A Guide to Test Metrics for Functional & Automation Testing

Introduction

Well, testing is the extremely important aspect of SDLC. This is where developers test their code against all sorts of requirements and ensure that it works within various scenarios. Nevertheless, testing is a process that is tailored to individual needs. It includes various methods, like functional testing and Test Automation Services, each presenting unique challenges and goals.

To ensure that the program operates as expected by its specifications is functional testing is performed. It verifies that the program meets what it was designed for, rather than caring about how it operates. By using tools and scripts to execute tests automatically, test automation, on the other hand, might increase productivity.

Table of Contents

Functional Testing Metrics

Validating the software against the functional requirements listed in the project documentation is the main goal of functional testing. Making sure every component of the program functions as planned is the aim. The following are some crucial indicators that determine how well functional testing is going:

1. Test Case Execution Rate: The ratio between completed test cases and all scheduled test cases is represented by this indicator. A high execution rate suggests that everything is on track with testing. However, if the pace is low, it could indicate possible delays coming up or lack of resources.

  • Formula: (Number of Test Cases Executed / Total Number of Test Cases) * 100
  • Why It Matters: Teams can monitor the success of their testing endeavors by utilizing the test case execution rate. A low execution rate may indicate delays or bottlenecks, while a high execution rate shows testing is on schedule. By monitoring this metric, teams can modify their testing plan and resources, ensuring that necessary tests are completed before release.

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2. Defect Detection Rate: The defect-detected rate defines the total percentage of problems discovered while evaluating completed test cases, a critical parameter that establishes the effectiveness of functional testing.

  • Formula: (Number of Defects Found / Total Number of Tests Conducted) *100
  • Why It Matters: It is a crucial measure of how well your test cases perform. You have low defect detection rates suggesting that your test cases are not adequately covering functionality or edge cases, while high defect detection rates mean your tests cover well and find defects. This method can further aid teams in revising test cases to focus attention on parts of the application that require more testing.

3. Requirement Coverage: The number of requirements that have been tested is recorded by requirement coverage, a specific category of test coverage.

  • Formula: (The Number of Requirements Tested / Total Number of Requirements) *100
  • Why It Matters: This measure ensures that every functional requirement has been tested and successfully validated. It is essential to ensure that the software is doing what it is supposed to do and that the listed features are functioning properly. Low requirement coverage could signify some fault in the testing process, which is probably going unnoticed and would eventually lead to defects.

4. Test Coverage: A measure called "test coverage" calculates how much testing has been performed on the Software. It may be further divided into functional coverage, code coverage, and requirement coverage.

  • Formula: (The Number of Requirements Tested / Total Number of Requirements) *100
  • Why It Matters: Test coverage level generally describes the extent to which code has been exercised by tests. So, the more code gets exercised, the less chance an issue has of being left unattended. Also, keep in mind that without 100% test coverage, software could still fail. 100% coverage means every requirement or code path specified in the test has been validated. The other aspect teams need to think about concerning good coverage is the quality and usefulness of their test cases.

5. Defect Density: A metric called defect density counts the number of defects discovered in a software unit, such as 1,000 lines of code or a function.

  • Formula: (The Number of Defects / Size of Software Components) * 100
  • Why It Matters: Teams may focus their testing efforts where they are most required by using defect density to assist them in identifying parts of the software that are more prone to problems. Teams can evaluate the effects of their testing and development procedures and make data-driven choices to raise the standard of their software by monitoring this statistic over time.

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Test Automation Metrics

Test automation is necessary for increasing testing effectiveness and providing regular test coverage, particularly in environments that allow agile development and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD). Some important measures of success that determine the effectiveness of test automation projects are as follows:

1. Automation Coverage: Automation coverage is the amount of automated test cases compared to all test cases. It provides you with a clear picture of the amount of your testing that takes place automatically versus manually.

  • Formula: (The Number of Automated Test Cases / Total Number of Test Cases) * 100
  • Why It Matters: Since a high automation scope allows automating a large chunk of testing, it shortens the test, eliminates manual work, and increases the reliability of a test. However, all tests do not lend themselves to easy automation, thus it is critical to find a balance between the two different types of testing.

2. Execution Time: Test execution time measures the total time taken to execute automated tests. This metric is crucial for understanding the efficiency of the automation suite.

  • Why It Matters: Increasing or maintaining test coverage while cutting down on test execution time can greatly accelerate the development process. To fix issues faster and reduce the overall time to market, developers can receive feedback more quickly when tests are executed in less time.

3. Test Maintenance Effort: The test maintenance effort indicates the time and resources required to update and maintain automated test scripts every time an application changes.

  • Why It Matters: One challenge with test automation is keeping up with the test scripts as the application improves. Automation builds could be balanced by a high maintenance effort. Teams can use this statistic to evaluate the maintainability of an automation framework and identify areas for improvement to save maintenance costs.

4. Defect Detection Effectiveness: This test evaluates how well-automated tests can identify errors. It is calculated as the proportion of problems discovered by automated testing. High effectiveness shows that automation has contributed significant improvements to the process of quality assurance overall.

5. Return on Investment (ROI): The financial return on the investment made in testing being automated is measured by test automation ROI. It measures the savings from automation with the one-time and regular costs of setting up and maintaining the automation suite.

  • Formula: (Cost of Saving from Automation – Cost of Automation / Cost of Automation) * 100
  • Why It Matters: When teams are familiar with the ROI of test automation, it becomes easier to legitimately justify the costs involved in automation tools and resources. Anexcellent ROI indicates that automation efforts are paying off; a negative ROI indicates that the costs of automation exceed the benefits. These figures are essential in long-term planning and strategic decision-making.

6. Pass/Fail Rate: The percentage of automated test cases that pass compared to those that fail is shown by the pass/fail rate, which monitors the success rate.

  • Formula: (The Number of Passed Test Cases / Total Number of Automated Test Cases) * 100
  • Why It Matters: A high success rate shows that the application is stable, whereas a high failure rate may refer to problems with the test scripts or possibly the program directly. Teams may keep updated on the effectiveness of their automated tests and the stability of the application by tracking this statistic over time.

Conclusion

Qualitative Mentions Inculcated By Testing Measure Success In Testing - One of Such Examples is Using Test Measurement Services from a Software Testing Company to Determine Areas for Improvement with the Gain of Insight into How Productively Teams Test and Make Informed Decisions to Further Enhance Overall Product Quality.

Covering critical results in functional testing and test automation can guarantee that testing activities will link to project goals, given the current assessments of testing. As the software development industry grows, quality software will be manufactured economically and effectively by maintaining sufficient cost parameters.

About Author

Shubham PardheTaking the baby steps in 2019 as a trainee in manual testing, Shubham Pardhe has now become an experienced QA executive at Pixel QA.

His professional goal is to become an expert in test management tools.