by: Randall Rice, CTAL

Expert status in any field can be a hard thing to define. That is especially true in the field of software testing where there is no universally accepted common body of knowledge or practice.

There are some certifications, such as those from the ISTQB (International Software Testing Qualifications Board) that have gained wide adoption with over half a million people certified worldwide. It would be easy to use that as a standard, but with its Expert Level certifications focused solely on Test Management, let’s broaden the definition to include several criteria.

Of course, expert status can be rather subjective in that these criteria may well be different depending on the situation and the person seeking expert advice. Not all software testing experts can speak to the same degree to all topics.

Therefore, my goal in this article is to suggest a framework for evaluating someone’s knowledge, experience, credibility and skills to know if they really are at an expert level in software testing.

I have studied the profiles of over 200 experts in software and related fields, in addition to another 20 experts in software testing, to see what stands out in their makeup to cause them to be considered experts.

Before getting into specifics, I suggest there are some primary dimensions that an expert must show a high level of achievement or mastery.

  1. Knowledge – I place this one first because without knowing what you are doing, you can spend years doing something in a highly ineffective way. Conversely, knowing what you are doing makes the effort go much better and faster. Knowledge increases the chances of success.
  2. Experience – You can have volumes of knowledge, but without real-world experience, the knowledge is only theoretical and unproven. Experience must be deep and wide. However, some experts are highly specialized. For example, in software testing, a person may be a test automation expert in a particular tool set. On the contrary, experience without knowledge often leads to frustration because at some point you get the sense, “I need to get smarter at this!”
  3. Wisdom – This comes from knowledge and experience, combined with thoughtful reflection and analysis. In software testing, many approaches might be possible on a particular project, but perhaps only one is the wise choice. A self-proclaimed “expert” without wisdom can be very dangerous.
  4. Credibility – This is often established over time and is heavily based in trust. If people don’t find you credible, they won’t believe what you are telling them. Credibility grows from a mix of proven results, wisdom, and credentials. Published works, speaking exposure and other industry contributions help to build credibility. Keep in mind that it takes years to build credibility but just minutes to lose it.
  5. Credentials – A large percentage of experts I profiled possessed Masters level or higher degrees. In software testing, the experts I profiled had fewer advanced degrees. Many, however, had certifications. But, some testing experts had only basic education and no certification. Personally, I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Math, along with several certifications, including all 5 advanced ISTQB certifications.

Based on the 50 software testing experts I profiled for this article, I arrived at the following:

Knowledge – Able to speak intelligently on multiple facets of software testing with solid information, although it is likely that no two software testing experts would agree on all aspects of a matter since opinions shape much of what any of us believe. Some have learned testing through formal training, others have learned testing by informal methods and experience.

Experience – Most of the experts I profiled had deep experience spanning multiple domains. I observed the following levels of experience:

5 – 10 years for highly specialized experience in one area, such as test automation, agile, etc. is enough to gain recognition of some level of expertise.

10 – 20 years is a common tier for experts with broad knowledge of testing that not only spans domains, but also test activities, such as test management, test design, test automation, etc. These people may be able to serve as an expert witness.

20 – 30 years is a highly mature tier for experts that have applied software testing experience and knowledge in many domains and projects. These experts can speak intelligently on every aspect of the testing process. These people may be able to serve as an expert witness on more complex cases.

30 + years experience is a rare tier for experts. These people have been around a lot and have seen many things work in testing. They have also seen many things fail in testing. These people are often called to advise in crisis projects. These people may be able to serve as an expert witness on complex, high profile cases.

Credentials – Most of the experts in my study had some form of credentials, whether it be an advanced degree, higher level of certification, published works, speaking visibility, or all of the above.

Since I did my analysis from a distance, the wisdom and credibility aspects of expert status were not possible to determine from profiles alone. These attributes can only be assessed by extended observation.

There are other attributes I personally value highly in an expert, such as humility. As an expert, I freely admit I am wrong at times. Every other expert is also wrong at times. A wise expert knows and acknowledges that fact, which should be reflected in some level of humility.

I know this article doesn’t answer all the questions about software testing experts, but I hope it helps provide perspective if you are seeking to be an expert, are an expert, or perhaps looking to hire a software testing expert.