According to a report by the Consortium for Information & Software Quality (CISQ) – America incurred losses of approximately $2.41 trillion in 2022 due to poor software quality.
Poor software quality is a direct result of shallow functional testing, which is necessary to ensure that software behaves as expected under varied conditions.
Think of functional testing as your app’s trial by fire to ensure it functions flawlessly. This isn’t just about checking off boxes; it’s about a comprehensive examination to guarantee that your app does exactly what it promises, from handling data like a pro to interacting with users smoothly and responding to commands under any conditions.
This makes selecting a functional testing partner more than just a task; it’s a strategic decision.
It’s about finding a team that gets your vision, speaks your language, and commits to making your app not just functional but exceptional. Look for a partner with deep industry know-how, a track record that speaks volumes, seamless tech integration capabilities, and, importantly, a dedication to keeping the lines of communication wide open.
This guide is your roadmap to navigating the selection process, ensuring you lock in a functional testing service that aligns perfectly with your business goals.
Importance of Functional Testing and the Right Vendor
The significance of functional testing cannot be overstated, especially when considering the potential for software failures to lead to substantial financial losses.
One notable incident occurred in 2021 with regional banks in Bihar (India), where technical glitches led to erroneous credit of large sums to customers’ accounts. This incident, caused by a malfunction in the computerized system, underscores the potential consequences of software failures.
Functional testing is key to preventing these expensive mistakes. Avoiding glitches is essential for survival, but thriving in today’s rapid digital environment requires much more.
With 5.3 billion internet users and 3.8 billion smartphone users worldwide, businesses face fierce competition for attention. Downtime, often caused by ineffective functional testing, poses a significant threat.
Moreover, with app users’ patience at an all-time low, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
A study reveals a striking figure: 70% of app users will abandon an app if it takes too long to load, and nearly a third bail if it doesn’t deliver immediate value. For businesses, the message is clear: your app’s first impression is non-negotiable.
Functional testing significantly enhances software quality and reliability by identifying and rectifying errors or defects that could affect software functionality or performance.
This process not only ensures that software meets user expectations, thereby boosting satisfaction and confidence, but it also reduces the costs associated with development and maintenance by minimizing the need for later fixes.
However, comprehensive functional testing calls for experts.
A proficient functional testing services vendor brings unparalleled value to this critical process. An experienced vendor leverages deep industry knowledge, cutting-edge tools, and a comprehensive testing methodology to thoroughly evaluate every aspect of the software’s functionality.
To support your selection, here are some factors to consider.
Key Considerations When Evaluating Functional Testing Vendors
Functional testing is crucial, but not every vendor possesses the specialized skills required for proficient execution. You essentially need the one who is agnostic to scale, service, industry, technology, location, people, and more.
Let’s see why!
Scale Agnostic
Scale agnosticism is crucial in functional testing, ensuring vendors can meet project needs regardless of size. Whether you need a small team or a larger one, a scale-agnostic vendor has the flexibility and resources to accommodate your requirements. This adaptability is essential for handling the varying demands of software development projects, including fluctuating testing needs.
Choosing such a vendor means partnering with a team ready to scale services seamlessly to align with your project’s requirements, ensuring continuity and efficiency in your testing process.
Service Agnostic
An ideal functional testing vendor must offer a comprehensive range of testing services:
- Smoke Testing: Verifies critical functionalities before in-depth testing.
- User Acceptance Testing: Confirms software meets business expectations before launch.
- Manual Testing: Validates applications manually, needing domain experience over automation tools.
- Continuous Integration/Testing: Integrates regular automated coding tests into development.
- Functional Test Automation: Validates business functionality by scripting the user actions with test automation tools such as Selenium or Appium
- API Testing: Reviews API functionality, scalability, reliability, interoperability, and security.
- Usability Testing: Assesses user-friendliness based on actual interactions.
- Regression Testing: Ensures updates do not harm existing features or functions. This can be performed manually or through test automation.
- Compatibility Testing: Checks software performance across various platforms and systems.
- Integration Testing: Validates proper interaction between system components/modules.
- Test Data Management: Prepares and provides synthetic and real test data and extracts test data from existing business systems.
- Service Virtualization and Stubbing: Prepares stubs and virtualizes the microservices
Domain/Industry Agnostic
A suitable vendor must specialize in specific sectors while also possessing a broad understanding of various industries. This dual approach is encapsulated in the concept of T-shaped profiling. It merges deep expertise in a particular area (represented by the stem of the T) with a comprehensive grasp of multiple sectors (the top of the T).
Vendors that master this T-shaped model offer both specialized knowledge and versatility, making them exceptionally equipped to address the varied needs of their clients. Their ability to adapt and apply their expertise across different contexts positions them as indispensable allies in a rapidly changing market.
