Functional testing

Functional tests are essential to ensure that an application delivers all the functionalities as intended by the product team. They're carried out during the initial stages of the testing phase, and only when the functional tests yield satisfactory results will the team shift its focus towards non-functional testing.

vs

Non-functional testing

Non-functional tests—performance, load, and usability tests—focus on the performance and stability of the application. These tests are also executed for when a large number of users access the product at the same time, to check if the servers can handle the heavy influx.

Different types of functional tests

Zoho QEngine supports all the major functional tests required for your testing projects.

 
 
Unit
testing
Smoke
testing
Sanity
testing
Regression
testing
 
Integration
testing
System
testing
Acceptance
testing
  
 
 

Benefits of functional testing

Even a simple application requires functional tests to perform efficiently. Functional testing involves checking databases, APIs, components, integrations, and more.

 

Bug-free software

Functional testing contributes to early detection of bugs associated with the functionality of the application.

 

Improved user experience

Certain functional tests are specifically performed from the user's perspective, to check if everything works as intended.

 

Requirement-specific software

Continuous testing and tweaking of the codebase, coupled with regression tests, leads to meeting the exact software requirements.

 

Saved time and resources

When carried out efficiently, functional tests can assist in averting issues that could potentially become resource-intensive in the production environment.

Features of Zoho QEngine

Zoho QEngine provides QA teams with all the necessary tools required for getting the most out of functional tests:

 

Test creation

Creating the right test cases is the most important part of functional testing. Zoho QEngine provides the option to create test cases using its no-code recorder, low-code builder, or pro-code editor.

 

Test case management

Test cases need to be easily accessible for making changes whenever necessary and for referencing during the different functional test executions. Test modules in Zoho QEngine help with organizing test cases, while the test suite and test plans handle the execution.

 

Test automation

Repeated testing is necessary for the success of functional testing, with automation being the preferred option for handling it. Scheduled automation on Zoho QEngine can take care of repeated testing, and parallel testing can improve efficiency.

Guide to automated functional testing on Zoho QEngine

 

Analyze

Analyze the application and identify the functionalities/sections that need testing. Make a note of any dependencies and choose the necessary ones for optimum results.

 

Plan

Create the relevant test scenarios and write test cases accordingly. Ensure that the test cases are not flaky before moving on to the next step.

 

Create

Create a test suite with all of the relevant test cases required for executing the functional tests. Arrange the test cases by their functionality and select the option for parallel or sequence testing.

 

Automate

With all of the required test suites, create a test plan that can be automated to run at selected times on particular days of the week, without any assistance from the QA team.

 

Share

Execute the test plan and analyze the results to gather deeper insights into all of the test runs. Then share the test reports with the development team to work on fixes.

 

Implement

After the fixes are implemented, make changes to the test cases and, if necessary, repeat previous step till the desired output is achieved.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can functional tests be skipped altogether?

Functional tests are essential to ensure that all features of the software perform efficiently, as intended, without any hiccups. Skipping functional testing can lead to a longer testing phase by introducing severe bugs that could have been alleviated in earlier stages, and in a much shorter timeframe.

2. Are functional tests only for web and mobile testing?

No, functional tests can also be part of API testing. Zoho QEngine supports single-click switching between testing for web, mobile, and API. Just select the required test cases and perform the functional tests on the different environments pertaining to the platform for which the test case is created.