The Expectations and Challenges Facing a Modern Day Test Manager
At Tech Testers we are finding that Test Manager Job Specifications are becoming increasingly elaborate and demanding. Recruiters have become much more discerning regarding test management skill requirements, and generalisation has been replaced with detail and specifics.
In addition to significant experience of hands-on testing, companies require their Test Managers to have a whole host of technical and soft skills, and for the Test Manager, obtaining these skills and keeping them current is a challenge.
Below are some of many test management skills and attributes being requested by recruiters and expected by companies, and the challenges they pose to a Test Manager.
Technical Skills
Tools
As a Test Manager you will be expected to have a solid understanding of the different test tools available, and be able to have an opinion and make recommendations from past experience.
The challenge here is that as there are so many different tools available, no one can realistically have expertise in them all. Having experience and a good understanding in some of the most common ones though is a minimal expectation.
Automation Test Approaches (TDD, BDD, ATDD)
Being able to discuss the pros and cons of different automation test approaches is something a Test Manager is very likely to encounter regularly and you will be expected to have strong experience led opinions and suggestions. Teams will be looking for your recommended approach when new projects commence.
To make a credible contribution, the Test Manager would ideally have worked hands-on as a Test Engineer using these approaches. However, the problem is that it is not always easy to gain exposure to all these approaches.
Platform and Infrastructure Knowledge
We find that Recruiters are being very specific now regarding the platform and infrastructure knowledge they desire. Rather than just specifying Web, App or Back Office, they outline the platform brand names, modules and configurations.
As A Test Manager you will not be expected to have in-depth technical expertise in these areas but will need to have had experience testing them and managing test engineers working on them.
Gaining experience across the whole spectrum is clearly going to be unlikely but solid experience of some is necessary and from a recruiters perspective it will need to be the ones they are referring to in their job specifications.
DevOps & Business Transformation
Understanding how testing operates within a DevOps environment is now a requirement on pretty much every Test Manager Job Specification and companies are looking for Test Managers to be able to contribute to developing this way of working.
Additionally, having experience of working through a Business Transformation in general where teams have been restructured and DevOps process implemented is an asset and something recruiters are interested in as transformation is currently happening within so many companies.
Product Knowledge
It is important for a Test Manager to have knowledge of the products being developed and tested. They will often be in discussions where the products are discussed in depth and they will need to understand and contribute from a testing perspective.
In reality, having the product knowledge is a very tough ask of the Test Manager as they rarely work at detail level to obtain this knowledge and product development moves quickly, so keeping up with product change isn’t easy.
Soft Skills and Attributes
Communication skills
Being able to communicate at all levels is a key requirement for a Test Manager and is something we always find recruiters ask for and expect. Technical discussions with engineers and business discussions with Product Owners are a daily occurrence and proficiency in this is expected. Presenting to small groups or larger audiences is also becoming more commonplace for Test Managers therefore presentation skills are an asset.
Stakeholder Management
Test Managers will often have to work and communicate with Stakeholders from different parts of the business and companies are looking for people who have this experience and can communicate effectively to different levels of seniority across the business.
Agile Coach
Although a Test Manager isn’t expected to be a qualified Scrum Master. The expectation is that Test Managers have significant experience of working on Agile led projects and can act as an Agile Coach to other members of the Test Team.
Team Management
As the manager of a team, there are responsibilities relating to ensuring the team is evenly balanced regarding skills and knowledge. There needs to be adequate testing resource available to meet demand, and each individual team member will have demands of you. You will be expected to be continuously looking for improvement and efficiencies across the team.
Being an effective team manager tends to mainly come from experience. Aspects can be taught but it is generally a learning curve. If a hiring company has a large test team they will be looking for a Test Manager with many years team management experience.
Recruitment
A Test Manager is very likely to be involved in hiring new Test Engineers and recruiters are always looking for Test Managers that have been involved in the hiring process which includes preparing Job Specifications and interviewing candidates.
Mentor and Role Model
Being a mentor and role model is something that should almost be a by-product of being a Test Manager. Other team members will acknowledge your experience and look up to you, as will other members of the Tech Team. Recognising this, acting professional at all times and passing on skills and experience should come naturally.
In challenging environments it can be very easy to get angry over situations and complain about things but it is important to not bring down the rest of the team and the people around you as from the perspective of being a role model this could get picked up by other team members and have a negative effect.
Part of the Tech Management Team
It is likely that a Test Manager will work alongside the Head of Tech and other managers within the wider Tech Team to identify and make improvements across the division.
This may well mean working on tasks that take the Test Manager out of their comfort zone. It is an important attribute to be able to do this and something we find companies look for increasingly in Test Managers as they want people that can contribute on different fronts to the success of the whole Tech Division.
Supplier Management
Many companies work with external software suppliers and will be looking for a Test Manager that has experience with supplier management. Working with suppliers can often become a challenge and conflicts may arise so having this experience and knowing how to handle situations is a real attribute and something that often appears on Job Specifications.
As you can see, a modern day Test Manager needs to have many skills and attributes to be successful and to keep themselves marketable in the eyes of a recruiter.
Next month, In Part 2 of this article we will go into more detail regarding how the Test Manager can not only obtain many of these skills and attributes but how to subsequently keep them current.
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