Verification vs Validation
Distinguish verification from validation, select suitable evidence, and build an integrated assurance view that answers both “built right?” and “right system?” questions.
Separate requirement conformance from operational fitness while keeping both connected.
Verification determines whether specified requirements have been satisfied by objective evidence. Validation determines whether the resulting system fulfils stakeholder needs and intended use in the operational context.
This tool uses a fictional emergency-response system to classify evidence, link it to requirements and stakeholder needs, examine environment realism and then test how a late operational change affects the assurance plan.
Verification vs Validation — Step by Step
Eight stages establish the context, classify assurance evidence, build verification and validation plans, assess coverage and readiness, apply a changed-use challenge and conclude with a management assurance view.
Verification Evidence, Validation Scenarios and Assurance Readiness
Reveal the system context to begin.
Review the assurance objective, evidence, trace relationship, environment and current status.
Explore Assurance Balance Without Changing the Guided Demonstration
Adjust verification coverage, validation coverage, environment realism, evidence maturity and stakeholder agreement. Experiment Mode is isolated from the guided demonstration.
Test your verification and validation judgement.
Verification and validation cues
Verification
Objective evidence that specified requirements have been satisfied.
Validation
Evidence that the system fulfils stakeholder needs and intended use in its operational context.
Verification Methods
Inspection, analysis, demonstration and test are common methods; select the method appropriate to the requirement.
Validation Environment
Use representative users, scenarios, interfaces and operating conditions appropriate to the validation purpose.
Traceability
Connect verification to requirements and validation to needs, use cases and intended outcomes.
Acceptance
Do not treat one successful test as proof of either complete verification or complete validation.
Verification and validation answer different assurance questions and neither substitutes for the other.
Build objective requirement evidence and representative operational evidence into one traceable assurance strategy.