Software Validation vs. Software Verification

Transcript:

Hi everyone! Today I want to hone in on our testing phases of the software cycle, particularly as they relate to software verification and software validation.

We often receive questions about verification and validation as they relate to software and the role that PSI, as a software engineering firm, plays in this testing process.

I’m sure you’ve heard these terms, software verification and software validation, in various situations, whether it be while discussing the product as whole… -or – perhaps you’ve heard these two terms, software verification and software validation, and just can’t keep their definitions straight, mixing up their meaning and purpose in the development process.

Many people in and around the software development process will use the two terms software verification and software validation interchangeably, and this can cause confusion and misunderstandings.

At PSI we have different protocols for both software verification and software validation that consist of various forms of testing to make sure that all our clients can be confident that 1. their software was built to work as specified, 2. the software is correctly aligned with what they originally desired from the product overall, and 3. that the product meets all relevant external requirements and company goals.

We want to share how we do things here at PSI, to hopefully help you as you undertake your product development.

Simply put, software verification proves that you built the thing right, whereas software validation confirms that you built the right thing.

To begin providing some context around the terms, software verification provides objective evidence that the design outputs of a particular phase of the software development life cycle meet all of the specified requirements for that phase. To put it simply, software verification should really answer the question of “Did we build this product/device/thing correctly?” Software verification looks for consistency, completeness, and correctness of the software and its supporting documentation, as it is being developed, and provides support for a subsequent conclusion that the software is validated. Software testing is one of many verification activities intended to confirm that software development outputs meet its input requirements. Verification activities may include static analysis, code and document inspections, and walkthroughs and reviews, among other techniques.

Software validation, on the other hand, can be defined as “a confirmation by examination and provision of objective evidence that software specifications conform to user needs and intended uses, and that the particular requirements implemented through software can be consistently fulfilled.” In simpler terms, software validation ensures that the final product is in fact the same as the product originally planned, and that it meets the requirements of the original design. Here, the question that we want to answer is “Did we build the correct product/device/thing?” Essentially, software validation should be used as evidence that all software requirements have been implemented correctly and completely and are traceable throughout the system’s requirements.

Software validation plays a critical role in ensuring your product or device is reliable, quality software which can make all the difference when going to market. Software validation at this level can give you peace of mind that your system’s software  was engineered as the design intended, and after thorough testing, catch any flaws either in the design or software implementation, or provide confirmation that your software system is ready to go!

In summary, both software verification and validation are designed to ensure all requirements for the project are met, but the main difference between the two is that software validation is done to ensure that the final product is in fact the same as the product originally planned while software verification is done to test that the product was built correctly. Your software verification and validation effort should not be overlooked during your software development lifecycle. At PSI, we understand that a faulty software project can cost your company both users and clients. A little software testing can go a long way as these activities can help achieve a clean, defect-free product, with the goal of minimizing, but ideally eliminating future software-related recalls.

If you’re not familiar with the software verification and validation process, or simply need assistance executing your V&V plans or protocols, our test engineers are here to help! As always, send us an email or give us a call – we’ll be happy to assess a best path forward on your V&V journey.