Career Profile: Career Profile - Software Quality Assurance...

Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 196,300 people employed as career profile - software quality assurance... in the United States. The median annual salary is $98,220. Entry level employees earn approximately $48,960 per year and senior employees earn approximately $153,250 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Perform initial debugging procedures by reviewing configuration files, logs, or code pieces to determine breakdown source.
• Evaluate or recommend software for testing or bug tracking.
• Coordinate user or third-party testing.
• Collaborate with field staff or customers to evaluate or diagnose problems and recommend possible solutions.
• Visit beta testing sites to evaluate software performance.
• Monitor program performance to ensure efficient and problem-free operations.
• Identify program deviance from standards, and suggest modifications to ensure compliance.
• Develop or specify standards, methods, or procedures to determine product quality or release readiness.
• Design or develop automated testing tools.
• Investigate customer problems referred by technical support.
• Conduct historical analyses of test results.
• Install and configure recreations of software production environments to allow testing of software performance.
• Design test plans, scenarios, scripts, or procedures.
• Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers.
• Conduct software compatibility tests with programs, hardware, operating systems, or network environments.
• Test system modifications to prepare for implementation.
• Monitor bug resolution efforts and track successes.
• Review software documentation to ensure technical accuracy, compliance, or completeness, or to mitigate risks.
• Provide feedback and recommendations to developers on software usability and functionality.
• Update automated test scripts to ensure currency.
• Create or maintain databases of known test defects.
• Install, maintain, or use software testing programs.
• Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content.
• Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability.
• Participate in product design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, product designs, schedules, or potential problems.
• Document test procedures to ensure replicability and compliance with standards.
• Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope or delivery dates.

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