A software inspector is responsible for testing a software product, ensuring that it works as advertised and conducting quality assurance testing. They play a very important role in any software development company. A software inspector requires a combination of education and experience to be successful in this role. A software inspector is required to inspect product and test quality, functionality and integration.
In order to become a software inspector, you must have a post-secondary education in computer science, technology, programming or system development. These programs are available from a broad range of university, community and career colleges. To qualify for these programs, high school credits in calculus, algebra, communications and technology are required. The competition for entrance is quite fierce, so good grades are often necessary.
Many software inspectors have completed additional training in specialized computer program testing software tools. These tools are used to test the software by mimicking a large number of simultaneous users, exploring options that are not logically sequenced and installation on different operating platforms. They also test the standard user interactions to identify flaws in the programming and locate programming bugs.
The vast majority of software inspectors are experience computer programmers and developers. Most firms require inspectors to have a minimum of ten years programming experience. The skills necessary to identify weak programming, software glitches and integration issues must be built over time, through experience.
As a software inspector, you are responsible for reviewing the software documentation and quality assurance testing results. The inspector is the last check before the product is released to the marketplace. Each company has a specific level of software issues that are within acceptable parameters. It is up to the inspector to ensure that the product meets these requirements and that any major issues are corrected prior to the release date.
All software products are designed to provide a specific set of functional items. These items are the benefit of the product and form the basis for the advertising and marketing campaign. It is critical to ensure that these features perform as advertised. Computer software is a very competitive industry and a poor quality product has serious implications on the reputation of the firm.
Most products have multiple integration points with other software. These connections improve product options, increases usability and allow customers to maximize their software tools to meet their needs. Each of the systems that the software integrates with is subject to new versions, patches, upgrades and improvements. Just before release, the software inspector ensures that the software is using the correct versions of related software.
