Software Engineering Questions

1. Discuss the differences between verification and validation and explain why validation is a particularly difficult process.

Verification is involved in the conformance to the specification. The specified functional and non-functional requirements must be checked to meet the system needs. Validation is checking that the system meets the requirements of the customer. Validation is a difficult process because there are different stakeholders who have different requirements for the system. So, the system being developed needs gradual changes to meet the users’ requirements. The identified needs when during the system specification stage may be different when the system undergoes testing.

2. Explain why it is necessary for a program to be completely free of defects before it is delivered to customers. To what extend can testing be used to validate that the program is fit for its purpose.

A developed program does not need to be completely free from defects before delivery. There are some defects that can pass through the system testing. Minor defects such as those that do not majorly cause system corruption and those which are transient (can be cleared when there is new data inputted). Remaining defects that are recoverable and there is such a function available that causes minimum user disruption. Also, the business of the customer benefits surpasses their loss cause by the system defects.

The use of testing to validate that the program is fit for its purpose cannot result accurately. It requires deep knowledge and understanding of the purpose of the system and how it will be used for the industry. The requirements of the system will always vary. It is impossible to produce a complete test set that can cover all possible errors especially that there will always be changes in the system. Thus, testing will be incomplete and inaccurate.

3. Explain why program inspections are an effective technique for discovering errors in a program. What types of error are...