Collecting and analyzing requirements is one of the crucial stages of the software development process. Requirement validation involves evaluating the idea and defining the project requirement clearly and concisely. It is an important part of the software QA which addresses the requirements of test cases and other testing processes. A well-defined requirement process will significantly reduce the occurrence of avoidable errors and bugs. The key importance of requirement validation is that it provides a vision of the final goal and encourages to work towards a unified aim to achieve expected results. By having a clear vision of the project requirements and validating them thoroughly, uncertain situations can be reduced or eliminated.
Requirement validation is a disciplined application of proven principles, methods, tools, and notations to describe the intended behavior of a proposed system and the associated limitations. It provides an appropriate mechanism for understanding customer needs, analyzing requirements, evaluating feasibility, negotiating reasonable solutions, specifying solutions, validating specifications, and managing requirements while transforming them into a functioning system.
To carry out the tedious and elaborate requirement validation in a meticulous way, the requirement traceability matrix (RTM) is used. A traceability document helps to map and trace user requirements to achieve a certain level of testing.
Requirement traceability matrix is a five-stage process that includes:
- Feasibility study
- Requirement assessment
- Analysis of requirements and specifications
- User requirement validation
- Defect verification management
Requirement validation is evaluating project requirements and listing out the problems and coming up with agreed-on measures to identify them. Requirement validation is used to verify bugs in the initial development phase, but the bugs increase when excessive rework is discovered later in the development process by either manual or automation testing process.
Everything to know about requirement validation
Requirement validation is similar to the process of requirement analysis for checking and recording requirements. It can be summed up as, requirement validation being the process of examining the final draft of the requirement document, while the requirement analysis examines the raw requirements of the system, stakeholders, and users.
Formal and informal functional and non-functional requirement documents are provided for the next phase of processing. Requirements are identified to help the customer with the existing systems and processes.
Requirement Assessment
The process of identifying the requirement for a software system and communicating with customers, end-users, system users, and others involved in its development is known as requirement assessment. The process of verification of requirements is defined in the system according to the customer’s request. It overlaps with identification and analysis when it comes to tracking problems in the requirements.
It is desirable to detect errors in requirement before the development and design of the software starts. Requirement validation is important because errors in the documentation of requirements can lead to extensive follow-up costs when discovered early in developing a system or service. The cost of resolving a requirement problem before the system changes is greater than repairing a design or code error.
Process Flow
The process of verifying that a software system complies with the specifications and requirements to fulfil its intended purpose is the responsibility of software testers. It is a part of the lifecycle of software development. Software verification ensures that you build it correctly and confirm that the software product meets the developers’ plans. The development process of validation can be seen in the form of validation of specific user requirements at the end of the development process, which corresponds to internal and external validation of the software.
Validation Metrics
Validation is the process by which engineers ensure that the solution meets the needs of stakeholders. The technical elements are validated based on specific references and comparisons such as stakeholder requirements, system requirements, and functions of the documented system elements. Validation techniques are same as verification, but their purposes are different. Verification is used to detect errors and defects, while validation is used to demonstrate the evaluation of the system and stakeholder requirements.
Validation Traceability Matrix
The validation traceability matrix has been introduced to the topic of requirements definition for stakeholders. It can be extended to capture data such as validation actions and lists of selected validation techniques. It is used to validate the implementation of technical elements, stakeholder and system requirements, and, in particular, the expected results achieved from those actions carried out.
Once the software is installed, the client receives a developer reference. To ensure that the client is well aware of the requirements, the developer creates a prototype based on the specific requirements. The team behind the system, the customer collects the system requirements, the developer negotiates with the customer to solve the problem, and errors are found. If the rapid design system fails to validate the requirements, it is refined and checked by ensuring that it meets the customers’ needs.
Execution Strategy
The review team carries out a systematic analysis of the requirements, consisting of software engineers, users, and other stakeholders. It reviews the specifications to ensure that errors, omissions, and inconsistencies are identified and corrected. Once they do, they draw conclusions that help formulate the requirements expected of the software.
Once the audit is completed, it is time to complete the validation tests to confirm the accuracy of the requirements. The verification process is the same, and it allows to get a quick check before getting deeper into the product development process.
It ensures that the requirements meet the business objectives and relevant stakeholders’ needs and are well understood by developers. Understanding the difference between verification and validation and how to use it in product development can help reduce costs, increase efficiency, and deliver a product that meets users’ needs better. Validation is crucial in identifying missing requirements and ensuring that requirements have a wide range of essential features.
Conclusions
Verification is a test that evaluates to check if the program has been built according to the specified requirements. It is possible to conduct internal static tests to determine whether the software meets the needs and specifications. The requirements are validated when the software product is ready for the waterfall development process, which requires design at the beginning of the iterative development process and is not defined later, enabling continuous improvements.
Yethi’s efficient requirement validation process
Being the market leader in offering QA services to global banks and financial institutions, Yethi carries out requirement validation before starting the testing process. This helps in avoiding any errors that could have a huge impact of the banks/financial institutions due to the sensitive financial data involved. Strict validations also help in mitigating any associated risks with respect to performance and security. Further, Yethi’s RTM covers validation of all related documents and process to ensure all the test cases and other testing procedures are covered.