ISTQB_3 Managing the Team_3.1 The Test Team _TM-3.1.1 (K2) Give examples of typical skills needed by test team members within four areas of competence

 

📊 Summary Table: Skills by Competence Area

Competence Area	Definition	Example Skills
Professional	Task-specific, domain-focused skills	Test techniques, test tools, business domain knowledge, project planning
Methodological	Independent problem-solving and decision-making skills	Analysis, conceptual thinking, judgment, planning based on risk
Social	Interpersonal and collaborative capabilities	Communication, teamwork, conflict resolution, adaptability
Personal	Individual development and behavioral strengths	Self-discipline, responsibility, resilience, willingness to learn

---

🧠 Mind Map – TM-3.1.1: Four Competence Areas

                            [Competence Areas]
                                   |
       ---------------------------------------------------
       |                    |                   |         |
[Professional]     [Methodological]    [Social]    [Personal]
     |                    |                   |         |
Test tools         Analytical skills    Teamwork     Self-motivation
Test techniques    Risk-based planning  Communication Resilience
Domain knowledge   Problem solving      Adaptability  Confidence
Project skills     Conceptual thinking  Conflict mgmt. Discipline

✅ Short Scenario – MCQ 1

Scenario: A new tester joins a banking project. She lacks domain knowledge but is highly skilled in exploratory testing.
Question: Which competence area is she currently strong in?
A) Personal
B) Methodological
C) Professional
D) Social
Answer: ✅ C) Professional

---

✅ Long Scenario – MCQ 2

Scenario: In a large Agile project, test engineers frequently face requirement changes. One tester is able to stay calm, reprioritize tasks, and keeps the team motivated during chaos.
Question: Which area of competence does the tester most strongly exhibit?
A) Social
B) Personal
C) Professional
D) Methodological
Answer: ✅ B) Personal

---

Q1.

Scenario: You are selecting team members for a performance testing project. One candidate has excellent scripting and load test analysis skills.
Which competence is this an example of?
A) Social
B) Professional
C) Personal
D) Methodological
Answer: ✅ B) Professional

Explanation: These are domain-specific technical skills.

---

Q2.

Scenario: A tester shows high adaptability, handles feedback constructively, and volunteers to support team learning.
Which competence area is reflected here?
A) Personal
B) Professional
C) Social
D) Methodological
Answer: ✅ A) Personal

Explanation: Reflects individual responsibility, learning attitude, and adaptability.

---

Q3.

Scenario: During sprint planning, a tester consistently suggests better test coverage techniques and logical groupings for regression.
Which competence is demonstrated?
A) Methodological
B) Professional
C) Personal
D) Social
Answer: ✅ A) Methodological

Explanation: Analytical and structured thinking.

---

Q4.

Scenario: A test team struggles with test data dependencies. One member proposes a model to simulate test environments.
Which competence is demonstrated?
A) Personal
B) Social
C) Methodological
D) Professional
Answer: ✅ D) Professional

Explanation: Creating test environments is a domain skill.

---

Q5.

Scenario: A tester always volunteers to mentor others and keeps calm under pressure, even when deadlines are tight.
What competence does this show?
A) Professional
B) Personal
C) Social
D) Methodological
Answer: ✅ B) Personal

---

Q6.

Scenario: A test lead resolves a major misunderstanding between two testers over test design.
What skill is being applied?
A) Personal
B) Social
C) Methodological
D) Professional
Answer: ✅ B) Social

---

Q7.

Scenario: A tester new to Agile starts attending daily stand-ups, asking questions, and quickly picks up JIRA usage.
What skill area is being developed?
A) Social
B) Professional
C) Methodological
D) Personal
Answer: ✅ D) Personal

---

Q8.

Scenario: A tester working in an e-commerce project proposes A/B testing for better UX feedback.
Which competence is this?
A) Social
B) Professional
C) Methodological
D) Personal
Answer: ✅ B) Professional

---

Q9.

Scenario: A test manager needs a tester who can critically analyze defects and determine the root cause without needing constant guidance.
Which skill is most critical here?
A) Methodological
B) Professional
C) Personal
D) Social
Answer: ✅ A) Methodological

---

Q10.

Scenario: During cross-functional team meetings, a tester collaborates effectively with developers and product owners.
Which competence is being applied?
A) Social
B) Professional
C) Methodological
D) Personal
Answer: ✅ A) Social