Glossary · Verification and validation
Verification method
Also known as: IADT (inspection, analysis, demonstration, test)
German: Verifikationsmethode
In systems engineering, a verification method is the way in which a requirement is shown to be met; the classic methods are inspection, analysis, demonstration and test, sometimes complemented by review or similarity.
- Verification
- Systems engineering
In one sentence
A verification method is how a requirement is shown to be met, typically inspection, analysis, demonstration or test.
Example
The guard dimensions are verified by inspection, the stopping time by test and the PL of the safety function by analysis with a calculation tool.
How it applies
- Engineering: Assign a verification method to each requirement when it is written; if no method fits, the requirement is probably not verifiable.
- Functional safety: ISO 13849-2 and IEC 61508 expect a combination of analysis and testing for safety functions.
- Documentation: Documentation requirements (for example "the manual shall describe the reset procedure") are usually verified by inspection or review; the documentation team should know which reviews count as verification evidence.
- Evidence: Record for every verification which method was used, by whom, with which version of the item and with which result; this record is part of the Safety evidence.
Verification method vs. verification criterion
The method says how you check; the Verification criterion says what result counts as a pass. Both belong to the requirement.