Software Verification and Validation

Computer programs that perform certain processing steps on various devices and computer systems and have documents related to the process they perform are called software. Software systems are the building block of the high-tech sector. It offers high knowledge density, global market value chain, transaction innovation, and advanced product service. It has basic qualities such as code software and code test document.

What Are Software Processes?

There are four basic parts throughout the process of producing and using the software.

• Examination and determination of requirements
• Coding of related software
• Testing of encoded software
• Maintenance and follow-up of the designed software

All the steps that software takes during both the production process and the use process are called the “software development lifecycle”. The basic steps of the software development lifecycle are;

• Planning: These are feasibility studies in which a project plan related to the production of the relevant software is created and hardware requirements are determined.
• Analysis: This is the stage of determining hardware requirements in detail in order to produce the relevant software. Studies in existing equipment are examined and basic problems are identified. The software that will be produced is aimed at eliminating problems.
• Design: This is the stage of creating a software system that will meet the specified requirements and solve the main problems. It is divided into logical design and physical design. In logical design, emphasis is placed on the structure of the proposed system. In physical design, the components that make up the software and the details of these components are designed.
• Implementation: This is the stage at which the coding, testing, and installation of the designed software are performed.
• Verification and validation: This is the stage of troubleshooting errors related to the produced software and creating new plugins. It is the stage that analyzes whether the expectations of people who need the software are met, monitors the internal nature of the product, and performs audit activities.

How Does the Software Verification and Validation Process Work?

Whether the software produced is a system requested by the customer is verified by validation meetings and review meetings. By monitoring the specification, requirements, design, code, verification flow, it is analyzed whether the requirements are met. In this way, validity is ensured.
Whether the system is working correctly is tested by four main methods. Testing, demonstration, observation, and analysis are followed by verification. All performance requirements are verified through the analysis method. The functional properties of the software are verified in the test and demonstration steps. Non-functional features of the software can be verified during the observation phase.

What are the Testing Stages of the Software Verification and Validation Process?

• Unit Tests for Software: Unit tests write codes that will automatically test all methods. In automatic deployments, this test is run and the system is analyzed.
• Qualification Test: These tests, also called qualification, are performed by test elements. Tests whether software requirements are met.
• Integration Test: This is done to verify that the configuration elements in the software work in an integrated way. Also called component integration tests or system integration tests.
• System Testing: Also known as factory acceptance tests, these tests test whether needs are met through the integrated system.
• Acceptance Test: This is the stage of showing the customer that the system requirements are met. In this step, also known as field acceptance tests, tests are performed on the mainstream of critical samples.