Roles in software testing

Software testing involves multiple roles, beginning with the developer and ending with the customer.

Each role has different responsibilities, which can be summarized as follows:

• Developer: Mainly creates and performs unit tests and complex integration tests. Automating unit tests is also within their scope.
• Tester: Understands the requirement specifications and creates manual test cases at the integration and system levels, and performs functional, non-functional, exploratory, and regression testing. Automating all possible test cases is also within their scope.  
• Test lead: Performs the following tasks:
  • Validates the quality of testing requirements, such as:
    • Testability
    • Test design
    • Test scripting
    • Test automation
  • Creates and monitors test plans and ensures that test documentation is complete.
  • Oversees the following processes:
    • Test environment management
    • Test management
    • Customer/stakeholder communications
    • Resource planning
    • Supervision
    • Tracking progress and status reporting  
• Test architect: Performs the following tasks:
  • Tests the strategy and automation framework.
  • Implements best practices.
  • Creates test environment requirements.
  • Provides technical guidance.
  • Identifies the right tools for various testing activities.  
• Business analyst: Performs the following tasks:
  • Analyzes business requirements and authors the requirements document.
  • Assists teams in designing tests and review tests, and ensures that requirements are in sync with the design.
  • Assists with authoring user acceptance tests and performing acceptance testing.  
• Product owner: Performs the following tasks:
  • Oversees the vision for the product and authors requirements based on business needs.
  • Defines and prioritizes the product backlog.
  • Understands and clarifies queries from the team and works closely with the team to ensure high quality.
  • Accepts or rejects feature deliveries and oversees the quality of the product.
  • Acts as the interface between customers and other stakeholders.
  • Demonstrates product progress and capabilities.
  • Performs acceptance testing and also oversees Return on Investment (ROI) of features and team effort.  
• Customer/End user: Performs Acceptance testing and provides continuous feedback.

The following image shows the roles that are generally responsible for different types of testing in the test pyramid. 

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