These two terms are very confusing for most people, who use them interchangeably. The following table highlights the differences between verification and validation.
S.N. | Verification | Validation |
1 | Verification addresses the concern: “Are you building it right?” | Validation addresses the concern: “Are you building the right thing?” |
2 | Ensures that the software system meets all the functionality. | Ensures that the functionalities meet the intended behavior. |
3 | Verification takes place first and includes the checking for documentation, code, etc. | Validation occurs after verification and mainly involves the checking of the overall product. |
4 | Done by developers. | Done by testers. |
5 | It has static activities, as it includes collecting reviews, walkthroughs, and inspections to verify a software. | It has dynamic activities, as it includes executing the software against the requirements. |
6 | It is an objective process and no subjective decision should be needed to verify a software. | It is a subjective process and involves subjective decisions on how well a software works. |