Functional Testing Checklist

Testlio’s software functional testing checklist helps QA and engineering leaders think strategically about functional, regression, and exploratory testing approaches.  

Even when seamlessly combining manual and automated functional testing approaches, testing every functional combination within web or mobile applications is challenging. Unfortunately, this means critical issues inevitably go undetected and make their way into the hands of your customers.

“All imperfection is easier to tolerate if served up in small doses.” 

Wisława Szymborska

We strive for perfect code, perfect releases, and perfect apps, but alas, perfection is a myth. With that in mind, if you cannot catch every issue before a release, at least you can take the proper steps to limit them.

Testlio’s functional testing checklist combines years of crowdsourced testing (and lessons learned from trial and error!) to quickly address many of the challenges faced by our software clients. Apply these techniques and expect fewer bugs sneaking into production and a better overall customer experience.

In this article, we will explore the key points of functional and non functional testing. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive view of the testing process by addressing both functional and non-functional aspects.

What you’ll learn from the checklist?

  • Why integrating with test management tools and issue trackers like Jira, GitHub, Asana, Trello, Azure, Shortcut, and Pivotal Tracker is critical.
  • Eight steps to take before writing functional test cases.
  • Tips for writing detailed test cases that give you the best overall test results.
  • What to consider for functional test runs.
  • The pros and cons of writing your functional test cases.
  • Tips for filtering test results so your engineers will love you.
  • How to build a functional testing feedback loop.

Functional Testing Best Practice Examples Covered in the Checklist

Software testing is a critical part of the development process, and it’s important to follow best practices to ensure the highest quality. Software testing experts offer the following best practices for functional testing.

After developing basic test case scenarios and flows, leverage your in-house QA (or augment them with on-demand crowdsourced testers) to conduct structured exploratory testing. Inevitably, they will quickly come up with scenarios you hadn’t considered. Translating these “what ifs” into clear test cases requires experience and creativity, and they become an essential part of your regression testing.

Director, Global Delivery, Marielle Tamkorv and Sr. QE Manager, Paulo Feitosa – Testlio

An exceptional functional test case has a high level of detail and information for the tester (e.g., test data, execution preconditions, expected result) to ensure that all the functionality under test is working as expected. As a result, good testing uncovers bugs and provides an overview of the coverage – what was tested, what is working, what is not working – to assess risks and make release-related decisions.

Testlio Sr Engagement Manager, Kaisa Paavo

The practices ensure that an application not only meets all the specified requirements, but also delivers a quality user experience.

Functional Testing Checklist

Functional testing involves validating that the software functions as expected. If you are new to functional testing, here is the overview of the checklist below. 

  • Integrate test management, CI/CD, automated testing, and issue management tools.
  • Develop a collaborative approach to test case preparation, engage with product leaders to understand new updates or features, and map out “what if” scenarios.
  • Use a test management tool to author precise test cases that include all necessary information.
  • Build a team of QA and QE freelancers in time zones that align with your downtime and match your device and OS testing needs.
  • Run functional tests during new feature development and align runs with builds from your CI/CD systems.
  • Combine automated and manual runs to work in parallel and ensure you have the right mix of QE resources.
  • Review test results and reproduction steps before reporting them to the dev team and consider app instrumentation for testers.

For more details, download a PDF version of the checklist or read the important points below.

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