Session 2.1 – Verification & Validation Overview

Module 2: Verification & Validation | Duration: 1 hour

Learning Objectives
  • Differentiate verification vs validation within the V-Model.
  • Identify activities, roles, and artifacts mapped to life-cycle phases.
  • Explain how V&V reduces delivery risk and builds confidence.

Overview

Verification and validation are a dual safety net. Verification activities ask, “Did we implement the specification correctly?” Validation activities ask, “Is the product we built the one the user actually needs?” Keeping the two perspectives visible throughout the SDLC prevents expensive late-stage surprises.

Mindset shift: V&V is a continuous flow of evidence—not a single “testing phase”. Each artifact you create (requirements, design diagrams, code, release notes) deserves at least one verification activity and one validation activity mapped to it.
Verification Outcomes
Review findings, static-analysis reports, checklist sign-offs, documented waivers.
Validation Outcomes
User feedback, scenario results, pilot metrics, go/no-go recommendations.
Shared Benefits
Reduced rework, clear accountability, auditable evidence for regulators and stakeholders.

V-Model Mapping

The V-model illustrates how every development activity has a mirrored test activity. Planning verification and validation along the left “specification” side ensures the right tests are ready when the implementation on the right side is available.

Verification and validation phases in a V-Model
  • Verification gate: Requirements review complete before acceptance test design begins.
  • Validation gate: Acceptance scenarios approved before first release candidate.

Lifecycle Activities

SDLC Phase Verification Focus Validation Focus Evidence Produced
Requirements Stakeholder review, ambiguity busting, traceability seeds Personas, prototypes, story mapping workshops Approved BRD, acceptance criteria, UX notes
Architecture / Design Architecture board, threat modeling, interface contracts Concept validation, PoCs for risky stacks Design review minutes, risk register updates
Implementation Code reviews, static analysis, unit coverage Scenario test design, data prep, exploratory charters Pull-request sign-offs, automated test suites
Release & Ops Deployment checklists, regression dashboards UAT, canary/blue-green, observability alerts Go/No-Go notes, runbooks, SLO dashboards

Artifacts & Roles

Verification package
Test strategy, review checklists, static-analysis reports, traceability matrix, waiver log.
Validation package
Scenario catalog, data design, environment readiness, UAT scripts, pilot reports.
Role alignment
Architects & dev leads own verification evidence; product owners, SMEs, and customer champions own validation sign-offs.

Summary & Assignment

Every SDLC phase deserves a matching verification and validation activity. Planning them together shortens feedback loops, exposes risks early, and makes release decisions evidence-driven.

Quick retro prompt: After each sprint or milestone ask, “What verification evidence did we produce? What validation evidence did we produce?” Missing answers usually point to blind spots.
Assignment: Map a current project’s SDLC phases to at least one verification and validation task. Identify gaps, propose owners, and list the artifact that will prove each task was completed.
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