Nowadays, being a QA Engineer involves much more than just testing. It often includes other responsibilities like delivery, analytics, design reviews, and sometimes even internal support.
While some engineers might not initially appreciate the idea of being part of support, picturing themselves as call centre workers dealing with angry customers, let me explain why QAs being involved in support is actually beneficial.
1. Understanding the User Perspective
In a previous article, I described the importance of exploratory testing, and here’s where support comes to our aid. By analysing the number of requests coming from specific areas of the product, we can better understand user pain points, needs, and expectations. This valuable insight enables us to be more effective in our testing approach and define the actual Golden Paths.
2. Improving Product Quality
QA’s role in support goes beyond just fixing specific problems; it’s about enhancing the overall product quality. When we notice patterns and recurring issues reported by users, we bring that knowledge back to our testing process, to Retrospectives and Groomings. Moreover, the collaboration between QA and support creates a strong feedback loop, helping the development team continuously improve the product and ensure a seamless user experience.
3. Developing Analytical Thinking and Developer Skills
As we dive into support, it calls for analytical thinking like never before. Responding to support requests often involves extensive debugging and log analysis. This not only helps us understand the code and how the product works, which is essential for QA, but also strengthens our problem-solving skills as we collaborate closely with developers to resolve support-related challenges. Furthermore, it offers us a chance to analyse root causes and keep them in mind for future releases.
4. Boosting Proactivity in Testing
Interacting with support requests offers valuable lessons for QAs. We can gain early warnings about potential future issues, and also discover areas where our testing might be lacking. For instance, if we notice numerous support requests related to the backend, we might need to update our API Test Cases for better coverage etc.
By being proactive and adjusting our testing strategies based on support insights, we ensure our product meets users’ needs and maintains its quality consistently. This collaboration between QA and support is essential in delivering an excellent user experience.
