October 11, 1999

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Software Testers Make The Grade
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New Mantra: Usability Put Flawed Software To The Test

Testers, as part of the quality-assurance process, now are more frequently required to have advanced analytic skills for creating stringent engineering testing methodologies for the debugging and quality-assurance processes, Preyna says.

As the software-development industry has matured, testing has gained respect because companies are using testing and quality assurance as a way to differentiate their products. Scott Baisch, a program tester for the Windows CE operating system at Microsoft, says it has taken software companies the last 10 years to understand the importance of testing and, more important, how to carry out an effective testing process. "It took them a while to figure out how to approach this issue," Baisch says.

This more-sophisticated understanding of testing has resulted in testers getting overriding responsibility of software quality. "Everything that a software department does, a quality-assurance department scrutinizes," Baisch says. Testing now involves a more holistic approach, requiring testers to scrutinize overall design architecture and become advocates for alternative approaches that developers had not considered, Baisch says.

The quality-assurance testing role changes as the product-development cycle advances, Baisch says. Initially, Baisch looks at the specifications established for a new software product and provides feedback to managers about the viability of the blueprint. In the second stage of development, he programs specialized testing tools from scratch while developers write the code for the application. As developers create the programming, Baisch will read the code to check for obvious flaws. Then, as the code is completed, he runs tests, alerts developers to bugs, and retests until the software is solid.

This growing role in software production has led to greater demand for testers and a surge in compensation. Testers are the third most-requested position companies want to fill, after systems administrators and software programmers, says Pencom's Hines, whose company is looking for testers for 25 positions for its clients.

IT recruiters and testers report the software-testing profession has become more lucrative in the last five years as demand has increased, with the gap between pay for testers and developers narrowing dramatically. Hines, who recruits for the Washington, D.C., area, says an experienced tester can expect to make $80,000 to $90,000 annually, compared with $30,000 to $40,000 five years ago. Preyna, for example, says his hourly pay has more than tripled over the past seven years to $35 to $45 an hour for contract work, though he says developers still earn slightly higher wages.

Y2K concerns have given a boost to the testing profession. Gary Moore, a recruiting manager at ComForce, says last year's demand for testers peaked, mostly for Y2K projects; in the last few months, requests for testers have dropped significantly.

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