Product testing and validation are essential steps in the product engineering process, but they are often misunderstood or misapplied by developers, managers, and customers. In this article, we will explore some of the biggest misconceptions about product testing and validation and how to avoid them.
One of the most common misconceptions about product testing is that it is only for finding and fixing bugs or errors in the code. While this is certainly an important aspect of testing, it is not the only one. Testing is also for verifying that the product meets the functional and non-functional requirements, that it works well with different environments and scenarios, that it provides a good user experience, and that it delivers value to the customers. Testing is not just a quality control activity, but a quality assurance activity that helps to improve the product throughout its lifecycle.
I think that product testing is not only for finding bugs, but also about how well prepared the product, and it aims to validate that whether the product meets its specification, functions, and will give positive user experience. It will also contributes to product improvement and customer satisfaction
I agree that testing is meant not only to validate the product design, but also to ensure the product meets the final product requirement/ specifications as promised to customers. Every issues captured needs to be fed back for future product design improvement.
Product Testing is to ensure all manufacturing defects are screened effectively at high volume manufacturing environment. Product validation is to validate and ensure the product is bug free at customer end based on industry/product use case firmware/applications.
Hi, Adding to this I will say that Testing and validation also asssures the SAFETY ( here it means- safe to Environment, customers & users) of any product which is the utmost priority for the customers and users and it is fulfilled by testing and validating the product with global regulatory requirements. I found this article very much effective & helpful to me as I am also in the field of Plastics product testing & Validation. Thanks.
é essencial levar em conta nau apenas o "uso de acordo com o manual", mas também o "uso real", condi??es as quais o produto pode ser submetido mesmo que acima de suas capacidade as quais ele precisa suportar ou se desativar para seguran?a do usuário.
Another common misconception about product validation is that it is only for satisfying the customers or stakeholders by showing them that the product works as intended. While this is certainly a desirable outcome of validation, it is not the only one. Validation is also for learning from the customers or users, by collecting and analyzing their feedback, behavior, and preferences. Validation is not just a demonstration activity, but a discovery activity that helps to understand the problem and the solution better.
In my experience, validation served various purpose. One of them is customer satisfaction. It goes beyond just satisfying customer. It ensures that a product aligns with its intended purpose, meets industry standards, and complies with the regulatory requirement. It reduces risk of product failures and contributes to the overall success and reputation. Of the product and the company
A third common misconception about product testing and validation is that they are separate phases that happen at the end of the product development process, after the product is built and ready to launch. While this may be true for some traditional or waterfall models, it is not the case for most agile or lean models. Testing and validation are continuous activities that happen throughout the product development process, from the ideation to the iteration stages. Testing and validation are not just final checks, but feedback loops that help to validate assumptions, test hypotheses, and measure outcomes.
A good product design must take into account for testability, controllability and observability. Testing and validation must be done simultaneously throughout product life time. Every steps in development needs testing/ validation before moving to the next step. Failing to do so will cause compounded/ cumulative issues at the end. It will be harder to fix and lead to high cost/ long delay … failed product development.
while product testing focuses on individual components, features, or aspects of a product, product validation evaluates the entire product to ensure it meets the intended requirements and functions correctly in its intended context. Both processes are crucial in ensuring the quality and reliability of a product, but they serve different purposes in the product development life cycle. While implementing these processes, we need to be very careful in identifying target customer base.
Testing and validation are also great tools to refine and improve design, application, and process, models. They create a physical example to be used for continuous improvement in product development systems, tools, and best practices.
I believe it depends on what your "product" is. If it's a pure software/Firmware product the approach is a bit different as mentioned here. In hardware products (including embedded firmware) testing mainly happens as verification and validation testing during the design phase. "verification" refers to the process of reviewing and checking the product to ensure that it complies with the specified requirements, standards, and guidelines. In short, Verification means "Are we building the product right?". Whereas, "validation" refers to the process of evaluating and verifying that a product meets its intended requirements and specifications. In short, Validation means whether Are we building the right product.
