While many think verification vs validation testing means picking one or the other, for you to be as thorough as possible in your testing you need to be incorporating both into your development workflows. Verification and validation have distinct meanings in software development. Put simply, verification testing is “did we build the thing right?” and validation testing is “did we build the right thing?”
In this article we’re going to take a deep dive into the differences between verification testing and validation testing, which you should be using at which point in your development workflow and how to conduct each type of test.
Table of Contents
Verification Testing and why it’s important
Verification testing is the process of ensuring that the software a business has developed meets its specified requirements and is bug-free. It involves checking whether the developed product is correct and aligns with the project requirements. Verification testing is static, meaning that it involves inspections, reviews and walkthroughs without executing the code.
As mentioned, verification testing involves inspections, reviews, walkthroughs and static analysis, without executing the underlying code. Inspections and reviews involve systematic examinations of design documents, code and other artifacts. This process helps identify defects, inconsistencies and areas for improvement early on, preventing issues in later stages of development. Static analysis verification testing can also involve the use of automated tools to examine code for compliance with coding standards, security vulnerabilities and potential errors – again, all without executing the underlying code.
A great real-world example of verification testing is the Chromium project by Google, which underpins the Chrome browser. The developers involved in Chromium use rigorous code reviews and static analysis to maintain high standards. Each code change undergoes a detailed review by multiple developers to identify defects and ensure that coding guidelines are adhered to. Static analysis tools are incorporated into the development pipeline to detect issues before the code is merged. This approach helps maintain stability, security and performance for millions of users worldwide.
Validation Testing and why it’s important
Validation involves checking that a software product meets the needs of the user, focusing on the end product and its performance in real-world scenarios. The nature of verification testing is always dynamic and involves actual code execution to verify performance. Testing techniques can include unit testing, integration testing, system testing, user acceptance testing and other dynamic testing methods.
While this isn’t an exhaustive list of different validation testing types, it is a list of some of the most common. Unit testing can be used to check individual components or “units” of software so that they function correctly. Developers write and run tests for specific functions or methods using frameworks like JUnit or PyTest. Integration testing ensures that multiple modules or components work together as expected, and this is conducted using various approaches like “top down”, “bottom up” or “big bang” using tools like Selenium. System testing tests the complete integrated system to validate overall functionality and performance and includes functional, performance and security testing. User acceptance testing involves real users testing the software to verify it meets business requirements and user needs.
A great real-world example of validation testing is Netflix – their automated testing process involves creating hundreds of thousands of test scenarios daily, covering various aspects of the platform. This extensive validation ensures that any changes or new features do not disrupt the user experience, maintaining the platform’s reliability and performance. This rigorous approach helps Netflix deliver a seamless and high-quality streaming experience to its millions of users worldwide.
Key considerations – verification vs validation
When to do verification and validation
Validation testing is always conducted after verification. Verification testing is something that should be conducted right the way throughout the project – since you don’t need to execute any code, review of documents, design and the underlying code can take place at any point during the development process.
Validation must always be conducted at a later phase, simply because it requires a functional product. It’s not possible to conduct validation testing on an app or website that isn’t complete. Of course, this needs to be after development but BEFORE the product ships, so you have time to make amends or fix bugs as and when your validation testing identifies them.
Resource allocation
Verification testing requires ongoing participation from developers, QA engineers and sometimes business analysts, as it involves regular inspections and reviews throughout the development cycle. Teams need to invest in static analysis tools and provide training to ensure effective use. Maintaining detailed documentation and tracking changes demands additional administrative resources. The continuous nature of verification testing means that resource allocation must be planned to accommodate frequent, systematic checks and collaboration among team members.
Validation testing is resource-intensive, especially before product release. It involves coordinating with end-users for user acceptance testing (UAT) and setting up production-like environments for comprehensive testing. Significant resources are needed to develop and maintain automated test scripts, including the initial setup and ongoing maintenance. Additionally, robust infrastructure is essential to support load and performance testing, which may require servers, cloud resources, and virtual machines. Balancing resources involves prioritizing high-risk areas, automating repetitive tasks, and possibly outsourcing certain testing activities to manage workload and leverage expertise.
Documentation
In verification testing, documentation plays a crucial role in ensuring that all aspects of the development process adhere to predefined standards and requirements. This documentation includes detailed records of design inspections, code reviews, and walkthroughs. It captures the findings of these reviews, highlighting any deviations from standards, identified defects, and corrective actions taken. The documentation serves as a reference for maintaining code quality and provides a trail of accountability and traceability, ensuring that every aspect of the software development lifecycle meets the established criteria.
Documentation in validation testing focuses on capturing user feedback and performance metrics to ensure the final product meets user needs and expectations. This includes detailed reports from UAT, which document end-user feedback on the product’s functionality, usability, and overall experience. Performance reports are generated from system testing, capturing data on how the software performs under various conditions. This documentation helps in assessing the product’s readiness for release, providing insights into any necessary adjustments or improvements based on real-world testing scenarios.
