8.8Related Concepts

Alpha vs Beta Testing

• Alpha testing: Internal validation by the QA team or internal users, before external release
• Beta testing: External validation by real users in a production-like environment

V-Model

The V-Model explicitly maps verification and validation activities to development phases:

Requirements ──────────────────── Acceptance Testing (Validation)
  System Design ──────────────── System Testing (Verification)
    Architecture ─────────────── Integration Testing (Verification)
      Coding ─────────────────── Unit Testing (Verification)

Each level on the left (development) has a corresponding test level on the right. Verification dominates the lower levels; validation dominates the top.