In some place they are separate phases but they are often overlap, and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Testing involves examination and evaluation for a product to identifies issues, while validation is about whether it meets specified requirements and satisifies the intended use.
A fourth common misconception about product testing and validation is that they are one-size-fits-all activities that apply the same methods, tools, and metrics for every product and every situation. While this may be convenient and simple, it is not realistic or effective. Testing and validation are context-dependent activities that require different approaches, techniques, and criteria depending on the product type, stage, goal, and audience. Testing and validation are not just standardized practices, but customized experiments that help to optimize the product for the specific problem and market.
As every product has its competitive edge within its tier or segment, good product design needs to consider its testability and observability. Different products has difference to how it is tested. It may have commonality and it may have differences. So, good test plan must consider all similarities and differences of its design. That should result in costumized methodology in part (if not all) of the testing.
Testing and validation have to be customized and adapted for every product. Both these activities depend on the complexity, technology, real-life use cases, use environment, user profile etc. You can not use a template or copy and paste from some other product because the above aspects will rarely be the same for different products, even for the same business. Not adapting the test suite based on these parameters can result in not covering the adequate use cases and environments. This can in high probability lead to not meeting customer needs and a high failure rate in the field.
A fifth common misconception about product testing and validation is that they are done by testers and validators, who are either external or internal experts who are responsible for evaluating the product and providing feedback. While this may be true for some aspects of testing and validation, such as usability testing or user acceptance testing, it is not the case for most aspects of testing and validation, such as unit testing or customer development. Testing and validation are collaborative activities that involve the whole product team, from the developers to the designers to the managers to the customers. Testing and validation are not just delegated tasks, but shared responsibilities that help to build a better product.
Hi, Yes it is true that Testing and validation are collaborative activities that involve the whole product team, as you can see that when the product is designed that is tested by CAE engineers in a dedicated software environment then after the product is physically produced then the performance testing lab tests and validates the product and finally the customer tests the product for final intended use of product.
One major misconception about product testing and validation is that it's a one-time process. In reality, it's ongoing. For example, in developing a new software application, we didn't just test the initial version but continuously tested updates for bugs and user feedback. Another misconception is that testing is only about finding faults. It's also about understanding user experiences and preferences. We used beta testing phases to gather user insights, leading to significant improvements in the final product. Many also think testing delays product launch, but in fact, it often speeds up the development process by identifying and solving problems early on, preventing costly revisions post-launch.
Two other misconceptions: 1) Accelerated/Overloaded tests are an efficient way to reduce test time and sample size resulting in reduced validation costs. Quicker results, however the results can be misleading. Do you fix an over-cycled / overloaded validation test failure? Is it a real-life failure? 2) Accelerated/Overloaded tests will result in total reduced program costs. Not necessarily, frequently the product is over-designed to just meet the harsher test requirements. Note: not necessarily your customer usage condition(s). Plans to extend your validation testing time and/or increase your test samples, can result in validating an overall lower cost product/program under typical customer usage (normal cycles/loads).
Testing only finds bugs - Testing is a broader process that encompasses ensuring the product meets its requirements, functions as intended, and provides a positive user experience. Validation only satisfies customers - Validation ensures the product delivers value to customers and aligns with their needs and expectations. It's not just about customer satisfaction but also about product relevance and market fit. Testing and validation are one-size-fits--- The approach to testing and validation should be tailored to the specific product, target market, and development methodology.
A basic point to consider- It will be good practice in testing and validation that we should find out that which tests are in common with other relevant specifications related to the product which will reduce our time and cost to complete the project effectively and economically. Thanks.
Another misconception: testing without predetermined requirements. I've seen a lot of tests planned as bogey tests (test to demonstrate minimum performance targets can be achieved), with no confidence in actual ability, or, tests to failure, in order to define a product requirement. The requirements must be defined in advance, and the equipment left to pass, or fail the test. This provides much more information on capabilities, reliability, and potential for improvement.