Importance of Soft Skills

Importance of Soft Skills
Broadly speaking, we can view software testers as having two kinds of skills: one set used to perform basic duties at work, and another set of skills used to approach work. The former can be categorized as technical skills and the latter as soft skills. To elaborate more on soft skills, these are the ones that define one's approach towards work, life, problems, etc. Soft skills are people skills. The best part about mastering them is that the application of these skills is not limited to one's profession, but their scope reaches all aspects of life. Technical skills may teach one how to meet the expectations of the job, but soft skills teach one to succeed, and to exceed expectations. It is surprising that we spend our time educating almost exclusively in technical skills. Having said so much in favor of soft skills, my intention is never to undermine the importance of technical skills. It's nearly impossible for a tester to survive in the profession without sound technical skills. What I intend to challenge here is a popular myth: Technical skills, and only technical skills make a tester a complete professional. I firmly believe that both technical and soft skills compliment each other and the balance between these two is what makes a tester a complete professional. Now, let's have a look at the various soft skills that make up a successful software tester. Discipline and Perseverance One obvious aspect of testing is that it can be extremely repetitive and may require a lot of manual effort. Consider the following situations:
A tester is struck with a bug that is not reproducible at all the instances. In order to reproduce the bug he goes through the whole series of steps again and again.
As part of a daily routine, a tester has been asked to collect data about test cases executed, bugs logged, etc.
After discovering a defect, a tester is supposed to write steps to recreate the defect.
There can be numerous examples that prove the reiterative nature of the job. A very predictable reaction to this repetition is to simply get tired of the job. But soft skills include the psychological tools to persevere, and to find ways to make effort more productive and interesting. This attitude difference helps a tester maintain focus and higher levels of quality work. It brings the ability to carry out task at hand in spite of difficulty. Reading Skills It may seem odd to classify reading as a skill. But its importance becomes more obvious when we have to deal with large chunks of information every day. As testers, we routinely encounter large quantities of data to read and comprehend. At the requirements review stage, when testers have to review hundreds of pages of requirements, the application of reading as a skill makes a big difference. Consider this fact about reading: An average person reads at the speed of about 200–250 words per minute. With the structured and scientific approach to reading, the reading speed can be more than 500 words per minute, and with improved retention and concentration. Correlating this with software testing, a requirements specification that would otherwise take a tester eight hours to read and comprehend, would take around four hours with improved reading. Negative Thinking Negative thinking can be the useful ally of a tester if it is applied at the right time. For a new product, a tester is working to create a QA plan or a master test plan. While mentioning the risks involved in the project, a tester has to consider all the things that can go wrong during the lifecycle of project. Training the mind to think negatively in such situations helps testers develop an efficient contingency plan. Let's also consider the test-design phase. An important part of test coverage and design are the tests that represent the way the application under test could fail. Every tester would agree that testing is incomplete without such tests. Again, negative thinking helps testers derive the negative user scenarios. Thus, negative testing is a skill. A word of caution here; this type of thinking is only for specific situations. A tester has to be smart enough to identify such situations and wear an appropriate thinking hat to deal with the situation.
Communication and Interpersonal Skills form the necessary ingredients for success in any profession. Communication is something that we always do in our personal lives as well as professional life. Communication is a very basic human skill and one cannot go very far without it. Though most of us agree that these skills are important, very few of us give these skills a high enough priority. For a tester, both verbal and written communication is crucial. Consider the situations below:
A tester communicates a defect in a program to the developer. This communication includes written as well as verbal communication. This moment of communication instantly decides the rapport, which a tester enjoys with developers.
The Testing department is often considered as the information source for management. This information pertains to product health at any given time in product’s lifecycle. Very often during the lifecycle of product, a tester is asked to present the product and testing status either via verbal presentation or written data, e.g. by emails to management.
Many instances can be thought of in the day-to-day work of testers, where a tester can make a difference to the situations with effective communications and interpersonal skills. Time Management and Effort Prioritization When we talk about time management, it’s not the time that we actually manage. We manage ourselves, our tasks, so that we make the most of our time. Testers have to juggle a lot of tasks Consider the instances below:
A tester is involved in Exploratory testing. In such a case, a tester may be testing, creating test cases, documenting results, and creating test metrics all in a day. Such situations call for managing time efficiently.
A Tester may be involved in more than one project or modules at the same time. The priority of work may vary. Such a situation is common and one needs to give special attention to effort prioritization even before venturing into multiple projects. Collect all the information that helps one prioritize the efforts.
Time management and effort prioritization define the importance given to each task and hence the sequence in which they should be performed. These skills help a tester manage work better and eliminate time involved in the tasks that are low priority, thus enhancing productivity.
Attitude A positive attitude is not accidental. It is something that is developed by training one's self. Attitudes are a matter of choice. Every situation we face offers us the chance to choose either to react positively or negatively. Perform a regular attitude checkup. It affects your job everyday. Attitude is a soft skill, and it is a central cause in a tester's ability to develop other effective soft skills.

