Comments on: Foundation Series: Functional Testing of Software

By: leathej1

leathej1 — Wed, 24 May 2006 19:10:04 +0000

Scott, I've tried to fill in the holes in my argument with another post, Using Functional Requirements More Effectively. This might shed some light on why I feel that it is time to run NF requirements out of Dodge.

By: Scott Sehlhorst

Scott Sehlhorst — Wed, 24 May 2006 04:18:27 +0000

Thanks leathej1 for the comment and link. I've written up a response - I agree with the problem you identified, but think there's a better solution approach.

By: leathej1

leathej1 — Sat, 20 May 2006 13:19:57 +0000

I just did a post on non-functional requirements which would contribute to this discussion. It specifically deals with this industry standard that I feel is a gross misnomer, and as such, can introduce tremendous risk into your project.

By: Scott Sehlhorst

Scott Sehlhorst — Thu, 18 May 2006 13:29:06 +0000

Hey Roger, thanks for the comments!

Definitely a misnomer when we look at it from a product-management perspective. However, it is the most common industry term, and from the perspective of QA, it is an appropriate name.

I agree that performance testing, or otherwise characterizing the behavior is “the next step” in functional testing. With so many companies struggling to get adequate functional-requirement test coverage, it seemed like the right place to focus a Foundation Series post.

By: Roger L. Cauvin

Roger L. Cauvin — Thu, 18 May 2006 13:16:59 +0000

Err. That should be overemphasis on functional requirements.

By: Roger L. Cauvin

Roger L. Cauvin — Thu, 18 May 2006 13:15:07 +0000

A couple of additional things to consider: 1. "Functional tests" is kind of a misnomer. "System testing" appropriately implies testing the system (as opposed to units within the system). The term "functional testing", on the other hand, suggests testing the functions to the exclusion of nonfunctional requirements. 2. The key to successful system testing is not so much determining if the system output D in response to A, B, and C. It's the associated metrics (how fast was it, how easy was it, how accurate was it, etc.) that make things interesting. These points relate to what I've written about overemphasize functional requirements.