Software Testing is Monotonous… Oh Really?

Do you think software testing is monotonous? Read on.

Consider this scenario. On a sunny afternoon, in an IT company, two testers are having a discussion at the vending machine –

Tester 1: This job sucks. For a whole day, I keep executing the same test cases that I did yesterday and still most of them are failing. The product manager is not happy with me because test cases are failing and I am clueless about what to do.

Tester 2: I agree. I am facing the same problem too. I did not find anything new to do. I am expected to write test cases every day and whenever I present new ideas, they get rejected with different excuses.

Tester 1: I am searching for a new job, which would give me an opportunity to grow and explore… … ….

Tester 2: Please do let me know wherever you apply as I am keen to find a new opportunity too.

Software Testing is Monotonous

What did you understand from the above discussion?

• Both testers are looking for new jobs
• Both testers are tired of the current work
• For both testers, the current work is not interesting
• Both testers assume that they will find something interesting in their new job

Well, the truth is – No job is monotonous, definitely NOT software testing. It’s the person’s perception that makes them feel that way. I know, there may be a lot of arguments.

Let me present my case –

As a tester, you are supposed to test the login page for the application. The app is supposed to work across different platforms and you are supposed to test it thoroughly.

• Do you think the job is monotonous?
• Do you think you are not learning anything new?
• Do you think there is anything to explore?

Let’s see –

• What if the user provides login credentials and closes the browser? Are the credentials getting retained?
• What if the same user tries to login from different platforms at the same time?
• What if the user has to wait two minutes before being navigated to the home page, after providing valid credentials?
• What if the user provides valid login credentials and the database server does not respond? What will be displayed to the user?
• What if the user has provided valid credentials and did not click the OK or Submit button and left the page as it is for half an hour?
• What if the user has provided valid credentials and clicked on the OK or Submit button 10 times consecutively?
• What if the user has provided valid credentials and clicked on Forgot Password?
• What if the user changes the URL of the login page by appending some SQL injection query?
• Will knowing about how other applications’ login pages work make a difference?
• Will knowing UX (User Experience) updates from the industry make any difference to the tester?

Do the above points seem interesting? Yes, of course. But they can seem routine when you have to execute them for all supported platforms.

OK, let’s strategize.

Execute all for one platform. Find major problems and confirm them for the other two platforms. If they exist, just do not test further and reject the build.

Reasons for monotony as a software tester –

So, if I have to conclude the reasons for monotony as a software tester, I would like to mention the following points:

• Maybe the tester is NOT thinking out of the box
• Maybe the tester is too lazy to execute the same cases again and again
• Maybe the tester is not interested in learning something new.
• Maybe the tester does not know how to implement their newly acquired knowledge
• Maybe the tester is not passionate about testing
• Maybe the tester is not able to motivate himself/herself
• Maybe the tester is not able to find bugs and feels guilty about it
• The tester may not be sure about real time testing and is just aware of the
• Maybe the tester just does not want to think about anything other than scripted test cases
• The tester may not be allowed to explore due to workload or access issues
• The tester may be under pressure in terms of deadlines and deliverables
• Maybe the tester has lost interest in whatever he is doing
• Maybe the tester has not taken a break for a long

How to work on yourself, if you think your work is monotonous

Analyzing the root cause for monotony and curing it is the solution.

Realize that, while being in the most happening field, if you feel monotony, you need to work on yourself. How do I do that? Well, there are many ways –

#1) Discuss and discuss: Healthy discussion can result in you and the others involved in the discussion, learning something new.

Being a tester, discussing a scenario, discussing result, discussing behaviour of the application, discussing the bug fix has been always helpful to me to understand and think about the points that I might have missed out and I am sure, most of the testers will not deny this fact.

Also read =>

What is the Best Way to Make Developers and QA Relationships Healthy? and
How Important is it for a Tester or Developer to Communicate with Each Other?

#2) Explore and understand: Software testing is about generating ideas, as I have mentioned many times in the past. Anyone can execute the documented test cases. But think about generating different test scenarios and not everyone can do that. It needs constant learning from other applications, other team members, other teams and the industry too.

When one can train himself to see everything with an eye for testing, a real tester emerges and that tester can surely make a positive difference.

#3) Read and learn: Software is an industry, which continuously changes. New technologies, new challenges and new experiences gear up every day and as a tester, it is very necessary to learn constantly, to be well-versed with whatever you know and to discover what you do not know and get an idea of it.

Implement your learning and improve every day. Try this STH resource to gain access to all the resources you will ever need.

#4) Self-motivation: Self-motivation is the most needed tool for software testing. Most of the time, people hate you or ignore you when you try to criticize or find issues in their work. And believe me, it takes time to train yourself to see those negativities positively and motivate yourself every time.

#5) Finally, you should read this => 16 Things to Do When You’re Bored of Testing

So, from now onwards, whenever you feel your job as a tester is monotonous, take solace in the fact that we are lucky to get a chance to think out of box, to execute ideas, to analyze things and finally, to announce whether something is fit for use or not…a big satisfaction? Of course, Yes!!!

Author: This encouraging post was written by STH team member Bhumika M. She has been in the software testing field for more than 10 years.

Happy testing readers. Let’s cheer for ourselves 🙂 Let us know your queries, feedback and thoughts in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.