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Engineering Systems Integration
Validation
Validation is an assessment of the operational system that exposes and quantifies the systems’ limitations. The intent of validation is to determine if the
user’s needs are satisfied for different uses (often referred to as scenarios).
When the functions are provided, the physical entities are adequate, and the
user’s behaviors are as needed, the product or service is deemed fit for the
uses intended by the set of requirements. The concept of validation suggests
that requirements can be mapped into physical, functional, and behavioral
needs of key stakeholders. This mapping is indeed essential to confirm that
the product or service satisfies the key stakeholder’s requirements and is
found to be acceptable. Acceptance of a product or service is both formal and
definitive. The formality can be set out by contract stipulating terms and
conditions for acceptance, criteria that must be met, and other formal representations as to fitness for use, warranties, and exclusions. Acceptance is
definitive from both the buyer’s and the seller’s perspective. On acceptance,
the buyer assumes a responsible role for the use of the product or service.
Of course, the seller may have both contractual and ethical obligations, in
addition to continue interest in assisting one of their customers.
From the perspective of integration, validation is the confirmation that integration had satisfactory results. Should there be problems discovered during
validation, they are more often of two cases: either a functionality is performed
inadequately for the expected use or there are inordinate losses to achieve the
desired level of performance. In both cases, the functionality is present and the
issue is one of performance. By the time of validation, the issue of functionality
has been adjudicated and settled: either the functionality is there or it is not
there. The customer decides what is acceptable or not and works with the
developer to either wait for the full cadre of functionality or move to validation
without some aspect included (perhaps with a waiver to permit the addition of
a missing function after validation). Missing functionality implies missing
object(s), missing (or inadequate) mechanism(s), or inappropriate EMMI. With
functionality present, system performance may be degraded due to effects that
were not adequately accounted for in the scenario or the product or service
failed to achieve what was necessary and sufficient. The remedy may be to
“tune” the performance(s), recognizing that there were trade-offs made during
design and development. Validation is also the process of demonstrating the
effectiveness of the new product or service. There may be several measures of
effectiveness (common ones include cost, temporal responsiveness, and resilience). Validation is direct evidence that the new product or service meets the
requirements through its design, architecture, and implementation. Validation
is ongoing throughout the development phase beginning with engineering
models, then prototypes, and ending with production models and early manufactured items that are limited to a few in a short series.
Engineering Systems Integration
Validation
Validation is an assessment of the operational system that exposes and quantifies the systems’ limitations. The intent of validation is to determine if the
user’s needs are satisfied for different uses (often referred to as scenarios).
When the functions are provided, the physical entities are adequate, and the
user’s behaviors are as needed, the product or service is deemed fit for the
uses intended by the set of requirements. The concept of validation suggests
that requirements can be mapped into physical, functional, and behavioral
needs of key stakeholders. This mapping is indeed essential to confirm that
the product or service satisfies the key stakeholder’s requirements and is
found to be acceptable. Acceptance of a product or service is both formal and
definitive. The formality can be set out by contract stipulating terms and
conditions for acceptance, criteria that must be met, and other formal representations as to fitness for use, warranties, and exclusions. Acceptance is
definitive from both the buyer’s and the seller’s perspective. On acceptance,
the buyer assumes a responsible role for the use of the product or service.
Of course, the seller may have both contractual and ethical obligations, in
addition to continue interest in assisting one of their customers.
From the perspective of integration, validation is the confirmation that integration had satisfactory results. Should there be problems discovered during
validation, they are more often of two cases: either a functionality is performed
inadequately for the expected use or there are inordinate losses to achieve the
desired level of performance. In both cases, the functionality is present and the
issue is one of performance. By the time of validation, the issue of functionality
has been adjudicated and settled: either the functionality is there or it is not
there. The customer decides what is acceptable or not and works with the
developer to either wait for the full cadre of functionality or move to validation
without some aspect included (perhaps with a waiver to permit the addition of
a missing function after validation). Missing functionality implies missing
object(s), missing (or inadequate) mechanism(s), or inappropriate EMMI. With
functionality present, system performance may be degraded due to effects that
were not adequately accounted for in the scenario or the product or service
failed to achieve what was necessary and sufficient. The remedy may be to
“tune” the performance(s), recognizing that there were trade-offs made during
design and development. Validation is also the process of demonstrating the
effectiveness of the new product or service. There may be several measures of
effectiveness (common ones include cost, temporal responsiveness, and resilience). Validation is direct evidence that the new product or service meets the
requirements through its design, architecture, and implementation. Validation
is ongoing throughout the development phase beginning with engineering
models, then prototypes, and ending with production models and early manufactured items that are limited to a few in a short series.