Tech Insights

Why QA Testing Theory is Important

Exadel QA Team

October 11, 2022

“He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards a ship
without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast.”

Leonardo da Vinci

Regardless of industry, success is defined by the quality of services and products. This is especially true in IT. Quality assurance is an extremely important part of the software development process, and QA engineers play a key role in working towards perfection.

To determine what knowledge is required for software testing jobs, ask questions including:

  • What does it mean to be a good QA engineer?
  • What can QA engineers do as team members to improve the quality of services or products, and how can they build an effective testing process?
  • What is the role of the software testing process in the project lifecycle?
  • What are the skills needed by a test specialist in software testing to understand what a project needs at each development stage?

The answers to these questions are found in QA testing theory, an essential, integral part in understanding the quality assurance process.

What is QA testing theory?

Let’s consider the following questions:

  • Have you ever tried to solve a puzzle without knowing what the solution is meant to look like?
  • Have you ever tried to piece together a complex LEGO model without step-by-step instructions?

Well… why would things be any different with QA testing?

QA testing theory serves as a guide for the smooth and consistent flow of the QA process.

As an example, even if a QA engineer knows how to test quickly, this won’t be sufficient without QA best practices. QAs should have a clear understanding about QA processes, phases, testing types, levels, test documentation, reporting, software testing techniques, etc. For example, QAs should know how to write clear bug reports and test cases (TCs), when a checklist is most appropriate, and which type of testing is best in a given situation. Without this background knowledge, QA testing can be a frustrating task.

Writing TCs every day, testing new features, and participating in meetings doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re bringing practice and theory together in the most effective way. You need to utilize them both together; the two are distinct but inextricably connected.

Knowledge Required for Software Testing Engineers

There’s a wide range of knowledge required for software testing engineers, which can be broken down into hard and soft skills. Hard skills include a technical set of knowledge – specifically a software testing knowledge base that distinguishes a tester from other IT specialists. QAs also need a technical set of knowledge that encompasses information about operating systems, databases and SQL, computer networks, web technologies, mobile platforms and technologies, and (for automation QA engineers) the basics of programming.

In this article, we’ll outline the knowledge and skills required for software testing that distinguishes a tester from other IT specialists – something both manual and automation QA engineers need in order to get great results from combining theory and practice.