Technology Agnostic
Technology-agnostic vendors do not limit themselves to specific programming languages, frameworks, or platforms. They have expertise across a broad spectrum of technologies, allowing them to adapt to the technical environment of the project.
Framework Agnostic
Framework agnosticism is crucial for functional testing vendors, enabling them to handle diverse software projects efficiently. This approach allows vendors to not be restricted to a single framework but instead select or tailor multiple frameworks to fit the specific requirements of each project.
Some prominent frameworks for different development environments are:
- Web Development – React, Angular, Vue.js, Django, Ruby on Rails
- Mobile App Development – React Native, Flutter, SwiftUI
- Desktop Application Development – Electron, QT, .NET
- Game Development – Unity, Unreal Engine
A framework-agnostic vendor should be able to use the right set of testing tools and techniques across these varying development contexts to ensure comprehensive testing coverage, adaptability to different technologies, and the highest quality outcomes for any project.
Tool Agnostic
Tool Agnostic refers to a vendor’s ability to work with a wide range of testing tools rather than being limited to or preferring specific ones. This approach ensures that the vendor can select the most appropriate tools based on the project’s unique needs rather than being constrained by their existing toolsets.
Opt for vendors proficient in essential testing tools that match your technology stack, such as:
- Selenium for Java-based web applications
- Cypress and Protractor for Javascript-based full-stack MERN / MEAN applications
- Appium for IOS and Android mobile apps
- JIRA, ServiceNow (SNOW) for defect ticket tracking
A vendor’s ability to use these tools in their testing approach not only demonstrates their competence but also a commitment to staying current.
Tier Agnostic
If you imagine the system under test as a sphere:
- The top visible layer is the GUI layer or the channels such as Wearable, Mobile, Web/Internet, Desktop, ATM, and Kiosk interfaces where the customer interacts with the system.
- Underneath the GUI layer is the wiring of the API layer, which contains the Message Queued Middleware, API gateway, API registry & discovery, and Identity and Access Management (IAM).
- Underneath the API layer is the Business Backend, the innermost layer.
You can imagine the API layer as the routing and wiring of GUI to the core system of records or business system backend, which largely comprises the business app servers and databases.
A vendor should not just be tier-agnostic but excel in API testing automation. Automation improves the ease and speed of testing, eventually resulting in a lower total cost of ownership.
People Agnostic
Functional testing thrives on an inclusive approach. The “people agnostic” capability is vital for seamless communication across diverse groups, allowing vendors to effectively interact despite varying accents, dialects, and cultural backgrounds. This adaptability improves communication and ensures biases don’t hinder the testing process.
Adopting a people-agnostic mindset goes beyond mere communication. It appreciates the unique perspectives and experiences everyone brings to the table, creating a breeding ground for creativity and innovation. This approach is crucial for vendors working globally, as it aids in navigating the complexities of international markets and ensures effective collaboration with teams and clients from different cultures.
Understanding these cultural nuances is essential for successful project execution and fosters an inclusive environment that capitalizes on the strengths of diverse teams.
Location Agnostic
An ideal functional testing vendor must excel in being location agnostic. This means they can seamlessly operate remotely, adapt to hybrid work environments, and mobilize their resources to any location, whether it’s a project kickoff in Bengaluru or a development phase in Assam.
The ability to deploy their expertise across various global locations without a hitch is crucial. Such flexibility ensures that, regardless of where your project takes place, your chosen vendor can support you efficiently, maintaining the same level of quality and responsiveness as if they were right there with you.
Intellectual Property Agnostic
IP agnosticism is vital for functional testing vendors to integrate smoothly with clients’ systems, avoiding reliance on proprietary intellectual property (IP). This flexibility allows vendors to provide high-quality services whether or not they use their own IP, addressing concerns about IP conflicts or quality discrepancies.
Vendors must maintain efficiency and avoid pricing services higher due to proprietary IP, ensuring they meet client needs without imposing unnecessary costs or limitations. An IP-agnostic approach streamlines client verification processes and prioritizes tailored cost-effective service delivery.
The right capabilities differentiate a functional testing vendor. Consider the following essential and desirable capabilities, keeping in mind their relevance may vary by project.
| Essential Capabilities | Desirable Capabilities |
| Scale Agnostic Service Agnostic Domain/ Industry Agnostic Technology Agnostic Framework Agnostic Tool Agnostic Tier Agnostic | People Agnostic Location Agnostic IP Agnostic |
Also read – “Why Testing Alone Isn’t Enough to Deliver on the QoS Goals of an Application.”
How to Hire Best Functional Testing Services Vendor – A Questionnaire
Selecting the right functional testing services vendor is pivotal for ensuring your application meets user expectations and operates flawlessly across various platforms and devices. This questionnaire is designed to aid in evaluating potential vendors, focusing on their expertise, methodologies, and the value they can bring to your project.
