ICT test analyst

ICT test analysts evaluate computer hardware and software in the development phase to ensure that the system or product meets specific technical requirements. ICT test analysts identify and rectify errors that have been overlooked during the developmental phase, thereby ensuring that the product works efficiently prior to being released.

The duties of an ICT test analyst include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying products to be assessed in the software review process.
• Defining the appropriate test to be carried out including the test data to be used.
• Managing the test data by documenting the results of each test cycle to identify flaws.
• Liaising with the software development team.
• Running diagnostic and system testing and presenting the information to the relevant stakeholders.
• Interacting with and coordinating the development and validation team and ensuring that effective communication takes place.
• Identifying and eliminating redundant functions and components.
• Improving knowledge of business applications and user needs and expectations.
• Understanding and implementing industry standards and protocols.

ICT test analyst is a full time role. Most ICT test analysts work in software development departments, or as software consultants.

ICT test analysts work exclusively with computers, and almost exclusively in an indoor environment.

The following job titles also refer to ICT test analyst:

• test designer
• ICT test analyst
• IT test analyst

ICT test analyst is an entry-level position in the ICT industry. A bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field is a basic requirement to work as ICT test analyst.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

ICT test analyst is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to ICT test analyst.

digital games tester
ICT integration tester
ICT system tester
ICT usability tester
ICT accessibility tester

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of ICT test analyst. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of ICT test analyst with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of ICT test analyst.

• Levels of software testing: The levels of testing in the software development process, such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing and acceptance testing.

These skills are necessary for the role of ICT test analyst.

• Set quality assurance objectives: Define quality assurance targets and procedures and see to their maintenance and continued improvement by reviewing targets, protocols, supplies, processes, equipment and technologies for quality standards.
• Report test findings: Report test results with a focus on findings and recommendations, differentiating results by levels of severity. Include relevant information from the test plan and outline the test methodologies, using metrics, tables, and visual methods to clarify where needed.
• Plan software testing: Create and supervise tests plans. Decide on allocation of resources, tools and techniques. Set testing criteria for balancing incurred risks in case of remaining defects, adapt budgets and plan additional costs.
• Develop ICT test suite: Create a series of test cases to check software behaviour versus specifications. These test cases are then to be used during subsequent testing.
• Provide software testing documentation: Describe software testing procedures to technical team and analysis of test outcomes to users and clients in order to inform them about state and efficiency of software.
• Execute software tests: Perform tests to ensure that a software product will perform flawlessly under the specified customer requirements and identify software defects (bugs) and malfunctions, using specialised software tools and testing techniques.
• Address problems critically: Identify the strengths and weaknesses of various abstract, rational concepts, such as issues, opinions, and approaches related to a specific problematic situation in order to formulate solutions and alternative methods of tackling the situation.
• Replicate customer software issues: Use specialised tools to replicate and analyse the conditions that caused the set of software states or outputs reported by the customer in order to provide adequate solutions.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of ICT test analyst. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Agile project management: The agile project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
• MDX: The computer language MDX is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Microsoft.
• Visual presentation techniques: The visual representation and interaction techniques, such as histograms, scatter plots, surface plots, tree maps and parallel coordinate plots, that can be used to present abstract numerical and non-numerical data, in order to reinforce the human understanding of this information.
• Decision support systems: The ICT systems that can be used to support business or organisational decision making.
• XQuery: The computer language XQuery is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organisation World Wide Web Consortium.
• SPARQL: The computer language SPARQL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organisation World Wide Web Consortium.
• ICT debugging tools: The ICT tools used to test and debug programs and software code, such as GNU Debugger (GDB), Intel Debugger (IDB), Microsoft Visual Studio Debugger, Valgrind and WinDbg.
• Tools for ICT test automation: The specialised software to execute or control tests and compare predicted testing outputs with actual testing results such as Selenium, QTP and LoadRunner
• Resource description framework query language: The query languages such as SPARQL which are used to retrieve and manipulate data stored in Resource Description Framework format (RDF).
• Query languages: The field of standardised computer languages for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information.
• LDAP: The computer language LDAP is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information.
• ICT project management methodologies: The methodologies or models for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals, such methodologies are Waterfall, Incremental, V-Model, Scrum or Agile and using project management ICT tools.
• LINQ: The computer language LINQ is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Microsoft.
• Process-based management: The process-based management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
• Lean project management: The lean project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
• ICT performance analysis methods: The methods used to analyse software, ICT system and network performance which provide guidance to root causes of issues within information systems. The methods can analyse resource bottlenecks, application times, wait latencies and benchmarking results.
• N1QL: The computer language N1QL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Couchbase.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of ICT test analyst. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Manage schedule of tasks: Maintain an overview of all the incoming tasks in order to prioritise the tasks, plan their execution, and integrate new tasks as they present themselves.
• Debug software: Repair computer code by analysing testing results, locating the defects causing the software to output an incorrect or unexpected result and remove these faults.
• Apply statistical analysis techniques: Use models (descriptive or inferential statistics) and techniques (data mining or machine learning) for statistical analysis and ICT tools to analyse data, uncover correlations and forecast trends.
• Use scripting programming: Utilise specialised ICT tools to create computer code that is interpreted by the corresponding run-time environments in order to extend applications and automate common computer operations. Use programming languages which support this method such as Unix Shell scripts, JavaScript, Python and Ruby.
• Develop automated software tests: Create software test sets in an automated manner, ​using specialised languages or tools, that can be performed by testing tools in order to save resources, gain efficiency and effectiveness in test execution.
• Conduct ICT code review: Examine and review systematically computer source code to identify errors in any stage of development and to improve the overall software quality.
• Measure software usability: Check the convenience of the software product for the end user. Identify user problems and make adjustments to improve usability practice. Collect input data on how users evaluate software products.
• Give live presentation: Deliver a speech or talk in which a new product, service, idea, or piece of work is demonstrated and explained to an audience.
• Perform quality audits: Execute regular, systematic and documented examinations of a quality system for verifying conformity with a standard based on objective evidence such as the implementation of processes, effectiveness in achieving quality goals and reduction and elimination of quality problems.
• Perform software recovery testing: Execute testing using specialised software tools to force failure of software in a variety of ways and checking how fast and better the software can recover against any type of crash or failure.

2519 – Software and applications developers and analysts not elsewhere classified

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References

1. ESCO
2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. Test Analyst Job Description – Betterteam