Level 1

Can accurately compare a finished web page to a design comp/QA checklist and note the differences. Can test invisible functionality like Google Analytics with coaching. Needs a few passes and may miss some bugs. Can write a clear and accurate bug report using our template.

Level 2

Tests rigorously and thinks of edge cases that others haven’t tried yet. Finds most bugs with a few passes. Uses the CMS to test different permutations of content. Can guess when a bug is likely a content issue vs. when it is a code problem and note so in the report.

Level 3

Knows the basics of web development and can guess when an issue is frontend, backend, or content. Avoids logging erroneous issues. Can intuit when differences between comps and pages are likely acceptable. Can test invisible functionality like Google Analytics without much coaching. Needs fewer passes to catch most bugs.

Level 4

Knows a good amount about web development and can usually tell what part of the stack a bug is coming from. Understands the nuances of the application they are testing and tailors testing to each product. Understands the most common types of bugs well and can articulate why they occur. Can write own QA documentation based on a project’s UX documentation and a demo. Usually finds most issues on the first pass. Can begin to make suggestions about where in the code a problem might lie. Checks the code for hints when encountering an infrequent/unusual problem.

Level 5

Can read and understand code so they know how to best challenge a site’s bug-proofness. Has a strong intuition around what aspects of a site are likely to be the biggest problems. Understands the common types of programming bugs and security vulnerabilities and can test against them specifically. Only needs one pass to catch almost any bug. Can write and assign issues directly to developers with recommended solutions based on the contents of the source code. Can assess independently whether an issue has to do with content, and can write a report directly for clients.

Roles

QA Engineer