The questions are added to help you evaluate the vendor beyond the key considerations mentioned earlier in the article. Each question is accompanied by a rationale and criteria for assessment, ensuring you make an informed decision.
1. Can you provide case studies or references from past projects?
Purpose: To assess the vendor’s experience and success in delivering functional testing services.
Evaluation Criteria: Look for detailed case studies that align with your project’s scope and complexity. References should highlight the vendor’s problem-solving skills, adaptability, and impact on product quality and performance.
2. What is your approach to testing across different devices and platforms?
Purpose: To understand the vendor’s capability to ensure application compatibility and performance across various environments.
Evaluation Criteria: The vendor should exhibit tool agnosticism, employing a combination of real devices, emulators, and cloud-based platforms to encompass a wide array of operating systems, device models, and screen sizes.
3. How many projects are you capable of managing simultaneously?
Purpose: To assess the vendor’s capacity for juggling multiple projects concurrently.
Evaluation Criteria: Seek out a vendor with the proven ability to handle a significant workload without compromising on quality or efficiency. This demonstrates their proficiency in resource allocation and project management.
4. What is the biggest project you have handled?
Purpose: To evaluate the vendor’s experience with large-scale financial commitments.
Evaluation Criteria: Look for a vendor with a track record of successfully navigating projects across a broad spectrum of budgets, especially those that match or surpass the financial scope of your own project.
5. Have you undertaken any long-term projects?
Purpose: To determine the vendor’s stability in resource management over extended periods.
Evaluation Criteria: Look for a vendor with a low churn rate, indicating stable resource management. It’s essential that the team remains consistent, avoiding the pitfalls of frequent hires and fires, which can disrupt project continuity and efficiency.
6. How do you handle testing for large-scale, distributed systems?
Purpose: To evaluate the vendor’s expertise in managing complex testing scenarios typical of distributed systems.
Evaluation Criteria: The vendor must be technology-agnostic, incorporating a comprehensive suite of tools and methodologies, including automation, continuous integration, load testing, and scalability testing. Additionally, the vendor should provide detailed insights into their experience with projects of a similar nature.
7. What metrics do you use to measure the effectiveness of your testing?
Purpose: To determine how the vendor quantifies testing outcomes and improvements.
Evaluation Criteria: Key metrics might include defect density, test coverage, mean time to detect (MTTD), and DRE (Defect Retention Efficiency). Effective measurement tools and practices indicate a vendor’s commitment to quality and continuous improvement.
8. How do you stay updated with the latest testing methodologies and tools?
Purpose: To gauge the vendor’s dedication to staying at the forefront of testing innovations.
Evaluation Criteria: Look for a culture of continuous learning, participation in industry forums, and investments in training and certifications. The vendor should be framework agnostic and able to demonstrate how they integrate new methodologies and tools into their offerings.
9. Can you detail your pricing model and any additional costs that may arise?
Purpose: To understand the financial commitment and ensure transparency in the vendor’s pricing structure.
Evaluation Criteria: The vendor should offer clear, flexible pricing options tailored to your project’s needs. Be wary of hidden costs and ensure any potential additional expenses are discussed upfront.
10. What does your onboarding and offboarding process look like?
Purpose: To ensure a smooth transition and integration of the vendor’s services with your existing processes.
Evaluation Criteria: Effective onboarding should include a detailed project plan, stakeholder introductions, and a clear communication strategy. Offboarding should cover knowledge transfer, documentation handover, and decommissioning procedures.
11. What are the service level agreements(SLAs) we can expect from you?
Purpose: To establish clear expectations regarding the vendor’s service delivery standards.
Evaluation Criteria: Vendors are expected to present a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that outlines the following key aspects:
- SLA for Onboarding Timeline: Vendors must specify the lead time required for onboarding or initial engagement. This includes the duration from the initial contact to when services are fully operational.
- SLA for Time, Cost, Quality (TCQ): Vendors should detail their commitments regarding time efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality assurance. This SLA should describe how the vendor plans to meet project deadlines, manage costs, and ensure high-quality deliverables.
- SLA for Typical Change Requests (CR): Vendors need to provide an SLA that covers the handling of typical change requests. This should include the process for submitting a change request, the expected turnaround time for these requests, and how changes may affect project timelines and costs.
12. What does your industry experience and team look like?
Purpose: To assess the vendor’s domain knowledge and the expertise of their team.
Evaluation Criteria: An experienced team should be domain/industry agnostic, meaning they have the versatility to work across various sectors effectively. The vendor must showcase their team’s qualifications, emphasizing any specializations or certifications that enhance their testing capabilities.
13. Have you developed anything proprietary over so many years of working in the industry?
Purpose: To discover if the vendor offers unique solutions or methodologies that could benefit your project.
Evaluation Criteria: Proprietary tools or processes can be a differentiator, offering efficiencies or insights not available through off-the-shelf solutions. However, ensure these proprietary solutions are compatible with your technology stack and project requirements.
