Exploring Emotional Intelligence in Agile Software Testing

Abstract

Beyond the need for technical skills in software testers, emotional intelligence (EI) can be an added advantage in managing challenges in teams. Negative emotions can be triggered by discrepancies in software requirements, high-pressure deadlines, and unconstructive feedback. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 software testers in the aviation, automotive, healthcare, IT services, administration, banking, and pharmaceuticals industries in Sweden to understand the impact of individual emotional intelligence at the workplace and within the team. The results suggested that EI development varies with professional experience. Experienced testers emotional intelligence enables them to channel negative emotions, such as disappointment, to effectively create missing requirements, clear out conflicting testing priorities, and maintain assertiveness when power imbalances threaten quality standards. Furthermore, we found that understanding one’s control and expectations in the workplace was crucial for managing stress, while productive feedback from management helped manage frustration arising from the testing approach. Individual emotional intelligence leads to strategies such as anticipating others emotions, using delegation to foster trust, and employing empathy to understand diverse team members perspectives. Our study concludes that emotional intelligence is a critical skill that complements technical abilities in software testing, with significant implications for improving team communication, collaboration, and alignment of requirements with testing.