What is verification & validation in safety software?

What is verification & validation in safety software?

• A. Validation checks that software meets performance requirements; verification ensures safety compliance
• B. Verification checks that software meets the specification; validation ensures it fulfills the intended use
• C. Verification checks that the software design is robust
• D. Verification checks that the software meets the specification; validation ensures it fulfills the intended use

Answer: (B)

Verification and validation form two complementary checks for safety software. Verification asks, “Are we building the software to the exact specifications and design?” It involves activities like reviews, static analysis, and tests that map back to requirements to show the implementation conforms to the intended design. Validation asks, “Will this software do the right job for users in the real world?” It focuses on end-use fitness, safety goals, and operating in the intended environment, often through end-to-end or acceptance testing. The option that describes verification as checking the software meets the specification and validation as ensuring it fulfills the intended use matches this distinction precisely. The other choices mix up these roles—one blends performance with safety, another narrows verification to design robustness, and the remaining description pairs verification with meeting the specification and validation with intended use, which is the standard and correct framing.

Verification and validation form two complementary checks for safety software. Verification asks, “Are we building the software to the exact specifications and design?” It involves activities like reviews, static analysis, and tests that map back to requirements to show the implementation conforms to the intended design. Validation asks, “Will this software do the right job for users in the real world?” It focuses on end-use fitness, safety goals, and operating in the intended environment, often through end-to-end or acceptance testing.

The option that describes verification as checking the software meets the specification and validation as ensuring it fulfills the intended use matches this distinction precisely. The other choices mix up these roles—one blends performance with safety, another narrows verification to design robustness, and the remaining description pairs verification with meeting the specification and validation with intended use, which is the standard and correct framing.