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A perfect software product is built when every step is taken with full consideration that 'A right product is developed in a right manner'. 'Software Verification & Validation' is one such model, which helps the system designers and test engineers to confirm that a right product is build right way throughout the development process and improve the quality of the software product.
'Verification & Validation Model' makes it sure that, certain rules are followed at the time of development of a software product and also makes it sure that the product that is developed fulfills the required specifications. This reduces the risk associated with any software project up to certain level by helping in detection and correction of errors and mistakes, which are unknowingly done during the development process.
What is Verification?
The standard definition of Verification goes like this: "Are we building the product RIGHT?" i.e. Verification is a process that makes it sure that the software product is developed the right way. The software should confirm to its predefined specifications, as the product development goes through different stages, an analysis is done to ensure that all required specifications are met.
Methods and techniques used in the Verification and Validation shall be designed carefully, the planning of which starts right from the beginning of the development process. The Verification part of 'Verification and Validation Model' comes before Validation, which incorporates Software inspections, reviews, audits, walkthroughs, buddy checks etc. in each phase of verification (every phase of Verification is a phase of the Testing Life Cycle)
During the Verification, the work product (the ready part of the Software being developed and various documentations) is reviewed/examined personally by one ore more persons in order to find and point out the defects in it. This process helps in prevention of potential bugs, which may cause in failure of the project.
Few terms involved in Verification:
Inspection:
Inspection involves a team of about 3-6 people, led by a leader, which formally reviews the documents and work product during various phases of the product development life cycle. The work product and related documents are presented in front of the inspection team, the member of which carry different interpretations of the presentation. The bugs that are detected during the inspection are communicated to the next level in order to take care of them.
Walkthroughs:
Walkthrough can be considered same as inspection without formal preparation (of any presentation or documentations). During the walkthrough meeting, the presenter/author introduces the material to all the participants in order to make them familiar with it. Even when the walkthroughs can help in finding potential bugs, they are used for knowledge sharing or communication purpose.
Buddy Checks:
This is the simplest type of review activity used to find out bugs in a work product during the verification. In buddy check, one person goes through the documents prepared by another person in order to find out if that person has made mistake(s) i.e. to find out bugs which the author couldn't find previously.
The activities involved in Verification process are: Requirement Specification verification, Functional design verification, internal/system design verification and code verification (these phases can also subdivided further). Each activity makes it sure that the product is developed right way and every requirement, every specification, design code etc. is verified!
What is Validation?
Validation is a process of finding out if the product being built is right?
i.e. whatever the software product is being developed, it should do what the user expects it to do. The software product should functionally do what it is supposed to, it should satisfy all the functional requirements set by the user. Validation is done during or at the end of the development process in order to determine whether the product satisfies specified requirements.
Validation and Verification processes go hand in hand, but visibly Validation process starts after Verification process ends (after coding of the product ends). Each Verification activity (such as Requirement Specification Verification, Functional design Verification etc.) has its corresponding Validation activity (such as Functional Validation/Testing, Code Validation/Testing, System/Integration Validation etc.).
All types of testing methods are basically carried out during the Validation process. Test plan, test suits and test cases are developed, which are used during the various phases of Validation process. The phases involved in Validation process are: Code Validation/Testing, Integration Validation/Integration Testing, Functional Validation/Functional Testing, and System/User Acceptance Testing/Validation.
Terms used in Validation process:
Code Validation/Testing:
Developers as well as testers do the code validation. Unit Code Validation or Unit Testing is a type of testing, which the developers conduct in order to find out any bug in the code unit/module developed by them. Code testing other than Unit Testing can be done by testers or developers.
Integration Validation/Testing:
Integration testing is carried out in order to find out if different (two or more) units/modules co-ordinate properly. This test helps in finding out if there is any defect in the interface between different modules.
Functional Validation/Testing:
This type of testing is carried out in order to find if the system meets the functional requirements. In this type of testing, the system is validated for its functional behavior. Functional testing does not deal with internal coding of the project, in stead, it checks if the system behaves as per the expectations.
User Acceptance Testing or System Validation:
In this type of testing, the developed product is handed over to the user/paid testers in order to test it in real time scenario. The product is validated to find out if it works according to the system specifications and satisfies all the user requirements. As the user/paid testers use the software, it may happen that bugs that are yet undiscovered, come up, which are communicated to the developers to be fixed. This helps in improvement of the final product. |
