Test Leads will help guide the testing department in testing a product, service or software before it is released. The purpose of this department is to iron out any faults or make the necessary changes before it is seen by the client or the public. In the case of the IT industry, the main role of the testing process is to identify and solve any issues caused by IT bugs. It is therefore essential that anyone within this role has a broad knowledge of bugs and can use their skills acquired by their extensive experience to solve such issues.
At the beginning of a project, a Test Lead will work alongside other managers to develop the objectives, strategies, policies and plans of the tests to ensure a fluent testing process. The tasks of the Test Lead include the planning and monitoring and, along with the Test Manager who manages the team, delegates the testing activities to members of the team. Sometimes, tasks can be passed onto other departments such as the programmers. The Test Lead will also discuss with management the resources they may need to complete these duties. These are the main differences in roles between a Test Lead and a Test Manager lie within a large organisation.
Test Lead jobs often involve looking at test automation software, and where appropriate, they will plan and select the best software and train the team to utilise this within a project or for the organisation itself. The Test Lead will guide and monitor the plan, implementation and analysis of the test cases and procedures to ensure all work is conducted efficiently and correctly. They will report the results of the test executions to all appropriate parties, and will comment on the quality assurance, or work alongside a Quality Assurance Manager, so that, where necessary, changes can be made to make the product, service or software suitable for release. Suitable candidates will work well within teams; they will be an effective communicator who can lead and guide team members to ensure quality and diligence within their work.
