15 Things to Do When You’re Bored of Testing

Can Software Testing be a Dull Profession?

When testers first start their careers, they are typically brimming with excitement. Yet, as they attain a point where the rate of learning has peaked, they can often find themselves facing monotony. Generating the same Bug reports and executing the same test cases becomes tedious and lacking challenge.

This sentiment is not foreign to most testers at one point or another during their careers. Especially for seasoned testers, the work can sometimes seem devoid of challenge or creativity.

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So, Is Testing Suggestive of a Humdrum Job?

The resounding answer is NO! Far from being dull, testing can often be a task that pushes you beyond your boundaries. In the words of Michael Bolton,

“Testing is a perpetual learning process that entails the exploration, finding, and investigation of the information at hand”.

When you have a real zeal for software testing, chances are you will not see it as a dry occupation. While at times testing can become repetitive, it’s necessary to embrace a certain degree of repetition.

Try automating those tasks that tend to repeat. However, be sure to conduct thorough research and assessment before deciding to incorporate automation. Automation isn’t the ultimate cure for monotony. You must find different ways of introducing diversity into your everyday routine.

Ask any seasoned developer and they will tell you how monotonous the work can get. But you can’t simply quit tasks because they seem to reiterate. Life itself is a series of repetitive tasks. Would you cease living? Of course not. We persistently look for and adapt to new things that amuse us.

Seek out creative ways to execute the same work. Determine why you feel bored and identify the real cause. When you’ve pinpointed the problem, you can focus on finding a solution.

Let’s hypothesize that you’re currently slogging through a feeling of boredom. Although temporary, you must overcome this phase and prevent it from recurring. How can this be accomplished? Here are some tactics that have been successful in counteracting boredom:

15 Actions to Take When You’re Jaded with Testing

#1) If your day-to-day work lacks challenge, boredom can set in. There are several ways to challenge yourself. One useful method is to aim at identifying 5 (or any number you find challenging) essential defects per day.

#2) Detach yourself from negative people. They can drain the energy of those around them. Find positive individuals to surround yourself with, and get involved in activities that stimulate and invigorate you.

#3) Take inspiration from your long-term career aspirations. Visualise where you’d like to see yourself five years down the line. What can you do today to reach that milestone? Act accordingly.

#4) Upgrade your skills. Consider specialising in certain testing skills, or developing soft skills like effective communication, time management, team-building, and abilities related to problem resolution.

#5) Document skills gleaned from experience. Pen an article or a how-to guide on a topic you are adept in and share it with your peers or testing teams within the company. Proudly display your knowledge.

#6) Never shy away from rewarding yourself when you achieve a goal (for example, finishing test cases for a project, or automating test cases for a module within the given time frame, etc.). Regardless of the size of your goal, take time to enjoy the achievement.

#7) Connect with QA teams from other projects. Observe their daily activities and learn from their successful practices.

#8) Discuss your testing ideas and extend help to your team members, particularly if you hold a senior position.

#9) Strike casual conversations with developers. Learn about their tasks, their progress in development, the scenarios they have considered, and see if there’s a way in which you can help enhance their product understanding.

Disclaimer – Some developers might be reluctant to discuss matters with testers (owing to certain biases about “wicked testers”). In such situations, maintain a polite and respectful attitude towards them.

#10) Regularly purge your workspace. Get rid of old requirement document prints. This applies to both physical files and folders and electronic files on your computer. Organising everything (including your time and resources) is the habit of every successful person.

#11) Guard against sticking to a rigid routine. Continuously innovate with new methods. This applies to writing or executing test cases, leading testing teams, or refining test reporting. Find fresh ways of enhancing your work’s output. If something is not creating the desired result, institute new processes.

#12) If running manual tests becomes routine, ask your boss to assign you different tasks such as activities related to Security testing, performance testing, or even researching new tools for automation testing.

#13) Read more books, delve into more articles, and take part in testing meetups and conferences. Explore and immerse yourself into articles in our STH archive! We boast an extensive collection of informative articles on various subjects.

If none of the strategies mentioned above are successful in alleviating your boredom, try the following options:

(Be advised – These solutions are suitable for extreme boredom only. Do not resort to any of these actions without doing a deep dive into the root cause of your current state of boredom)

#14) Is the project boring you? Have a chat with your manager to see if a different project could be assigned to you.

#15) Are you tired of your current company? Maybe it’s time to consider switching to a different company.

Final Thoughts

Software testing can be an electrifying, challenging, and pleasurable profession. Truly appreciating it requires the right frame of mind. We hope this article helped stir up some new ways of looking at things for you.

Do you find testing to be a tedious task? What are your weapons against monotony in testing? We’d love to hear your comments, reflections, and suggestions.