Tahir Fox
Member
Reged: 02/17/04
Posts: 51
Loc: India
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Hi all,
Can anybody tell me what is the difference in the job profile of a Test Analyst and Test Engineer.How is Test Analyst different from Test Engineer.Is both of these entities a synonyms of each other.
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neill_mccarthy
Active Member
Reged: 09/30/04
Posts: 946
Loc: London, UK
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Tahir, this will depend where you work, I have been both in my time doing the same role in the same company.
Other places I have worked seem to have the split that the engineers were our test tool smiths who wrote the automated test code, whilst the analysts were the planners and co-ordinators who interacted with the business side of the project.
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Rich W.
Veteran
Reged: 03/05/04
Posts: 5815
Loc: West Coast of the East Coast!
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By our job descriptions, an Engineer should be able to lead a project or group of testers, and have a complete understanding of the SDLC. An Engineer should be able to create a Test Plan and implement the testing cycle. Whereas an Analyst needs to be able to write and execute test cases as well as analyze the results of their tests.
There are several pay steps between an Engineer and an Analyst also.
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ljeanwilkin
Moderator
Reged: 01/13/03
Posts: 1182
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Tahir,
In my geographical area, a Test Engineer needs an engineering degree and the ability to read blueprints, schematics, etc. They test hardware components as well as software components.
For example, someone who manufactures airplanes and their accompanying software systems would employ test engineers.
- Linda
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Tahir Fox
Member
Reged: 02/17/04
Posts: 51
Loc: India
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Hi,
Thanks for your valuable inputs....neill like u said i have also been designated as both by different companies but i hardly see any difference in both of the role which i play,i just wanted to know where according to CMM level lies the difference between the two, also my present company is an UK based company so it raises another question whether TE in india is same as TA in UK.
Rich can u elaborate on the pay scales between the two also Linda just wanted to know that what in ur geographical area is a role of a Test Analyst(as u have just described the role of a TE and not a TA)
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neill_mccarthy
Active Member
Reged: 09/30/04
Posts: 946
Loc: London, UK
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Tahir, the titles are not relevent to the CMMI grading (CMM now having been, in the process of being superceeded).
I am also UK based and the roles do not seem to directly corolate directly for all organisations in the UK and India, at least with the few I have worked with ![[Smile]](images/icons/smile.gif)
I have been informed by a friend, in HR, that the two roles can be different on the Hayes Scale/BCS models for job grading as far as they remember (they no longer work for the company that used these), unfortuanately I have no access to that model to verify this claim or to come back with details on the differences if any.
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Talapaneni
Junior Member
Reged: 10/19/04
Posts: 1
Loc: Hyderabad
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Test Analyst in one who work towards preventing the defect
Test Engineer in one who work towards identifying the defect
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danielbrowne
Member
Reged: 10/18/04
Posts: 138
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I have asked the same question since being envolved in testing and have rarely heard the same answer twice. I wouldn't get too hung up on the exact definitions.
You could put us all under the Software Engineer title too as we are part of the process of engineering better software, whether or not it's identfying defects or implementing measures to prevent them.
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ljeanwilkin
Moderator
Reged: 01/13/03
Posts: 1182
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A test analyst, in this area, analyzes specifications/documentation in order to define and develop testing "artifacts", such as test requirements, test cases, and test scripts. They also perform the testing tasks themselves. Senior test analysts are involved in test planning, interpreting/reporting metrics, and senior/lead people can also manage test teams and provide representation to project management of quality issues.
- Linda
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corklad
Moderator
Reged: 11/26/02
Posts: 441
Loc: London, UK
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Ditto to Linda's comments - here in the state of Texas you cannot have the title of engineer unless you have an engineering degree and practice an engineering discipline - there are certain attributes you can get around in the technology arena, but you still have to have an engineering degree.
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Krish_Jayaratne
Junior Member
Reged: 10/19/03
Posts: 98
Loc: New Zealand
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Linda, It is a very clear description of a test analyst, do you have a description for engineers as well?
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ljeanwilkin
Moderator
Reged: 01/13/03
Posts: 1182
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Krishantha,
No, because the field is not generic enough. It depends on what kind of engineering degree you have - we have mechanical test engineers, test engineers who specialize in avionics, etc.
If you search monster.com for "test engineer", however, you should get enough job descriptions to keep you busy for quite a while!!
- Linda
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Mark M
Advanced Member
Reged: 10/05/04
Posts: 458
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Wow! I'm just as confused as I was before I read this...prolly more.
The bottomline is, within any country (let's not even compare different countries) the profile of a certain position varies depending on the company. This has more to do with job classification on paper and budgeting issues.
Moreover, we usually enjoy a more ad hoc work enviornment these days where people's roles change based on what they are best at.
If I were you Tahir, I would not worry about the classification, what you really need to know from a prospective employer is the job responsibilities.
Good Luck
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