More than a notorious nagger

Actually, not that much. I had an idea what Software QA might imply, but I did not really comprehend the extensiveness of the job. However, when I saw this position advertised, I asked several people in a similar position what their role involves.

My brother is a software developer, so he gave me a detailed description of his role as a Software QA. It was different to what I expected - more complex.

What I do is a combination of different things, and not as technical as you would expect it to be - at least not so far in my role. Basically, I'm responsible for testing our flagship product, the imc Learning Suite - Learning Management System. I help to ensure the quality of the product and identify any problems before the end client receives their version of it.

I will also check if the User Experience (UX) has been designed as expected. Additionally, I test the platform from both the learner's point of view, and the administrator's perspective.

For example, I will verify the creation of the learning processes starting from the simplest scenarios to the more complex ones, and the experience of the learner when it comes to their learning progress.

QAs make sure that the User Experience is the one desired, by identifying problems early in the software development process.

QAs join a project when the requirements and specifications are written, by going through the documentation, providing feedback and developing the acceptance criteria. After the implementation has been completed, the testing phase / QA phase is done according to the requirements and acceptance criteria.

Software QA is an ongoing process, throughout the entire Software Development Cycle. Therefore, it is very important to communicate with the team members, because everyone who is involved in the development process has their own contribution.

Metaphorically speaking I would say each implementation is like an iceberg. What you see in the end is only the smallest part of the product development lifecycle. You have to really dive in, to see the entire iceberg, and that's part of my job as well.

It is interesting to see and be 'behind the scenes' to understand the processes, and how a feature is implemented. There is so much effort involved, and this was a totally new experience for me to be part of.

Before I joined imc, I was like everyone else - just an end user of different programmes or learning platforms, and I wasn't aware of the development lifecycle or constant maintenance that these products require behind the scenes.

You can learn to be a QA professional. It's preferable to have a technical background, but I don't have one either. I studied Statistics applied in Economics and only learned some basic IT things during my studies, but not much.

To be honest, everyone can be a QA expert, because everyone can be an end user. We have colleagues with different professional backgrounds, and they are great Software QAs.

Nervous, because this was a shift in my career. I learnt what my job would involve, but I wasn't sure if it would fit me. Nevertheless, it has been a positive experience which excites me every day, because the work is very dynamic.

The fact that I never get bored; I don't like repetitive stuff. There are always new implementations, new requirements - so you never test the exact same thing - the content changes.

And what I also love is that my colleges are open to all kinds of questions and never judge. At the beginning I felt like I was asking very stupid questions, because I don't have a technical background. I guess there were questions on a level like "is the earth flat or not?".

But the team never criticised my 'stupid questions', and instead took the time to explain the whole process to me.

By watching a movie! I love all genres as well as sitcoms. My mood dictates what to watch.

love Charlie Chaplin movies - I have seen them all. Other favourites include newer releases like "The Brothers Bloom" of "Four rooms".

Sympathetic! Everyone deserves the chance to be accepted.