What are the reasons for the increasing difficulty in transferring testing to the product?

Many students who start their careers in testing eventually transition to different development paths such as project management, team management, or project coordination. However, a large proportion of students continue to work in testing roles and gradually advance to the position of test supervisor or senior test engineer. Although there are also many individuals who have successfully transitioned to product development roles like me, most of these transitions occurred several years ago.

In recent years, there has been a decline in the proportion of individuals transitioning from testing to product development roles, particularly in functional testing. Today, I would like to address why it is becoming increasingly challenging for individuals in testing positions to transition to product development roles. Additionally, I will attempt to answer questions from my colleagues in this regard.

I. The Relationship between Testing and Product Development

In software development, designing a product and testing and verifying its deliverables are both essential business-oriented processes. As we discussed in our previous article, "How Requirements Post Empowers Implementation Teams," these two processes are interdependent.

A testing mindset can improve the final design plan and make the product more detailed and better, especially when it comes to handling exceptions. By thinking ahead, we can proactively review the requirements.

Recently, I read the year-end summaries of my teammates, and many of them mentioned that the requirements documentation lacked detail and consideration for exceptions.

Therefore, individuals in product development and testing positions can communicate and complement each other with different perspectives and approaches to the system.

I believe that a qualified tester has the best understanding of the system and its processing logic. Due to the scale of our common system, we only have a few functional testers. The development team is likely to only understand their own modules, while the product team understands the business process and the coupling relationship between each function. As a result, over the last two years, we have often consulted with testing when conducting some functional iterations and initially exploring the feasibility and workload of the system.

II. The Decline of Excellent Testers

After conducting interviews with approximately 100 testers from different cities in 2021 and 2022, I have observed a decline in the number of reliable functional testers. This has led me to wonder about the reasons behind this trend.

One possible reason could be the state of the industry and its development prospects. Additionally, some testers may not be thinking beyond their immediate testing tasks and may lack an understanding of the reasoning behind certain functions or the issues that may arise in the business.

Another factor could be the lack of good teams and leaders. Testers often have many questions during the testing process, but team leaders may not have the patience to answer them, thus discouraging testers from seeking knowledge.

Furthermore, some companies and team managers view testing as a process-oriented part and only hire individuals to complete the testing task. These testers may only work on a project for a short time and move on to the next project, making it difficult for them to accumulate valuable experience.

The low barrier to entry for testing positions in the internet industry may also contribute to the decline of excellent testers. Many individuals from other industries who want to enter the internet industry start in testing positions, but they may lack an understanding of software engineering.

Finally, the lack of a clear career path may also deter some testers from pursuing long-term goals.

In conclusion, while there are still many excellent testing partners in various areas, the overall proportion of reliable testers is declining, making it challenging for ordinary testers to transition to other positions, and for excellent testers to find the motivation to do so.

III. Testing is better suited for requirements analysis

When it comes to transitioning from testing to product development, the most important intermediate step is becoming a "requirements analyst."

In my opinion, the easiest role for functional testers to transition to is that of a requirements analyst. This position allows you to not only focus on the obvious features, logic, and details of a product, but also to communicate with external parties, which is essential to the transformation process.

For outsourced projects, testers on the project team have ample opportunities to communicate with Party A's testers and business personnel to discuss defects and reasonable scenarios. Through these interactions, testers can improve their communication skills, adaptability, and understanding of business needs.

My own successful transition from testing to product development was due in large part to frequent communication with customers. I gradually shifted from simply receiving problems to solving them and began discussing requirements with project managers and explaining modification plans to developers.

Therefore, if functional testers want to transition to product development, I highly recommend considering a position as a requirements analyst.

IV. Requirements analysis and product managers between the "window paper"

Last year, I wrote an article highlighting the differences between requirements analysis and product management. These differences include team models, work focus, and most importantly, thinking habits and goals.

While some companies assign product management tasks to their product managers, there is still a thin layer of "window paper" separating them from requirements analysts. To collaborate effectively, this layer needs to be pierced. For example, my current annual goals focus on product development, not requirements analysis.

In my opinion, the biggest difference between the two roles is their way of thinking and action goals, which determine their job responsibilities and daily tasks. Requirements analysis is a key part of project-based management, whereas product management is more about R&D management, and this leads to differences between the two.

Despite the fact that both positions involve writing documents, creating prototypes, working with other teams, and interfacing with customers or users, requirements analysis focuses more on contract scope and products focus more on business boundaries. Requirements analysis is more concerned with delivery efficiency, while products prioritize standardization. Requirements analysis is more concerned with customer input, while products focus on user input.

