Why Good Test Engineers Are Also Great Storytellers

By Bo Redfearn

Over the years, I’ve realized that testing isn’t just about catching bugs, it’s about helping people make sense of the system.

At first, I thought the job ended when I sent over logs or marked a test complete. But the more I worked cross-functionally, the more I noticed the test summaries that got traction weren’t just technically sound, they were clear, focused, and framed in a way that helped people take action.

Sharing What I See

The goal isn’t just to report an issue, it’s to explain it in a way that brings people with you. When I take the time to connect the dots and give just enough context, I’ve seen teams move faster, ask better questions, and stay more aligned.

Sometimes that’s a detailed log walkthrough. Other times it’s a two-line summary and a screenshot. It depends on who I’m talking to, and that flexibility has made all the difference.

A Quick Story from the Lab

During one of our validation cycles, we noticed some odd inconsistencies in sensor behavior. Nothing that triggered a failure, just noisy results that didn’t make sense across test runs.

Instead of assuming it was just sensor variability, I started pulling data from earlier runs, comparing setup conditions, and reviewing changes to the environment. That’s when I spotted it — a subtle difference in how the hardware was configured across sessions.

It wasn’t a dramatic bug, but once I laid it out clearly with annotated logs and a short summary, it helped the team realign and smooth out the process for future tests. Less confusion, more consistency.

Final Thought

The longer I do this work, the more I appreciate the role of clear communication in testing. It’s not just about what failed, it’s about how you tell the story so others can understand it and act on it.

When that happens, testing stops being a bottleneck and becomes a driver of progress.

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