Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability.

“Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability.” is a core task performed by Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. Among the occupation's 30 rated tasks, workers place it 28th by importance (#3 most important). About 97% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Develop operational or technical procedures or standards. in Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E1. Direct exposure — a language model could plausibly cut the time to do this task by at least half.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 1.00. Automation potential label: T3.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content. · importance 4.7
• Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers. · importance 4.7
• Design test plans, scenarios, scripts, or procedures. · importance 4.3
• Document test procedures to ensure replicability and compliance with standards. · importance 4.3
• Provide feedback and recommendations to developers on software usability and functionality. · importance 4.3
• Install, maintain, or use software testing programs. · importance 4.3
• Test system modifications to prepare for implementation. · importance 4.2
• Create or maintain databases of known test defects. · importance 4.2
• Monitor bug resolution efforts and track successes. · importance 4.1
• Develop or specify standards, methods, or procedures to determine product quality or release readiness. · importance 4.1
• Update automated test scripts to ensure currency. · importance 4.1
• Participate in product design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, product designs, schedules, or potential problems. · importance 4.0
• Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope or delivery dates. · importance 4.0
• Monitor program performance to ensure efficient and problem-free operations. · importance 4.0

See all tasks on the Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-14640,
  title  = {Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-14640}
}