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Risk-based testing refers to the process of prioritizing tests according to risk, which is used as a basis for DEVELOPING a TEST Strategy. An organization can use risk-based testing (RBT) to prioritize testing SOFTWARE features and functions according to the probability of failure, the importance of the feature, and the impact of a failure. Testing is then performed, starting with the highest risk. Testers who use a risk-based approach are more likely to be aware of risk factors that can lead to PROJECT failures.

Following are the main factors to be considered in risk-based testing:  

• Identification of when and how risk-based testing should be implemented on an appropriate application.
• To determine which measures are effective in detecting as well as handling risks in critical areas of the software application.
• Achieving the project outcome while balancing risk and quality.

Functional testing involves two distinct test techniques, which can be defined as FOLLOWS:  

• Requirement BASED testing: This type of testing prioritizes the requirements based on risk factors. Furthermore, this will ensure that all CRITICAL test paths are covered in the testing process.  
• Business process-based testing: This type of functional testing examines the business process. Testing scenarios are based on KNOWLEDGE of the business process. Examples include service delivery and DEPLOYMENT, etc.

• Alpha Testing: This is a type of internal acceptance testing performed by the company's software quality assurance team/developers. Testing is done to IDENTIFY bugs before releasing a PRODUCT to end-users or to the public.
• Beta Testing: It is the last PHASE following the internal full alpha test cycle, which is a form of external user acceptance testing. In this phase, companies release the software to a few outside groups other than their own test teams and employees. As a result, beta testing can be summarized as testing conducted by real users in a real environment.

Alpha vs Beta Testing:  Learn More

There are two different types of software testing that can be run on the software: monkey testing and ADHOC testing. Tests are CONDUCTED to ensure that the system is bug-free. 

• Adhoc Testing: It is usually performed randomly without documentation or testing design and it is usually unplanned. The tester needs to have a thorough understanding of the system under test in ORDER to conduct effective adhoc testing. It is meant to ensure that the application or system does not crash. 
• Monkey Testing: This is SIMILAR to Ad Hoc Testing, except that it can be done by testers without any prior knowledge or information about the software. The monkey test is an automated test conducted without planning any specific test in advance. A tester tests the system by randomly trying its features to see if he can break it.

• Build: Once the source code for the software application is developed, developers convert it into standalone or executable form (build). As soon as the build has been completed, the DEVELOPMENT team passes it on to the testing team for testing. The software testing team checks this build for multiple bugs and if it fails to meet the requirements, the build is rejected.  A build occurs prior to the release, and it is generated more frequently. During software development, SEVERAL builds are generated. 
• Release: At the end of development and testing, the release is the final PRODUCT. As soon as the software is tested and certified, it is delivered to the CUSTOMER. It is possible, HOWEVER, for a release to have multiple builds. As such, it refers to the software developed after the testing and development phases are completed. 

The term Adhoc Testing, also known as random testing, generally refers to a TYPE of testing that occurs without proper planning or documentation. Adhoc testing has 

• No documentation
• No Test cases
• No Test Design

Ad hoc testing is usually PERFORMED randomly without documentation or testing design and it is usually unplanned. Ad hoc Testing does not adhere to any particular structure and is done randomly on any part of the application to identify defects/bugs. When TIME is limited and exhaustive testing cannot be performed, adhoc testing may be conducted. The tester needs to have a thorough understanding of the system under test in ORDER to conduct effective adhoc testing. 

Example: Adhoc testing is cost-effective and can save you a lot of time; one example would be when the client needs the product by 4 PM today, but the development will be finished by 2 PM. With only 2 hours to work with, the DEVELOPER and tester team can test the system as a whole by taking some random inputs and checking for bugs.

• Functional testing: It INVOLVES checking that an application's functions work as expected. It is usually a black box testing process. The PURPOSE of functional testing is to make sure the product designed by developers meets the requirements as specified by stakeholders. 
• Regression testing: This process is conducted once a software build has been released. The purpose of this test is to ensure ADDING FRESH code, improvements, or fixing bugs does not cause instability or COMPROMISE the software functionality. 

