
if any one know about this, please let me know guyz.
i am in need of it.
A token of respect always does matter- And QA is always plays a role of Devil’s (Client 🙂 ) advocate. And collection of such kind of logical/intelligent bug could go in Lesson Learnt meeting after the project.
Article posted by Santosh is really helping me a lot.
A good organization have some standrad & Process by which they conduct training & give home work to their Testers. They set some goal to acheive within defined time frame. Seminar & presentation on diffrent testing technique inspire testers to learn more.
Testing has a broad scope & Testers should have to develop their skill set with their own logic
My problem is same like Soorya. In my company also they are comparing the testers with developers. This impacts a negative motivation on out work.
I want good placement in Software Testing in City
Different people are motivated by different factors. However, I think that software testers working in a team or independently are motivated by the following factors.
1) (As mentioned by Vijay) appreciation for good work
2) (As mentioned by others) freedom to experiment and make a few mistakes in the process
3) Clarity of work assignments
4) Availability of at least a few senior testers in the organization (to consult in case of problems and get general technical direction)
5) Smooth working environment
6) Opportunity of training and self-learning
7) Opportunity to work with at least a few automation tools
8) Challenging work (but not too challenging – that could have the reverse effect)
9) Opportunity to work in a popular domain e.g. finance, banking, healthcare
10) Supportive and approachable team lead or manager who provides regular direction and feedback
11) Good relations with other employees
12) Continuity of work
13) No large fluctuations in the amount of work
14) Being consulted on important matters e.g. estimates for testing work, high priority bugs etc.
15) Resolution of any immediate problem being faced by the team member (whether personal or official)
I’d add, recognition as a member of the team. We are so often left out when recognition is handed out to development teams.
Hey guys, one week ago was assined as leader of the software testing team. I am not sure how to start planning and doing things related to the testing software. I would like to know if there is a methodology to plan the work of my team
Thanks so much
Set points for each bug based on the Priority & severity.
Then on a timely basis calculate the points & reward them.
Link the same to performance.
After testing different applications for 3 + years i feel testing is the same old cock and bull fight now as i feel my team is also facing the same thing. i have one more idea i would like to share, buy a trophy or sheld with bold letter written ” TESTER OF THE WEEK” keep a compitition for the team. the most critical bug or most number of quality bug found will be rewarded this prize. each week there is a compitition within the team and the performance increases. this really works.
Nice article!!
Hi ,
Anyone give information
1). What is Protocal Testing ?
2). What is the Purpose of doing that Testing?
3). Can I do Protocal Testing in Web Application Project?
4). If do means can u give complete detail about this?
Can u Please reply for this .
Thanks
Vinoth
According to Bug’s Critical type we can give points to Testsers .
And for every 50 points one gift, for 100 points one gift for every 500 points bonus gift …
i think like this type of situation make testing environment more alive and active
Its not about awards or rewards but a small word of appreciation will do and motivates him to come up with much better output.
I am leading couple of teams in my company, i am coming up with rewarding concept monthly\quarterly to my team members. It will be appreciated if anyone suggest me some names for these awards and the reason for which the reward is awarded.
I am looking for only monthly or quarterly.
We can get the following information from QA engineer on monthly basis and we can reward them depends on the information which they have shared.
1.Challenges faced.
2.What you did to overcome those challenges.
3.Any issues/risk you see in our project.
4.Suggestions to improve work or mitigate risk.
5.Anything else you think can be tested by our team
Hi friends,
I had a very good Project Manager who lead the team in a bizarre way. For every quarter of the year, the best tester was awarded with a memento, certificates and rewards based on his/her testing performance. We really miss him.
One of the best ways to keep motivation alive in software testers is just appreciating them for their achiements. And also a lead or manager should support him in all ways, from motivating him for his good work or to being the solace when he is in trouble. And also we need to understand the thing that nobody is perfect in anything.. We do mistakes and it should be excused..
I am glad, I have a TL who is the real mentor in my professional life as a tester. His way of communication and the support given at various times is truly obliging..
Thanks to Vijay or this good article..
My Project manager is a dummy person
This is all nice and dandy, but my question comes as part of a statement. I work for a small software development company, We are two testers working on multiple projects. How do you boost morale in a team so small? I’m the manager so I sit in on all meetings, and do not test to often, this means that the other guy can be rewarded but it’s will always be him, killing the illusion of “Great find mate”…
The article posted by Santosh is awesome !!!!!