So, the other day, one of our developers added a rate limiting feature.

Naturally, the first questions that popped into my head were, “How many times can a call be made?” and “Which endpoints are protected by this feature?” Pretty generic stuff, right?

But then it hit me – as a QA, am I asking the right questions? Am I justifying my presence in the team? We always say that “QAs bring a different mindset to the team.” Were my questions really representing that different mindset? I mean, the level of questions I was asking was as standard as any other role in the team would ask.

Instead of just stopping there, I started thinking, “How can this rate limiting feature be broken?” or “Is there any way to misuse this feature?” Maybe even, “Are there any loopholes that could be exploited?” What happens, “If user exhausted all the limits and logs in from a different device?”

[Read, Influences on software testing by our thinking pattern]

When you start asking questions like these, you’re not just checking if the feature works; you’re making sure it’s bulletproof.

This got me thinking about how the questions we ask as QAs really shape our effectiveness. Sure, you need to cover the basics: “How does this feature work?”, “What are the steps to test it?”, and “Why did we build this feature?” These are crucial for understanding what you’re working with. But if you want to really stand out, you’ve got to go beyond the basics!

Asking those out-of-the-box questions is what sets you apart. It’s what brings that extra value to the table. You’re not just ticking off test cases; you’re thinking about potential risks and weaknesses.

So, the next time you’re discussing a new feature, remember to bring that extra-ordinary mindset within you. Ask those the questions which is generally ignored and not discussed by everyone, more thought provoking questions.

It’s this mindset that can turn you from a QA into a great QA.

And who knows? Those questions might just help you catch issues before they become real problems.

Subscribe to my newsletter. Follow me on Substack and Medium.

Thank you for reading this post, don’t forget to subscribe!