The idea of a tester-developer isn’t new, although they are often hidden in teams as the “automation guruâ€, the “(testing) tool smithâ€, or “Senior Test Engineerâ€. These are testers who have a solid background in QA tools and techniques, but also have a development background and can write automated scripts or even (gasp) help with coding. While agile teams in particular look for people with these skills, this kind of tester can provide great value for groups using any methodology if you know how to take advantage of them. This talk covers what it takes to be a tester-developer and how to foster those talents to take advantage of this kind of person on your team. Based on personal experience and insights from leaders in the QA community, she will show you examples of the value you can derive from embedding your technical testers in the development team and what works to incorporate them most effectively.
