AQA Skills Matrix_

• Has theoretical knowledge of what the OOP paradigm is; able to name at least one development principle (SOLID, DRY, KISS, etc.)
• Knows what a pattern is, the types of patterns, and the benefits of using them
• Knows DEV language basics: knows basic types
• Has basic knowledge of data types for a given programming language (PL) (primitive types)

• Has practical experience and can provide examples of development principles (DRY/DIE, KISS, YAGNI)
• Knows at least one design pattern and is able to describe it
• Knows basic types and the difference between value and reference types
• Can read, understand, and analyze existing code and automated tests
• Can develop a simple automated test
• Knows 3+ different assertions and is able to use them
• Knows about complex data types and the differences between them for a given PL
• Able to perform data sorting and grouping

• Can apply design patterns to the provided case
• Able to describe OOP principles applicable to a given PL (if applicable to the project)
• Can name and briefly describe each component of SOLID
• Understands different types of frameworks (Data-Driven, Keyword-Driven, Behavior-Driven, Object-Based)
• Can describe the test automation project structure and explain the purpose of each layer; understands how to set up the project from scratch
• Can read, understand, and refactor an existing automated test
• Able to describe 4+ complex data structures for a given language and compare complex data structures in terms of efficiency for a given task (e.g., Map vs. HashMap, or ArrayList vs. LinkedList)
• Can perform data operations like sorting, filtering, mapping, and serialization/deserialization

• Can demonstrate or invent an example of a situation from experience when one or more of the SOLID principles were used
• Able to calculate automation ROI
• Has practical experience in building a test automation project from scratch
• Can analyze an existing Test Framework and identify bottlenecks
• Experienced in coding practices; uses efficient language features, language standards, and patterns
• Has experience on 2+ projects in developing and maintaining test frameworks; knows aspects of a given toolkit, such as libraries, modules, and passing and accepting variables to/from a CI system

• Uses advanced development strategies and principles
• Understands the tradeoffs of various architecture solutions; can identify risks in the architecture of an existing test automation project and provide a plan to mitigate them
• Able to explain/sell the benefits of the selected architecture to stakeholders
• Takes responsibility for code stability, performance, and build/test execution time; improves metrics using recent PL features and IDE functionality

• Knows the differences between Windows and UNIX-family operating systems

• Has a basic understanding of how OS works (programs, services, files, access): UNIX-family, Windows, Android, macOS
• Knows the main differences between Windows and UNIX-family; familiar with access management policies
• Knows protocol models like OSI/DoD; knows tools to work with TCP/HTTP; knows in general how systems communicate over the network; additional protocol knowledge is a plus
• Can perform basic CLI commands for working with files and directories: navigate through the file system, change permissions for users and files, move and copy, edit files, extract info from files, etc.

• Has practical experience with several OS: UNIX-family, Windows, Android, macOS; able to install and configure packages and apps
• Knows how OS interacts with programs (automated tests), which resources are consumed, and what the possible outcomes are
• Able to read and write CLI scripts
• Has good experience with toolsets for specific OS
• Familiar with the concepts of firewall, proxy, tunneling, NAT

• Has practical experience in scripting (CLI) from scratch and troubleshooting
• Able to use system monitors and tools for OS analysis (like performance monitor)
• Can perform advanced operations within files (find using regexp, use pipes concept)
• Knows advanced aspects of protocols: security methods, types of payloads, encapsulation principles, etc.

• Able to compare and evaluate OS performance for specific project needs
• Can identify risks and bottlenecks in using specific OS and protocols; able to provide a plan to mitigate them
• Able to analyze network infrastructure

• Able to develop and run a "Hello world" application
• Knows the purpose of SCM and IDE
• Familiar with the development process; knows the difference between code coverage and test coverage

• Able to use the main commands of SCM applicable to the project's needs
• Understands how to use a language-specific IDE; familiar with IDE functionality
• Can read existing tests and write new autotests in accordance with the existing test automation project; knows how to launch automated tests via the corresponding CLI
• Able to perform basic debugging for non-complex issues
• Can identify coverage based on automated test cases
• Able to analyze a test report

• Familiar with extra SCM commands (e.g., conflict resolution, collaborative development)
• Knows how to configure an IDE from scratch or based on provided configuration sources (install plugins, SDK, build tools, environment variables, etc.)
• Able to perform automated test coverage analysis
• Able to set up the reporting process for the project's needs
• Can execute existing tests, prepare test suites using test tool capabilities, and run tests from IDE, console, and external systems (CI)
• Can support, update, and extend an existing test automation project

• Able to create a test automation project from scratch
• Can identify potential risks in an existing test automation project based on advanced knowledge of tools, libraries, and programming languages
• Able to select and configure IDE/SCM/Dev Tools based on specific project needs; able to configure IDE to work with build/package management tools
• Uses IDE features like isolated compiler/interpreter settings, package management, performance analysis, real-time debugging, and variable inspection

• Can identify bottlenecks in the existing test automation process and improve them
• Knows the advantages and disadvantages of different toolsets; able to select toolsets for project needs and define the most suitable toolsets for projects
• Able to establish, maintain, and improve execution and reporting flows in terms of clarity, speed, and reliability
• Takes responsibility for test coverage; applies general testing principles and organizes automated tests to reflect the purpose and provide manageability within the test project

• Knows why the CI/CD process is set up
• Has theoretical knowledge about IT infrastructure: what configuration is and how the config files can be stored
• Is familiar with the concept of virtualization

• Able to read, understand, and describe CI/CD flow
• Can run a virtual instance or an existing image as a container; can use basic commands of virtualization tools (run container, read logs, scale pod) using a given project-specific tool or at least has some experience with an analogue
• Knows the purpose of orchestrators
• Has theoretical knowledge about clouds
• Familiar with the artifact concept; knows what an artifact should include for a given PL

• Able to work with different artifacts, storages, and registries: create, update, support; knows what the versioning concept is (e.g., semantic versioning) and is able to apply it
• Has experience working with configuration; is able to pass/retrieve variables to/from external agents
• Familiar with configuration management approaches; knows about security aspects of keeping sensitive data in the configuration
• Able to prepare a snapshot/image for specific needs and store it in a shared repository
• Familiar with at least one monitoring tool
• Able to work via SSH
• Has experience with CI/CD tools and is able to configure CI/CD pipelines; able to set up a virtual environment (with VMs or via docker-compose) – this will be an advantage

• Has solid experience with configuring CI/CD pipelines; knows common issues and is able to prevent them – this will be an advantage
• Able to select and justify tools for CI/CD, Monitoring, and Virtualization – this will be an advantage
• Chooses efficient approaches for configuration management for specific project needs – this will be an advantage

• Able to analyze DevOps processes and suggest improvements based on best practices
• Able to design and configure the testing part within the CI/CD process from scratch