Tools and automation
In verification testing, tools and automation play a critical role in ensuring code quality and adherence to standards. Static analysis tools like SonarQube and Checkmarx automatically scan the codebase for coding standard violations, security vulnerabilities, and potential bugs without executing the code. These tools provide detailed reports that help developers identify and fix issues early in the development cycle. Automated code review tools also streamline the review process, ensuring consistency and thoroughness in evaluating code changes. This automation enhances efficiency, reduces human error, and maintains high-quality standards throughout the development process.
Validation testing leverages various tools and automation frameworks to ensure the final product meets user requirements and performs well under real-world conditions. Automated testing frameworks like Selenium, Appium, and JUnit are used for executing unit tests, integration tests, and system tests. Performance testing tools like JMeter and LoadRunner simulate high traffic loads to evaluate the application’s scalability and responsiveness. UAT platforms, such as TestRail or Zephyr, help manage and document end-user feedback. Automation in validation testing accelerates the testing process, ensures comprehensive coverage, and provides actionable insights through detailed performance and user experience reports.
Some examples of how you do verification and validation
Verification and validation testing for an ecommerce platform
In this example, imagine we are developing a shopping cart system for an e-commerce platform. The requirements for this system involve enabling users to add items to the cart, displaying the total price of the items in the cart and saving the cart’s state to ensure it persists across user sessions. Verification testing would be conducted on the requirements documentation to confirm that all the necessary functionality has been captured. Following this, during the database design phase, we must ensure that appropriate data types are assigned to each field (e.g., item name, price, quantity) and that the column lengths are adequate to accommodate the expected data. For the same shopping cart system, validation testing can be performed on the “Add to Cart” feature. When a user clicks the “Add to Cart” button, the system should correctly add the item to the cart and update the total price displayed. This validation can be performed by writing automated tests to assert that items are added to the cart and the total price is updated accurately, as well as submitting invalid items (e.g., items with a negative quantity) to ensure the system displays appropriate error messages. Automated testing tools such as T-Plan (which in this case would likely use Selenium, as T-Plan wraps Selenium into a highly user-friendly, low-code platform) can be used to simulate user interactions and validate that the system behaves as expected under various scenarios.
Verification and validation testing for a mobile hotel booking app
So, in this example, we are developing a mobile app that allows users to search and book hotel rooms. The system must allow users to search for available rooms by date. Users should also be able to book a room by providing their name, contact information, and payment details. Finally, the system should send a confirmation email upon successful booking. Verification testing involves several key steps to ensure that the requirements are accurately captured and feasible for implementation. This includes thoroughly reviewing the requirements documentation to ensure that all functionalities, such as searching for available rooms and processing bookings, are clearly and comprehensively defined. Verification testing would also involve checking that the requirements specify constraints, such as data validation rules for user inputs (e.g., valid date formats, mandatory fields for booking). Effective testing would also confirm that the requirements address edge cases, such as overlapping bookings and error handling for unavailable rooms are defined properly. An example of validation testing for the same app can be performed on the room booking feature. When a user completes the booking form and submits it, the system should save the booking details, process the payment, and send a confirmation email. This validation can be performed by testing that the booking details are correctly saved in the database and that the confirmation email is sent. Effective validation testing would also try to checkout with incomplete or invalid payment information to ensure the system displays appropriate error messages and does not proceed with the booking, as well as verifying that searching for available rooms by date returns accurate results. Automated testing tools like Selenium for web interfaces and Postman for API testing can be utilized to validate these functionalities – or again, you could alternatively use T-Plan Robot which would be able to provide effective and functional testing in all of these scenarios using a low-code, user-friendly platform.
How T-Plan can help you with verification and validation testing
Comprehensive Testing Platform
T-Plan offers a versatile and robust testing platform designed to support both verification and validation processes, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the entire software development lifecycle. This platform is particularly effective from initial design verification to final user acceptance testing. One of the key strengths of T-Plan is its cross-platform functionality, which allows tests to be conducted across various devices, browsers, and operating systems. This flexibility is facilitated by T-Plan Robot, an intuitive, visual testing tool that supports cross-device and cross-OS testing, enabling tests to run in parallel. This approach not only frees up resources but also allows for scaling up to cover more testing scenarios efficiently.
Integration and Automation
T-Plan’s integration capabilities with various third-party tools like Jenkins for continuous integration and Selenium for web testing enhance its flexibility and effectiveness. This ensures seamless integration within existing tech stacks and continuous testing environments, as well as enhancing the testing process by automating code reviews, static analysis, and other verification tasks. This automation ensures consistency, reduces human error, and accelerates the development cycle.
Collaboration and Real Device Testing
T-Plan’s features include centralized reporting and a real device cloud for extensive testing. The centralized reporting system fosters collaboration among team members by providing a unified view of testing results and progress. The real device cloud enables comprehensive testing across various devices and operating systems, ensuring that the application performs well in real-world conditions. This combination of features ensures thorough validation testing, leading to a reliable and user-friendly final product.
We’re offering a free demo of T-Plan so you can see how it will transform your testing methodologies, which you can access using the link below.
