Who Does What in Testing? The Most Common Roles Every Team Should Know

In software testing, saying “I’m a tester” is just the beginning. Testing is a structured process that involves clear roles and responsibilities. According to ISTQB, defining these roles is key to ensuring quality, speed, and strategic alignment in every testing effort.Knowing who does what boosts team collaboration and drives better outcomes.

🧩 What Does ISTQB Say?

The ISTQB CTFL v4.0 syllabus identifies two core roles in the test process:

• Test management role
• Test role (technical)

Depending on the team size and context, one person may hold both roles or they may be distributed across multiple people.

👨‍💼 Test Management Role

This role leads the overall test process, often assumed by a test manager, test lead, or even a scrum master in Agile settings.🔹 Main responsibilities:

• Test planning
• Monitoring and control
• Test completion and reporting
• Stakeholder communication
• Aligning testing with business goals

📌 Example: A test lead organizes regression activities, allocates resources, tracks progress, and communicates risks to stakeholders.

👨‍🔬 Test Role (Technical)

This is the hands-on role for designing and executing tests. It’s typically carried out by testers, QA engineers, test analysts, or automation engineers.🔹 Main responsibilities:

• Test analysis and design
• Test case creation
• Test implementation and execution
• Reporting and automation

📌 Example: A tester writes test cases for an invoicing module and automates regression checks using Cypress.

🧠 Other Relevant Roles (Advanced Level)

In larger or more complex projects, other roles come into play:

• Developers: Perform unit testing and support test automation.
• Product Owners/Business users: Define acceptance criteria and participate in UAT.
• Ops/Infrastructure: Validate non-functional requirements and maintain environments.
• End users: Validate real-world functionality in acceptance testing.

🔄 Roles ≠ Job Titles

In testing, roles are not always tied to job titles. For example:

• A developer may also write automated tests.
• A tester may manage the test plan.
• A business analyst may coordinate UAT sessions.

What matters is clear role assignment, not labels.

🧠 Conclusion

Knowing who does what in testing is essential for smooth execution, predictable results, and continuous improvement. Clear roles prevent bottlenecks, clarify responsibilities, and make the whole process more efficient.It's not about hierarchy — it's about ownership.