Roles · QA Engineer (Manual) · Lead
30 core skills, 46 in total. Expectations per skill, and what changes at the next level.
This page lists what a Lead } is expected to know and do, skill by skill. Core skills are the ones a manager and peers assess in a review cycle; the rest count only in self-assessment. Main areas: Programming Fundamentals, Database Management, API & Integration.
Grouped by area. The label on the right is the expected depth: Awareness, Working, Advanced or Expert.
Defines code quality standards for test automation at the team/product level. Conducts architectural reviews of test frameworks. Establishes best practices for maintainable test code.
Defines data structure standards for test data management at the team/product level. Conducts reviews. Establishes best practices for test fixture design.
Defines PostgreSQL testing strategy at the product level. Establishes data validation standards. Conducts database test design reviews and ensures data integrity testing.
Defines API documentation testing strategy at the product level. Establishes standards for API contract validation. Conducts documentation-implementation compliance reviews.
Defines API Testing Tools strategy at the team/product level. Establishes standards for API test automation. Conducts reviews and selects tooling for the team.
Defines API versioning testing strategy at the product level. Establishes standards for backward compatibility testing. Conducts API migration test reviews.
Defines GraphQL testing strategy at the product level. Establishes standards for API testing of GraphQL endpoints. Conducts API test design reviews.
Defines REST API testing strategy at the product level. Establishes API test design standards. Conducts API test reviews. Coordinates cross-team API testing interactions.
Defines Webhook testing strategy at the product level. Establishes standards for event-driven testing. Conducts webhook test design reviews.
Defines Docker-based test environment strategy. Establishes containerization standards for testing. Conducts architecture reviews. Optimizes resource usage.
Defines CI/CD strategy for the entire QA team, standardizes test pipeline workflows. Implements quality gate checks and automated test execution in deployment pipelines.
Defines accessibility testing standards, training programs, and quality gates for manual QA teams across the organization. Establishes accessibility audit workflows, assistive technology testing labs, and WCAG compliance certification processes for all product releases. Conducts test strategy reviews ensuring comprehensive accessibility coverage and drives organizational culture around inclusive quality assurance practices.
Defines E2E testing strategy at the team/product level. Establishes standards for end-to-end test automation. Conducts reviews and ensures comprehensive scenario coverage.
Defines integration testing strategy at the product level. Establishes quality assurance standards for service integration. Implements contract testing practices.
Defines Mobile Testing strategy at the team/product level. Establishes standards for mobile test automation and device coverage. Conducts reviews and coordinates mobile testing infrastructure.
Defines Security Testing strategy at the team/product level. Establishes security testing standards and best practices. Conducts reviews and coordinates penetration testing.
Defines TDD/BDD strategy at the team/product level. Establishes behavior-driven development standards. Conducts reviews and fosters test-first culture.
Defines Test Data Management strategy at the team/product level. Establishes standards for test data generation and lifecycle. Conducts reviews and coordinates data provisioning.
Defines Test Environment Management strategy at the team/product level. Establishes standards for environment provisioning and maintenance. Conducts reviews and coordinates infrastructure.
Defines Test Pyramid strategy at the team/product level. Establishes optimal test distribution standards across layers. Conducts reviews and optimizes test suite balance.
Defines unit testing strategy at the product level. Establishes quality assurance standards. Implements shift-left testing culture with focus on early defect detection.
Defines security testing strategy based on OWASP guidelines at the team/product level. Establishes security test standards and coordinates regular security assessments.
Defines AI Test Generation strategy at the team/product level. Establishes standards and best practices for AI-assisted test creation. Conducts reviews of AI-generated test suites.
Defines ChatGPT / Claude strategy at the team/product level for QA processes. Establishes standards and best practices for AI-assisted testing. Conducts reviews.
Defines GitHub Copilot strategy at the team/product level for test automation. Establishes standards and best practices. Conducts reviews of AI-assisted test code.
Defines ELK Stack strategy at the team/product level for test observability. Establishes log analysis standards for defect investigation. Conducts reviews.
Defines structured logging strategy for test infrastructure. Establishes SLO-based approach for test observability. Coordinates log analysis for defect investigation.
Defines Code Review strategy at the team/product level with QA perspective. Establishes standards and best practices for reviewing test code. Conducts reviews.
Defines Documentation as Code strategy at the team/product level for QA documentation. Establishes standards for test documentation versioning. Conducts reviews.
Defines Git Advanced strategy at the team/product level for test repositories. Establishes branching and versioning standards. Conducts reviews.
Not assessed by the team, but part of the self-assessment and the development plan.
0 skills get a higher expectation or become core when moving from Lead to Principal. The biggest jumps first.
} in the open competency matrix: 46 skills across 5 levels. The matrix is free for individuals and stays free.