In short: Automating functional tests allows you to continuously verify that each feature meets its intended purpose, while saving time and resources. When done right, automation streamlines processes, eliminates human error, and expands test coverage. This guide explains what functional tests are and details best practices for successfully automating them.
In a digital world where user expectations are rising and competition is fierce, there is virtually no room for technical error. To remain competitive, companies must rely onfunctional test automation to detect anomalies as early as possible and ensure a frictionless user experience.
This article explains how to navigate this technological transition so that your customer journey goes exactly as planned—quickly and reliably.
What are functional tests?
Functional testing evaluates the new features of software releases, mobile apps, or web apps, and involves testing each of an application’s functions to ensure it operates smoothly.
Functional testing enables software developers to provide an excellent product to their user base and to enhance or maintain a brand's reputation.
It's much cheaper and less time-consuming to fix bugs before a launch than after!
Benefits of Automating Your Functional Tests
Save time and resources
Functional test automation allows you to free your employees from having to perform simple tasks and delegate them to scripts and bots.
Thissaves a companytime and money, since it doesn't have to pay employees to perform meticulous and repetitive tasks.
Automating functional testing allows User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to be completed much more quickly than manual testing. This leads to faster “move to prod” / version deployments, as well as smoother, bug-free applications.
Optimize Processes
With automated functional testing, you don't have to worry about whether the tests are being performed as efficiently as possible using automated tools.
This type of test is also scalable, since you don't have to pay for new hires every time your company plans to expand.
Eliminates human error and expands test coverage
Test automation completely eliminates the human error factor and allows developers to expand their test coverage almost instantly as needed, while collecting larger amounts of more accurate test data.
That is why automated testing is, to a greater or lesser extent, the future of all software testing, whether it involves functional testing, performance testing, load testing, and/or other types of testing.
Classifications of Automated Tests
The automation of your functional tests will depend on the type of test, and the scripts will be written accordingly.
Functional Test Automation
Functional tests are performed to test the business logic behind an application in order to validate the expected business functionality.
Automation of Non-Functional Testing
Non-functional tests verify the non-business aspects of an application (such as security). These expectations can be fixed or scaled as needed.
Different Approaches to Automated Functional Testing
Keyword Test
Keyword testing relies on the use of simple “keywords” that tell functional testing tools exactly how to test the application in question.
These are commands that trigger certain events and are hard-coded into the tools and scripts.
Data-Driven Testing
A data-driven approach involves storing data in external files instead of hard-coding it into test scripts.
The most common type of external file used to store this data is a spreadsheet, which can then be used to create charts and tables to visualize the data.
Frequent Tests
The simplest form of automated functional testing is frequent testing, which follows the principle of running tests as often as possible.
This methodology is compatible with several different types of software testing, such as performance testing and cross-browser testing. It simply requires that tests be run very frequently.
Of course, it's much easier to run tests frequently when you use automated tools!
The biggest advantage of adopting a frequent testing methodology is that you’re more likely to discover bugs earlier, which means it’s less expensive and faster to fix them.
How Can You Successfully Automate Your Functional Tests?
1. Plan the process
The first step is to define the parameters of your functional testing process. What is the scope? Which steps of the process will you automate? It is important to have concrete answers to these two questions before moving forward.
This is also the stage at which the budget, expertise, and staff are taken into account to develop a solid plan.
2. Choose your automation tool
Now that your plan is in place, it’s time to start thinking about the tools you want to use. The planwill greatly inform this decision. The tool you choose must be perfectly suited to the tasks you’ll be assigning to it.
No-code tools are particularly convenient because any member of your team can use them to run your automated functional tests with minimal training.
3. Design your test framework
You have a plan and you've chosen your tools. The next step is to create the framework within which all your tests will take place.
This includes describing testing standards, defining the practices you will use, and choosing between data-driven, keyword-driven, and frequent testing methodologies. Being thorough here can save time on test maintenance down the line.
4. Configure the test environment
In this step, you will install the necessary hardware and software. You will also want to set up the testing schedule so that your teams can plan accordingly.
5. Write the test script(s)
The scripts will be used to run the tests themselves, so before you begin testing, make sure your scripts are ready. They should be written according to the project requirements, which you defined in steps 1 and 3.
6. Run the tests
This is the easiest step. All you have to do here is run the tests exactly as you planned!
7. Analyze the results
The tests are complete, and now it's time to analyze the results. The data will tell you whether there are any bugs and whether additional testing is needed.
To summarize
Functional testing is a necessary step in the software development lifecycle, and when automation is introduced into functional testing, each process runs more smoothly.
It takes the most repetitive parts of the testing cycle and ensures that they all operate at the same high standard. It eliminates the problem of human error while streamlining and improving the testing process.
In fact, automation speeds up your production process, ensuring faster publication cycles and reducing the likelihood of delays.
Need help automating your functional tests?
Mr Suricate low-code solutions Mr Suricate helped countless companies drive innovation and accelerate their digital transformation. Our solutions address a wide range of use cases.
FAQ
What is a functional test?
This is a test that verifies that a feature behaves as intended: the correct result for a given action. It validates what the software does from the user's perspective.
What are the benefits of automating functional testing?
Saves time and resources, optimizes processes, eliminates human error, and expands coverage. Tests are rerun with every release without any extra effort.
How Can You Successfully Automate Functional Testing?
By focusing first on critical workflows, keeping tests short and maintainable, and integrating them into the development cycle. A no-code solution speeds up implementation and reduces maintenance.