Tips for being a good Software Tester.

Following are the mantra's or tips for being a good Tester.

1. One should be familiar with Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC). Knowledge of database is a must too.
2. One should have good communication skills, where in Test case written by him should be easy to understand by other.
3. One should have or acquire good domain knowledge. He should know business and it's scenarios for which he is testing.
4. One should be a good listener, observer and analyzer to understand client's requirement and identify the loop holes or technical challenges one might face while testing.
5. One should have an open or creative mindset while writing Test Cases or executing the same to identify more new creative scenarios.
6. One should always try to identify negative test case against each positive test case to cover maximum possible test scenarios.
7. One should always explore the area thoroughly or one should always check related components for which a bug or defect is identified.
8. One should always think as a Customer. He should be able to identify the mistakes a user can do while performing a scenario and check if those are handled properly.
9. Always Test the tests First. Always execute the Test Case First followed by ad-hoc testing as per your domain knowledge.
10. One should have the knowledge of different  bug reporting tool.
11. One should be wise in choosing Severity and Priority of any issue reported.
12. Bug's reported should be to the point and steps to reproduce should be descriptive.
13. Should always maintain a good reputation with development team to make them understand issue reported, One should be able to make understand the impact of the issue on the business.
14. Most important - One should have passion for the job and should enjoy the testing, while keep your personal grudge (if any) aside and be a honest critic.

Please feel free to write comments if you like my post or else if your opinion is different or you may like to add any more points in them.