Annoying colleagues at your workplace
With most of us spending 10-14 hours at work everyday, our workplaces have become our second homes. As a result, even the slightest of hindrances here tend to blow up into vexing issues, particularly if they are not tackled in time. Very often, these issues relate to our colleagues' behaviour. It can get a little awkward when it come to addressing some of these directly, as a lot of them concern subtle aspects of behaviour that are difficult to articulate.
Let's take a look at some of the most annoying aspects of workplace behaviour and what we can do about them.
Groupism
This is by far the most annoying aspect of a workplace.
"It can absolutely turn you off," says Revathi M, assistant manager -- sales, with an IT security company. "It takes a heavy toll on productivity because, if you don't belong in a certain group, you tend to feel left out. Then, you don't enjoy going to work anymore."
The snide remarks and covert glances that result from groupism are not only thoroughly unprofessional, they can also result in emotional hurt which is often difficult to express. It eventually leads to frustration and may result in people leaving their jobs.
Casual chatter
"The most irritating thing at the workplace is groups of women chatting endlessly about clothes, cosmetics and jewellery. Some of them even trade in these items at work. I think it's really unprofessional," says Purnima Gupta, a teacher at a reputed Mumbai school.
While casual conversations are fine when one wants to make small talk, one needs to realise extended chatter at the workplace disturbs other people. It also looks unprofessional.
Hypocrisy
This is widely touted as being omnipresent and is universally detested.
Sugary sweet behaviour in front of a person and backstabbing comments behind their back are known to prevail in virtually every kind of human interaction. The natural fallout of hypocrisy at the workplace is lack of trust, which greatly affects work relationships and productivity.
Discrimination
"When we are angry with something our boss does, we try hard to control our emotions and behave in a subdued manner. However, if a peon goofs up even slightly, a lot of us don't think twice before yelling at him. Is this justified?" wonders Revathi.
Dignity of labour and respect for all kinds of work is a prerequisite for a healthy work environment. We must appreciate that people at all levels provide value with whatever work they do. It can be discouraging if they are not treated with dignity, considering they work to the best of their ability, given individual constraints.

Messy cubicle partners
Another trait that can really upset people is messy surroundings. Eating at the workstation and dropping tidbits of food, or having heaps of papers and files that spill over to your neighbours' desks can be very bothersome.
A lot of people are fussy about cleanliness and are used to a certain standard of hygiene around them. If those standards are not met at the workplace, it can be very demotivating.
Undue inquisitiveness
While it is common for colleagues to turn into good friends over time, a certain level of formality is expected while one is at work. When this formality is breached, not everyone may take it well.
"When colleagues are unduly concerned about where I went the previous evening, with whom, why, etc, I really feel like telling them it is none of their business. If I wish to share personal thoughts with someone at the workplace, I need to be comfortable with that person. It has to be voluntary. The concept of personal space and privacy is rather alien to our culture," observes Purnima.
Taking credit
It is but natural that we want to be appreciated for the work we do. However, since most of the work we do in an organisation is team effort, it is important credit is accordingly shared.
"When it comes to getting work done, the higher-ups often give pep talks on how team work is important. However, when the results come in, each individual and department wants the credit. Typically, in any organisation, the frontline sales people take away the appreciation. The back-end operations group is conveniently forgotten, even though they contribute significantly to the success. This can be extremely frustrating for the people who have worked behind the scenes," says Revathi.
Talking loudly
"I wish some people had silencers fitted into their throats!" says Purnima exasperatedly. "At work, one must realise formal, subdued behaviour is called for. Etiquette demands we keep our voice low so others are not disturbed. The most annoying bit is when people excitedly almost yell over their phones for no reason. I'm sure it's equally annoying for the person at the other end of the line."
Talking loudly is often associated with rustic behaviour that lacks sophistication. It is advisable we keep our tone and pitch low when we are around colleagues.
Tackling annoying behaviour
It is indeed difficult to keep your cool and focus on productivity when behavioural factors affect performance at work. But it is necessary to be assertive if one has to solve the problem.
Of course, assertiveness is different from being accusatory. Assertiveness is all about talking in a factual manner without being judgmental. It involves conveying facts and their possible repercussions without getting emotional, or rude, in the process. Though it is easier said than done, professionalism demands one remain objective while dealing with such situations.
At the organisational level, the HR department -- and managers and supervisors as welll -- need to have a keen eye for observing team dynamics. Active intervention and counselling go a long way in smoothing ruffled feathers.
Avoiding annoying behaviour
As individuals, there are a few things that may help us avoid being in the bad books of our colleagues:
Avoid backbiting
At the workplace, never discuss a person in his/ her absence. This simple rule goes a long way in maintaining a healthy environment.
Seek feedback
If you think a colleague has been shying away from you for a while, casually enquire to find out if your behaviour has upset him/ her. If that is the case, patiently listen to your colleague's feelings without getting defensive. Once the person has opened up, it can be easier to resolve the issue.
Respect everyone
Imagine the situation if the entire housekeeping staff goes on strike. We often take a lot of people for granted simply because they may not demand attention. But that does not mean their work is any less important.
Observe formality
A lot of your colleagues may become good friends over time. However, work ethics dictate you remain sensitive to the feelings of everyone at the workplace. Hence, over-friendly behaviour ought to be avoided.