It’s been almost one year since Bianca Chiorean and Mihai Cuc graduated from the BBST® Bug Advocacy course. Now, as seasoned software testers at Altom Consulting, they reflect on how this course has reshaped their approach to software testing, communication, and overall career growth. Their journey from learners to confident advocates for quality in software development reveals the profound impact of the course.

Gaining confidence and feeling more secure in the tester role

Bianca, with over five years of experience in quality assurance, found the course to be a turning point in her career. “Yes, the BBST® Bug Advocacy course significantly boosted my confidence and made me realize how crucial my role is within a product development team,” she explains. The course helped her see that her job extends beyond identifying bugs—it’s about shaping decisions that affect the product’s future. This realization has led her to approach testing with a renewed sense of creativity and curiosity.

Mihai, who has been a software tester for over two years, shares this sentiment. The course taught him to anticipate responses and objections from the development team and to select the most relevant information to convey the priority or urgency of a bug. This has made him feel more secure in his role. “At the beginning of my career, when a bug was not prioritized or did not receive the attention I wanted, I felt that I was not a good tester,” Mihai recalls. The course also helped him understand that not every bug needs to be fixed; it’s about prioritizing the right ones. “Our job, as testers, is to try to fix the right bugs, not all bugs,” he adds, reflecting a maturity in his approach to software testing.

Enhancing communication with stakeholders and increasing credibility

One of the standout benefits of the Bug Advocacy course for both Bianca and Mihai has been the improvement in their communication skills with developers and other stakeholders. Bianca noticed a “marked improvement” in how efficiently she could communicate bugs to the team.”My reports became clearer and more precise, which made it easier for developers and stakeholders to understand the seriousness of the issues at first glance,” she adds. This has led to quicker resolutions and a more collaborative atmosphere.

Mihai’s experience was similar. He learned the importance of providing accurate information and being mindful of the project’s timeline when reporting bugs. “I can say that during this course I learned to be very attentive to the information I transmit. The precision of the information provided may affect my professional credibility and may affect the priority of the current bug and of future bugs reported by me in general,” Mihai points out. By focusing on who might be affected by the bug and providing relevant information, he has been able to communicate more effectively and increase his credibility as a tester.

Successfully advocating for critical issues using RIMGEN

The BBST® Bug Advocacy course also equipped both testers with strategies to advocate for the prioritization of critical issues effectively. Bianca regularly uses the RIMGEN framework to provide detailed and thorough bug reports. “By presenting well-investigated and clearly explained bugs, I’ve seen critical issues get prioritized more quickly for fixing,” she says.

Mihai recently applied his advocacy skills to a critical issue in a mobile medical application. The application misrepresented a patient’s health status due to a bug, which was initially dismissed as a “minor color interpretation problem.” By using one of the steps in the RIMGEN framework, learned in the course, Mihai was able to reframe the issue, highlighting its potential impact on users. “I externalized the problem thinking of scenarios where users would be seriously affected by this problem. I was looking for a place where I could expose the problem so that as many people with decision-making power as possible could see it. In the message I composed, I pointed out that the user’s perception of his health could be seriously distorted by that simple color,” he explains. His approach successfully led to the issue being prioritized for fixing.

Avoiding common pitfalls in bug reporting from biases to the tone you use

The BBST® Bug Advocacy course taught both Bianca and Mihai to avoid common pitfalls in bug reporting, each with their different ones. Bianca admits that she used to start testing with preconceived notions about whether a feature would pass or fail and sometimes prematurely concluded investigations. The course helped her learn to approach testing without biases and to be thorough in her investigations.

Another common pitfall she talks about is deadlines with hard-to-reproduce bugs. “Before the course, I struggled to provide enough information for developers to act on such bugs, often leading them to linger unresolved,” she says. Now, she feels more confident and curious about exploring these complex issues, ensuring they don’t end up forgotten in the backlog.
Mihai learned to be more aware of the evidence he provides in his bug reports. Before the course, his reports rarely contained photos, logs, or videos. “Now, I try every time to put as much evidence as possible, at the same time finding a balance between the evidence I want to put and the time I spend creating it” he explains.

The course also helped him avoid using an aggressive tone when reporting bugs, which can affect a tester’s credibility. “Credibility is hard to achieve, but quickly lost,” he notes. By focusing on clear and concise communication, he ensures that his reports are taken seriously.

Summary and conclusion: how can Bug Advocacy help you?

Reflecting on their experiences, Bianca Chiorean and Mihai Cuc reveal just how transformative the BBST® Bug Advocacy course has been for their careers as software testers. The course not only boosted their confidence but also reshaped how they view their roles within product development teams.

One of the most attractive outcomes of the course is the enhancement of communication skills. Both Bianca and Mihai now craft concise and accurate bug reports that capture the attention of developers and stakeholders. This has led to quicker resolutions and a stronger collaborative spirit within their teams. Additionally, the course taught them to avoid common pitfalls in bug reporting, such as bias and lack of thoroughness, allowing them to present a more impactful analysis of software issues.

Perhaps most impressively, the course equipped them with strategies to effectively advocate for the prioritization of critical bugs, ensuring that vital issues are addressed promptly. Their newfound ability to present well-investigated, clearly explained bugs has directly influenced decision-making processes within their organizations, showcasing the true value of skilled bug advocacy.

In conclusion, the BBST® Bug Advocacy course has proven to be an invaluable resource for testers looking to elevate their roles and make a meaningful impact on their projects.

Note for prospective participants

Please note that only individuals who have successfully completed the BBST® Foundations course are eligible to directly register for the Bug Advocacy course. For those who are new to the BBST® series, we recommend the BBST® Effective Bug Investigation & Reporting Specialization. This comprehensive specialization includes both courses needed to achieve all aspects Bianca and Mihai mentioned in this article.