Test Notes

Validation

Verification

Am I building the right product

Am I building the product right

Determining if the system complies with the requirements and performs functions for which it is intended and meets the organization’s goals and user needs. It is traditional and is performed at the end of the project.

The review of interim work steps and interim deliverables during a project to ensure they are acceptable. To determine if the system is consistent, adheres to standards, uses reliable techniques and prudent practices, and performs the selected functions in the correct manner.

Am I accessing the right data (in terms of the data required to satisfy the requirement)

Am I accessing the data right (in the right place; in the right way).

High level activity

Low level activity

Performed after a work product is produced against established criteria ensuring that the product integrates correctly into the environment

Performed during development on key artifacts, like walkthroughs, reviews and inspections, mentor feedback, training, checklists and standards

Determination of correctness of the final software product by a development project with respect to the user needs and requirements

Demonstration of consistency, completeness, and correctness of the software at each stage and between each stage of the development life cycle.

Quality Assurance

Quality Control

A planned and systematic set of activities necessary to provide adequate confidence that requirements are properly established and products or services conform to specified requirements.

The process by which product quality is compared with applicable standards; and the action taken when nonconformance is detected.

An activity that establishes and evaluates the processes to produce the products.

An activity which verifies if the product meets pre-defined standards.

Helps establish processes.

Implements the process.

Sets up measurements programs to evaluate processes.

Verifies if specific attribute(s) are in a specific product or service

Identifies weaknesses in processes and improves them.

Identifies defects for the primary purpose of correcting defects.

QA is the responsibility of the entire team.

QC is the responsibility of the tester.

Prevents the introduction of issues or defects

Detects, reports and corrects defects

QA evaluates whether or not quality control is working for the primary purpose of determining whether or not there is a weakness in the process.

QC evaluates if the application is working for the primary purpose of determining if there is a flaw / defect in the functionalities.

QA improves the process that is applied to multiple products that will ever be produced by a process.

QC improves the development of a specific product or service.

QA personnel should not perform quality control unless doing it to validate quality control is working.

QC personnel may perform quality assurance tasks if and when required.