Getting Respect for Testers: Seven Tips :By Micahel Bolton

Getting respect and gaining the devlopers confidence in you and your bugs is one of most important ingredient for being a successful tester. Read this inresting article below by Michael Bollton

A recent discussion in the Agile Testing discussion group prompted some of these observations about how a tester can gain respect from developers.

The first observation is that, in the long run, although sponsorship is important, no person will make the case for you and your work more compellingly than you and your work will make it. A good manager will pave the way for you to gain credibility, but ultimately it is up to you. Things willhappen if you make them happen, but if you sit idly and wait for respect, you'll still be waiting years from now.I have found that interesting, committed people generally like to talk about themselves and what theydo. Developers almost always appreciate testers who are genuinely interested in understanding the developers' work. The way to express your interest is to ask questions and to show a desire to learn what they're doing and how they're doing it. Start by engaging with a developer that is interesting and committed quality work, and is willing to talk with you. If there's a choice, choose the approachable ones first, but don't ignore the "unapproachable" ones. People with an "unapproachable" reputation may simply have been approached by the wrong people in the wrong way. Make yourself the right person, and approach them in the right way for them. That is: respect their terms. Learn about the Meyers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) to help recognize, understand, and deal with the fact that people have different temperaments.

Second, reward their trust in you by making good use of the things they tell you. Use those things tohelp sharpen your own saw. Learn about the domain in which you're working, learn about theprogramming language. Use the knowledge to devise powerful tests that will help to find problems before they’re released. Try to encapsulate that knowledge for other testers, the support department, or the company’s knowledge base.

Third, apropos of the last point, do your work in public. At one organization, I found myself consistently answering questions in company forums from less experienced techs and testers. My profile rose when I provided correct answers. Perhaps more surprisingly, my reputation didn't fall when the developers had to correct or clarify me, as long as I acknowledged the error and thanked them for the clarification. No matter what happened, the techs had their answer, I usually saved the developers some time, or I acted as a useful foil to them. I learned a lot in the process.

Fourth, don't waste their time. If they suggest that you read something for more information, do your best to read it; then ask them more questions about it, partly to clarify your understanding but also to signal your interest, your diligence, and your curiosity. Save time for developers by making bug reports and other communication as clear as you're able. Don't assume that you're doing a good job; an absence of feedback might mean that the developers need nothing more from you, but it might also mean that they're ignoring everything you send them. Solicit feedback to make sure that they're finding your reports effective: "Did you get everything you needed from that report? Is there another tack that I could be taking to make reports work better for you?"

Fifth, ask them how you can otherwise best help them to do their work. Consider ways to help them within the context of services that testers are supposed to offer in your organization. As an example, help the developer set up and maintain smoke testing systems. Ask to be invited to code reviews or inspections as a scribe. Be prepared to extend your department’s services if you see a reasonable and justifiable need. If the boss hasn't given you permission, remember Grace Hopper's Law: it is easier to beg forgiveness than to receive permission.

Sixth, check your ego at the door. If you are excessively arrogant, no one will like you. On the other hand, if you behave timorously, as though you were a second-class citizen, people will find it easy to view you as one. Nobody emerged from the womb knowing his chosen trade; everyone learned this stuff from someone else. Seek explanations and understanding, and if you get attitude about that, don't
take it personally. Behave like a peer and a colleague, and you’ll more likely be treated as one.

Seventh, let your work speak for you. Excellent reports, compelling questions, and interesting tests will tend to attract positive attention. The best was to garner respect and support though? Just Find Cool Bugs. As I evolved in my career as a tester, I was consistently able, by skill and sometimes by luck, to find some really horrible problems. I’ve sometimes seen testers who seem reluctant to communicate bad bugs. Developers generally liked the nasty ones, because developers are fundamentally problem-solvers, and interesting bugs give them interesting problems to solve. The more interesting the problem we present, the greater our credibility.

Therefore: Just Find Cool Bugs!!