This guide is meant to provide you with a better understanding of the importance of validating an installed product and how to do this to ensure everything is working as intended. We have compiled a step-by-step guide to help answer your questions and provide guidance on how to validate installed products.
Table of Contents
- What is Product Validation?
- Why Is Product Validation Necessary?
- What are the Types of Validation That Can Be Done?
- Step-by-Step Guide to Validate Installed Products
- FAQs
What is Product Validation?
Product Validation is the process of ensuring the software or product meets the functional and performance requirements for which it was built and deployed. It is also known as product qualification, product testing or verification. This process verifies the product is compliant with intended use and meets the quality requirements specified in the product design and regulatory standards.
Why is Product Validation Necessary?
Product validation is an important step in the software product lifecycle, as it ensures the quality of the product, its accuracy and its intended use. Quality issues stemming from inadequate validation can lead to costly mistakes and user dissatisfaction. Product validation confirms that the product works as specified and meets customer expectations. It also acts as a way to verify the reliability, safety and performance of the product.
What are the Types of Validation That Can Be Done?
When validating installed products, the two most common types of validation are:
Functional Validation: Also known as software or hardware verification, Functional Validation involves testing of the product's functions and features to ensure that they work as intended. The focus of this type of validation is to ensure that the product performs required tasks correctly and efficiently.
Non-Functional Validation: This type of validation is also known as usability testing and involves testing the product’s usability and compatibility. Non-functional validation ensures the product performs within the given performance requirements, its security and other such parameters.
Step-by-Step Guide to Validate Installed Products
This section outlines the steps necessary to validate installed products:
Test Plan & Setup: Prepare a test plan and develop the test environment based on the requirements of the product you are validating. This should include hardware and software components, as well as any third-party components such as drivers or applications.
Test Execution: Execute the test plan and document the results of the tests. Make sure to keep track of all test results and deviations from the plan, as these may point to issues in the product.
Test Analysis & Reporting: Analyze the data from the test execution and compare it to the original test plan. Make sure to document any discrepancies, defects and other issues that may have been encountered during the validation process.
Final Signoff: This is the final step and is done after the product has been successful validated and all issues addressed. Sign off on the product and release it for deployment.
FAQs
Q: What is product validation?
A: Product validation is the process of ensuring the software or product meets the functional and performance requirements for which it was built and deployed. It is also known as product qualification, product testing or verification.
Q: Why is product validation necessary?
A: Product validation is an important step in the software product lifecycle, as it ensures the quality of the product, its accuracy and its intended use. Quality issues stemming from inadequate validation can lead to costly mistakes and user dissatisfaction. Product validation confirms that the product works as specified and meets customer expectations. It also acts as a way to verify the reliability, safety and performance of the product.
Q: What are the types of validation that can be done?
A: The two most common types of validation are Functional Validation and Non-Functional Validation. Functional Validation involves testing of the product's functions and features to ensure they work as intended while Non-Functional Validation ensures the product performs within the given performance requirements and other such parameters.
Q: What is included in a test plan?
A: A test plan should include hardware and software components, as well as any third-party components such as drivers or applications. It should also include the objectives of the test, the scope of the testing, test prerequisites and any assumptions made.
Q: What is the final step of the product validation process?
A: The final step is the signoff after the product has been successful validated and all issues addressed. This is done to ensure the product is ready for release.