14. What is your USP?
Purpose: To give the vendor an opportunity to articulate their unique value proposition.
Evaluation Criteria: Look for responses that align with your project goals and values. The vendor should convincingly demonstrate how their approach, experience, and capabilities make them the best fit for your needs.
This comprehensive questionnaire is designed to peel back the layers of prospective functional testing service vendors, providing insights into their operational excellence, strategic approach, and alignment with your project objectives.
As you navigate through the selection process, prioritize vendors that not only meet the technical requirements but also share your commitment to quality, innovation, and partnership.
Also read – “How QA Strategies Can Help You Meet Heightened Customer Expectations Today.”
What Sets Avekshaa Apart as Your Functional Testing Partner
Let’s let the results do the talking. Before diving into the myriad reasons Avekshaa Technologies stands out, allow us to guide you through a real-world triumph.
When a leading Indian retail giant was poised to unveil their e-commerce platform, it hit a snag in ensuring their app’s quality and reliability.
Team Avekshaa, agnostic with respect to domain, technology, location, and scale, not only utilized its profound functional testing expertise to address challenges head-on but also expedited the retailer’s journey to market, significantly enhancing the customer experience.
Here are some key benefits that the team delivered to the customer:
Not just one, Avekshaa has many such success stories to tell. Based on its rich industry experience, here are five compelling reasons to select Avekshaa as your function testing services partner:
- Extensive Repository of Reference Issues and Resolutions: With over 5000 reference issues and resolutions, Avekshaa possesses a vast knowledge base that enables them to quickly identify and resolve performance, availability, and scalability issues.
- Proprietary Avekshaa P-A-S-S Assurance Platform: Their proprietary framework and Intellectual Properties (IPs) provide a sustainable technological advantage, setting them apart from competitors.
- High Rate of Repeat Business: With a 70% repeat business rate, Avekshaa has demonstrated a high level of customer satisfaction and trust, indicating its commitment to quality and long-term partnerships.
- Commitment to Lowering Cost of Ownership: By focusing on delivering the most optimal solutions and being agnostic to technology and vendors, Avekshaa ensures that clients benefit from a lower total cost of ownership, enhancing overall value.
- Lower Attrition Rate: With less than 15% attrition rate, Avekshaa showcases exceptional talent retention, underscoring its commitment to stability and quality assurance.
- Trusted by Multinational Companies: Being trusted by leading multinational companies, such as Hathway, ArisGlobal, State Bank of India, Lupin, and Crompton Greaves, speaks volumes about Avekshaa’s credibility, reliability, and ability to meet the high standards expected by global enterprises.
Discover the difference Avekshaa can make for your business today! Dive in by completing our “Contact Us” form and kickstart a journey towards unparalleled technological excellence. Let’s innovate together!
FAQs
1. What is Functional Testing?
Functional testing is a type of software testing that verifies whether each function of the software application operates in conformance with the requirement specification.
2. What are Different Types of Functional Testing?
Functional testing is a critical aspect of software quality assurance, focusing on testing the software against its functional specifications to ensure that it behaves as expected. It encompasses the following types of testing:
- Smoke Testing
- User Acceptance Testing
- Manual Testing
- Continuous Integration/Testing
- API Testing
- Usability Testing
- Regression Testing
- Compatibility Testing
- Integration Testing
3. Is Functional Testing Manual or Automated?
Functional testing can be both manual and automated, depending on the complexity of the software. Automated testing can save time and prevent human errors where repetitive tasks are involved, whereas manual testing is done to get a better understanding of how the app works with human interaction, finding issues that could be overlooked by automated tools.
4. Why is it important to select appropriate partners for the testing process?
Selecting the right partners for the testing process is crucial because it directly influences the quality, reliability, and market readiness of your software. The right partner brings expertise, innovative solutions, and a thorough understanding of industry standards to the table, ensuring your product not only meets but exceeds user expectations. This strategic choice can significantly reduce time to market and enhance your competitive edge.
5. Who should do functional testing?
Trained and skilled quality assurance teams or individuals should do functional testing. These experts not only possess deep knowledge about different types of application bugs and their origins but also understand how end users will interact with the system under various scenarios.
6. Which Tool is the Best for Functional Testing?
There are several functional testing tools available, such as Selenium, Appium, TestComplete, SoapUI, etc. However, Selenium is considered the most powerful.
7. Which is the best functional testing company in India?
Avekshaa Technologies stands out as a leading functional testing company in India, known for its expertise in Performance, Availability, and Scalability (P-A-S) engineering. They deliver innovative, AI-enhanced testing solutions tailored to diverse industries, ensuring high-quality, cost-effective services. Their track record with multinational corporations underscores their position as a preferred choice for comprehensive functional testing needs.
