Quite ironically I don’t even think we have the basics sorted, let alone the mindset to consider what is next. I think the level of maturity of testing as a skill set is increasing, aided by certification schemes and hiring policies asking for certifications. However, in my mind, it is not a valid assessment of skill but that’s another blog topic.
The incidence of testing is increasing too, organizations that never even thought of having a test team now find themselves considering it. Lots of teams going Agile who thought it was all about development work are finding that it is actually all about testing so they need to in case the number of people doing testing, if not the number of testers in the team. The other aspect is the crowdsource testing available now. This can grow the exposure of the test community quickly by providing the service without the overhead – sadly you tend to get the level of service that matches your investment (not very much – but that again is another blog topic).
Automation and the use of etest execution tools have also added to the expansion of testing, as organizations realise that having the skills to automate are not as valuables as having the skills to test. Automation only works if you are automating something of value.
I think we are too soon looking over the horizon for what is “next”. I thin we really need to consolidate what is “now” and help teams and organizations understand the basics before we start heading for the next level. But there is the rub….what are the basics? I read a discussion on test planning lately and anyone who knows me know that I think that test planning is vital (note – this is different to “completing a test plan”), I also think fundamental test definition skills based on what you are trying to prove and the best way to prove it are also vital. I think testers having a good knowledge of the system and the architecture is mandatory! What else do you think is important as a test skill? and why?