Transitioning from demand thinking to product thinking can be challenging. Therefore, transitioning from testing to requirements analysis may be more suitable. If you're interested in product management, you can transition from requirements analysis to product management. Many companies have junior product manager positions that are similar to requirements analysis, so finding such a company can be an excellent starting point for a career in product management.

V. The working environment of testing has changed

In recent years, the industry has placed a greater emphasis on clearly defined roles and responsibilities within teams, resulting in changes to the working environment for testing. Although testing is responsible for identifying defects from a business and experience perspective, other team members may become impatient over time, especially if they encounter dogmatic leaders who limit their freedom.

Third-party outsourcing testers often work on multiple projects, teams, or companies, each with different interests and starting points. Additionally, project teams may prioritize getting online quickly over having testers be too critical, serious, or suggestion-oriented. This type of work environment often leads testers to adhere to the boundaries of their responsibilities, basing their actions solely on the requirements document.

If the requirements have been documented, the testers will proceed with testing, but if not, they will not test until the document is available. If the requirements are deemed unreasonable, testers will provide feedback to requirements staff or business people, who will make the final decision. This can be a challenging obstacle for most functional testing students to overcome.

In the past, test engineers were highly valued, and testing was considered a critical aspect of high-quality project delivery and successful product implementation. However, this fervor has since died down as the importance of management systems and process specifications has been recognized. As a result, many testing students are now considering changing their careers.

VI. Do you really want it?

Individuals from different walks of life may have the urge to switch careers. However, before making such a decision, it is essential to consider whether it is genuinely what you desire. Let's take the transition from testing to product as an example. It's vital to analyze the reasons behind the decision. Is it because you feel undervalued or see no potential for growth in your current position? Is your discontent due to being disrespected by developers, or are there other reasons?

After identifying the underlying causes, we must further analyze the logic behind them. The issue may be with the individual, even if they change their job and employer, they may still encounter similar problems. Therefore, we must not rely on external factors to drive our transformation solely. We must have the inner drive to sustain our motivation in the face of challenges. Otherwise, we will become superficial and less willing to seek change.

If you are a testing team leader and wish to equip your team members with product thinking, ensure that they genuinely want to cultivate this mindset. Additionally, analyze your work environment to determine whether it's suitable for testers to have a product-oriented perspective. Once confirmed, you can then focus on cultivating product thinking within the team. If you only put forward ideas and requirements, it will be challenging to achieve a genuine transformation.

There are various ways to develop product thinking and business understanding. The author is currently reading the book "Underlying Logic," which provides new insights into thinking, products, laws, and other aspects. After reading the book, the author intends to discuss with the readers how to cultivate product thinking.

VII. Position is only the definition, it is important to think for yourself

The main point I want to emphasize in today's article is that the position is only a label for your work. What truly determines the quality of our work and life is our mindset and willingness to learn and grow. Simply changing jobs without changing our thinking and habits may not solve our problems, and in some cases, could even make them worse. On the other hand, developing good habits and a mature mode of thinking can help us deal with our current situation and solve problems effectively.

My advice is to be proactive in facing and accepting problems, and actively communicating with our superiors and colleagues. By expressing our wishes and ideas, we can find out if there is any room for improvement or if our goals align with our team's objectives. We can also learn from others' experiences and reflect on our own work to identify where the problems lie and what we can do to overcome them.

As someone who has been observing the testing industry for years, I may have overlooked some details or made mistakes in my analysis. Please feel free to provide feedback and guidance if you have any suggestions or corrections.

Conclusion

The purpose of this article is to analyze actual situations and is not intended to make judgments on the merits of testing, requirements, or product positions. The creation of excellent projects and products depends on the collaboration of different positions and their respective duties.

Although the discussion in this article focuses on the relationship between testing and product, it also reflects the doubts of many other positions and practitioners. Regardless of the position, it is essential to explore and pursue self-driven growth, long-term planning, and persistence to truly master the core competitiveness.

Having core competencies allows you to handle most external factors and overcome inner anxiety and uncertainty. The approach to achieving core competencies varies from person to person. Here are two quotes from "Underlying Logic" that might help:

"To learn to choose is often to learn to give up: choose one and give up the others. Choosing is sometimes more important than trying, but giving up is sometimes more important than choosing. We should be brave enough to choose, and then enjoy the benefits and take the downside."

"When you make an effort, you want instant recognition from everyone, and when you come out of a problem, it is not to think about the slackness of a few months ago. This is a thinking mistake that many people are prone to walk into."