Manual testing to automatic testing A formal training programme for testers at Bands 3 to 7

Capability self-assessment instruments

One instrument for each track, named in words (lower case, with dashes), generated from the roles-skills reference by ../scripts/build_instrument.py. The instrument is defined in ../spec/index.md. Do not edit these files by hand: change the script or the reference, then rebuild.

File Track Description Items (Part A + B + C)
band-3-associate-quality-assurance-test-analyst.tsv Band 3 Band 3, associate level 21 + 15 + 9 = 45
band-4-associate-quality-assurance-test-analyst.tsv Band 4 quality assurance Band 4, Associate quality assurance test analyst 21 + 15 + 9 = 45
band-4-associate-test-engineer.tsv Band 4 test engineering Band 4, Associate test engineer 21 + 15 + 9 = 45
band-5-quality-assurance-test-analyst.tsv Band 5 quality assurance Band 5, Quality assurance test analyst 21 + 18 + 10 = 49
band-6-senior-quality-assurance-test-analyst.tsv Band 6 quality assurance Band 6, Senior quality assurance test analyst 21 + 16 + 11 = 48
band-6-test-engineer.tsv Band 6 test engineering Band 6, Test engineer 21 + 16 + 10 = 47
band-7-senior-test-engineer.tsv Band 7 test engineering Band 7, Senior test engineer 21 + 14 + 11 = 46
band-7-test-manager.tsv Band 7 test management Band 7, Test manager 21 + 19 + 12 = 52

index.tsv lists the same counts.

Parts

  • Part A, band (Part A items 1 to 21): the 5 band outline dimensions, rated Not yet, Partly, or Meets, and the 16 job evaluation factors, rated as the factor level the person works at regularly. The reference level and every level summary are in expected_level_description. For Band 3, the factor levels are blank: agree them at Gate 0 from the job description, with a total within 216 to 270 points, and write them into expected_level and expected_level_number.
  • Part B, UK GDaD PCF role aspects: Part B group 1 UK GDaD PCF role statements, Part B group 2 UK GDaD PCF role level statements, Part B group 3 reference responsibilities, rated Not yet, Partly, or Meets.
  • Part C, skills: every skill for the reference role level, rated 0 to 4. next_level_description shows what the next level looks like. The test engineering row also states the track's programme automation target.

Part D, the automation practical, is not in these files. See ../materials/gates/.

How to use at a gate

  1. Copy the track's file to the person's private folder, named <person>--<file name>--gate-<n>.tsv, for example jo--band-5-quality-assurance-test-analyst--gate-1.tsv. Personal assessments never go in this repository.

  2. The person fills in self_rating and evidence.

  3. The line manager fills in manager_rating separately.

  4. They agree agreed_rating together, following the calibration guide in ../materials/gates/, and add ilp_action for the gaps that matter most.

  5. Calculate the capability index:

    python3 scripts/capability_index.py path/to/jo--band-5-quality-assurance-test-analyst--gate-1.tsv --gate 1 --write

    This prints the index for Parts A, B, and C and overall, checks the gate's percentage threshold, and fills the status column. Check the gate's other conditions and Part D by hand.

Scoring rules

  • Meets counts 1, Partly counts 0.5, Not yet counts 0.
  • A factor at or above the reference level meets; one level below is Partly; two or more below is Not yet.
  • A skill with a gap of 0 or less meets; a gap of 1 is Partly; a gap of 2 or more is Not yet.
  • The index for each part is its percentage score. The overall index is the mean of Parts A, B, and C.

Example

examples/band-5-quality-assurance-test-analyst-fictional-gate-0.tsv is a fictional completed instrument, made with random ratings to test the calculator. It is not about a real person.

Rebuild

python3 scripts/build_instrument.py --reference ~/git/agenda-for-change/roles-skills.github.io/content/reference.json

Built from the Digital health care job roles reference (UK GDaD PCF accessed 2026-10-06).

Pinned reference version: agenda-for-change commit cc1f9f5563a298fca8683984b8c1307f6fb26876 (2026-10-07); reference.json SHA-256 382e4062e230d49bce668871649664987fd7c73eb6a58f66c3d89223ba2e02f9. Before each cohort, rebuild; if the files change, review the change and update this line and the spec's change log.

Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

View this document on GitHub instruments/README.md