Testing software or applications aims to build a quality product. Functional testing and unit testing are the backbones of software testing.  

• Unit Testing: In its simplest form, unit testing entails testing INDIVIDUAL components or units within the software. In this STEP, each unit of CODE is VALIDATED and checked to determine if it is performing as you expected it to.
• Functional Testing: This type of software testing evaluates a system's functionality against the functional requirements. Each software component is first checked for its expected output, then tested twice to ensure that its output does not impact the rest of the system.

Unit Testing Vs Functional Testing:

The two major TYPES of SOFTWARE testing are functional testing and non-functional testing.  

• Functional Testing: This type of testing verifies that each feature/function of a software application works as intended. A functional test can only be passed if a software system has all its functions working as intended.
• Non-Functional Testing: This type of testing examines non-functional aspects like performance, usability, compatibility, reliability, etc., of a software system. This process verifies whether the system behaves as expected or not.

Functional vs Non-Functional Testing:

When performing functional testing, you should follow the steps below as outlined in the following diagram:  

• Understand the requirements: Prior to conducting functional testing, it is necessary to thoroughly understand the business requirements. Understand the requirements document specification and CLARIFY any doubts and QUERIES if there are any.
• Prepare a test plan: An effective test plan is critical for successful functional testing. Test engineers need to focus on the objectives of tests so that planning and organizing test activities will become easier.
• Write test cases: Write the test cases considering the software requirements and keeping all of the test scenarios in mind.
• Create INPUT data according to requirements: Testers need to prepare input data to test specific functionality of software APPLICATIONS. When this type of data is used to test an application, it is referred to as test input data. From these inputs, determine what the expected outcome should be.
• Execute test cases: Next, the test input data is used to execute the test cases.
• Compare actual and expected outcomes through the result validation: In this step, the actual test results are compared with the expected results to determine whether the test has passed or failed.
• Log defects: The variation of the DIFFERENCE between the actual and expected output is referred to as a log defect. It is the task of the testers to log defects so that the development teams can fix them as soon as possible.

Ultimately, functional testing is AIMED at ensuring that software works as specified and meets user expectations. Functional testing may seem simple on its face, but it involves a variety of methods, some of which may be preferred or PRIORITIZED over others based on the application and organization. These methods are OUTLINED below:

• Unit testing: It involves testing the individual units/blocks of code of the software to validate that they perform as intended.
• Smoke testing: This test only examines the basic functionality of a system to ensure the software works properly (or is not plagued with too many problems) so that the next test can proceed.
• Sanity testing: This type of testing is also known as a build-verification test and is usually PERFORMED after a smoke test. The testing is performed after a complete software build with minor changes is released to verify that the code changes introduced continue to work as intended.
• Integration testing: This test combines individual components/units and tests them together. Tests will ensure that they interact appropriately, as well as reveal any faults between the INTEGRATED units if present.
• Regression testing: This type of testing makes sure that alterations to the code won't affect the system's functionality. The purpose of this test is to ensure that adding fresh code, improvements, or fixing bugs does not cause instability or compromise the software functionality.
• User Acceptance testing: It involves testing software systems from the user's perspective to ensure they meet the requirements. Before software is released to market or production, it must pass the user acceptance test.

Validating/Testing the quality and functionality of software requires FUNCTIONAL testing. The purpose is as follows:   

• Ensures the delivery of high-quality products.
• A quality assurance team uses this software testing technique to ensure software functionality is in line with the Software Requirements Specification (SRS) and to ensure the system functions as intended by the user.
• In essence, this testing method is utilized for testing user-friendliness features, specific error conditions, ACCESSIBILITY features and other important features of the software.
• This allows testers to verify that the software they test works as intended and gives developers feedback about how to improve software products.
• Functional testing is crucial to determine WHETHER your code is working correctly or if errors are likely to arise in the future.