Is Domain Knowledge mandatory skill / essential for a Tester?

This topic is always in debate for a long time. Some people in the industry strongly believe that without domain knowledge one cannot excel in software testing career. Of course it is an added advantage, but that doesn’t mean that a tester without domain knowledge is not good for the project. The difference between an amateur and an expert is that, an amateur will test the application in the way he practiced where as an expert can provide lots of inputs and suggestion to get the work done faster. A tester who can identify the core functionalities and requirements can provide feedback and suggest improvements and can be an effective member in the decision making meetings.

Software Testing is always directly linked with the budget of the project. So at the time of hiring the management will check the effort required for an amateur to get the domain knowledge compared to experts who are already aware of the basics and can start work immediately.

Some of the projects which require domain knowledge is listed below.

A person who is having a knowledge in BSFI applications (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance) can test more accurate compared to a novice tester. Apart from the UI or functional requirements in the SRS he can suggest some inputs and he will have a Birdseye view across the testing cycle.

Domain Knowledge is not only helpful for the current project but is an added advantage to change the career profile. A tester who is associated with a particular domain for a long period and who is an expert in the application can become a product experts and also can be hired as a Business Analyst.

In conclusion the most desired skills a software tester should have can be classified as follows

• Software testing skills
• Domain Knowledge
• Analytical and Technical expertise.

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