Software Validation and Verification: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Introduction
When we talk about developing software, two important processes are often muddled up and considered the same — these are called “validation” and “verification”. Although they might seem similar, they have different, but equally crucial roles. This article aims to explain these two steps clearly and illustrate how they are different, yet interlinked, within the entire software development process.
Understanding Software Verification
Software verification is the process that ensures the system is designed correctly and follows the given specifications. It addresses the question: “Are we building the system right?” This involves checking whether the software product meets the specified requirements and detecting errors early in the development process.
Verification is all about prevention, avoiding errors in the first place. This is achieved through a series of activities such as inspections, reviews, walkthroughs, and desk-checking. It focuses on documents, design, code, and program. Verification helps prevent errors and bugs in the software, ensuring that the software design aligns with the specified requirements.
Understanding Software Validation
Software validation is the process of evaluating software during or at the end of the development process to determine whether it satisfies the specified requirements or not. It is suppose to answers the following question: “Are we building the right system?” This means assessing whether the software system fulfils its purpose in the real-world scenario for which it was intended.
Unlike verification, validation is about defect detection and remediation. It involves actual testing and takes place after the completion of specific development tasks. Activities such as unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing are part of the validation process.
The Difference
While verification is a process of ensuring that the product is being built as per the specifications, validation is about ensuring that the built product meets the user’s requirements. Verification ensures that “the product design is correct and precise.” Software Validation confirms that “the product does what it was proposed to do.”
Let’s take an example when building a car. In Verification, we would inspect the car parts and ensure that they are made to the correct specifications. In terms of validation, we actually drive the car to see if it works properly and as intended.
The Importance of Both in Software Engineering
While both processes differ in purpose and approach, both are equally important for a successful project. Here’s why:
Verification:
The importance of verification lies in its preventive nature. By making sure that the projects stays aligns with its specifications from the beginning, it helps save time, resources, and effort in later stages of development. This can lead to cost savings, as catching errors in the early stages of development can be significantly cheaper than fixing them after the software has been deployed. Overall, it reduces the technical debt to a great extend.
Validation:
Validation, being more focused on the practical application, ensures that the software is ready for the market and the users. By validating a software system against the real-world scenarios it will be used in, developers can ensure that it meets all user requirements and that it will perform reliably once deployed.
Moreover, validation tests often reveal usability issues that might not be uncovered by verification checks alone. This could include anything from performance issues under heavy load to minor design inconveniences that could frustrate end-users.
Conclusion
In summary, while verification and validation in software engineering have different aims and methods, they are complementary and equally crucial to the software development process. Verification ensures that the product is designed correctly, while validation ensures that the correct product is designed. Understanding and correctly implementing both processes is key to the successful development of reliable, high-quality software products.
