The hierarchy for QA projects for various reasons comes under the project manager of the project. Let’s start from the bottom of the hierarchy:
Junior tester:
Junior testers normally have 1 to 2 years of experience or are entry level. Their main task is executing test
Procedures prepared by seniors.
Senior tester:
Senior testers generally have 2 to 4 years of experience and are expected to know how to prepare test plans. They are also aware of various metrics and testing techniques which help them to communicate project health. But the main expectation from a senior tester is that he should independently prepare test plans based on the requirement documents.
Team lead tester:
Team lead testers mainly help and guide the senior testers. They are primarily involved in deciding the testing strategy, what kind of automation tool used, etc. They also act as a bridge between the project manager and the other team members.
Project test manager:
The main job of a project test manager is to collect accurate metrics and report them to the project manager. He is also responsible for interacting with SQA to give updates on the quality of the project. They are also involved in the requirement phase.
SQA: If you are starting your career as a tester then you would surely aim to become an SQA leader somewhere down the line. The main job of SQA is to define the quality standard of the organization and to ensure that every project follows the quality process.