What is a Good Test Lead?!

Currently I am holding a position of a Test Lead. Now when I’ve proved to my manager and my team that I can be good at my role I’ve started to think how to identify for myself if I am a Good Test Lead?! For me it’s not good enough to be an average one…

So, I’ve done some research and come up with the things that I believe are vital for the role. 

Here we go, to be a Good Test Lead I should:   

1.     Have domain/business knowledge;

I think it’s important that leaders have a deep understanding of business drivers and risks and also the needs of the stakeholders including the customers, the organization and the team. 

 2.   Have excellent communication & interpersonal relationship skills to be able to talk to technical and non-technical people and manage the stakeholders;

 3.   Be an expert in testing and have good technical skills;

 4.   Have strategic skills, including project planning capabilities, because working in Agile/Lean environments with heavy workload and not enough resources can challenge even a senior leader. So it’s important to carefully organize resources to match priorities.  In order to successfully achieve this a Test Lead should be able to:

          - cope with change and uncertainty,

          -  assess and proactively manage risks,

          -  allocates testing resources where they are most effective and needed,

          -  achieve and deliver results individually and through others.

 5.   Empower, inspire and support the team and also coach & mentor. Motivated team is crucial for the success of the project.

All of those parts are equally important and shouldn't be forgotten!

Talking about motivating of a team, there are some hints and tips on that:

- Personally thank people for doing a good job. Do it timely, often, and sincerely.
- Take the time to meet with and listen to people - as much as they need or want.

- Provide people with specific and frequent feedback about their performance. Support them in improving performance.
- Recognize, reward, and support the promotion of high performers.
- Provide information on how their work affects the strategy of the company. Show them that they make a difference!
- Involve people in decisions, especially those decisions that affect them..
- Give people a chance to grow and develop new skills; encourage them to be their best.
- Provide people with a sense of ownership in their work.
- Strive to create a team that is open, trusting, and fun. Encourage new ideas, suggestions, and initiative.
- Learn from rather than punish mistakes.
- Celebrate success!

Lastly I want to say that all of the above is easy and exciting if you have a Good Team. And I can say that I was blessed by being able to work with professional and clever people whom I have a pleasure to lead!   

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