If you’ve long dreamed of testers not being taken seriously, bugs never reproducing, and releases turning into a circus - this article is for you.
Here are 10 harmful tips that will guarantee you ruin test documentation (and your team’s nerves).

1. Never write anything down - you remember everything anyway!

So what if you tested 8 scenarios in 5 browsers yesterday? You’ve got a great memory. And why should others know what you’ve already tested? Let them guess every time.

2. Test plans are for the weak

Want some real thrill? Start testing without goals, scope, or schedule. Let the project live its own life, and you just “eyeball” it.

3. Test cases are boring, test however you feel like

Clear steps, inputs, expected results? Seriously? It’s much more fun to just “click around” and hope the bug jumps out on its own.

4. Write bug reports like “nothing works”

Mentioning reproduction steps, environment, and logs - that’s for nerds. Let the developer figure out what the problem is and where it happens. It’s like a quest!

5. Checklists are for those who don’t trust their intuition

You’re a professional. You checked a couple of things - that’s enough. Why would you need a list that might accidentally make you test everything you should?

6. No reports! Let the team learn about testing results through rumors

They’ll figure out on their own if it works. Or if it doesn’t. And if bugs hit production - well, that’s just an adrenaline boost!

7. Test names? Just call them “Test1,” “Test2,” “123”

The important thing is that you understand them. Or maybe remember later. Even better - let every new tester start from scratch.

8. Don’t update documentation - let it live in the past

If requirements change, just leave the test cases as they are. It’s project history, you can’t rewrite history!

9. Forget about traceability

Links between tests and requirements? Why bother? They only get in the way of free creativity. Logic is the enemy of chaos.

10. All documentation in your head (or in casual smoke-break talks)

A true master doesn’t need documentation.
And if tomorrow you get hit by a bus… Well, it won’t be your problem anyway.

What happens if you follow all this?

• Nobody knows what’s been tested
• Bugs are always reproduced “only by the client”
• New testers find it easier to throw everything out and start over
• Developers hate you
• And you don’t even remember what you tested two weeks ago

But seriously?

Good test documentation is not bureaucracy. It’s a survival tool in a complex project. It helps:

• Make testing transparent
• Save time and nerves
• Make knowledge accessible to the team
• Reduce chaos and release pain

Want to be a respected and useful QA engineer? Forget these harmful tips.
Better yet - print them, hang them by your monitor, and do the opposite.