Design and Process - Validation vs. Verification - What is the difference?

[dbzman]

Validation & Verification - Dif??

Could someone help me better understand the differance between "Validation" and Verification"?

Thanks!

 

[Al Dyer]

How about this,

System > Validate> Verify

We start some process, it could be a new project or a corrective action or whatever.

We validate through the tools at our disposal that it is feasable and works.

After we validate (short term) a process what to we do? Leave it alone or verify that our actions were indeed valid?

Part two next-------------------------------->

 

[tomvehoski]

I assume you are looking at the 7.3 design section. Verification is basically makeing sure what you designed meets what you were trying to design. Validation means it actually works in the intended application.

For example, say you are designing a bumper for a car. Specifications say it must:

a. Mate with the rest of the car.
b. Resist corrosion per some specification XXX.
c. Withstand a 5 mph impact with no damage.

To verify your design you could:

a. Perform a dimensional analysis of your blueprint/cad data with the rest of the vehicle and make sure everything will fit.
b. Evaluate the expected coating/plating performance to be used against the requirements in specification XXX.
c. Evaluate the material and design to make sure it is strong enough to withstand.

To validate you could make several prototype bumpers and:

a. Mount it to a car.
b. Run a salt spray / environmental test
c. Crash a car at 5 mph and check for damage.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Rick Goodson]

Tom,

Another view using the automotive example. A customer requests an automobile that can accelerate from 0 - 60 in 15 seconds. Design engineer produces a design, based on car weight, for a 200 hp engine. We build a prototype engine and test for 200 hp therefore verifying the design. We then put it in the car and validate the car goes from 1 - 60 in 15 seconds.

Validation assures we meet the customers requirements. Verification assures the design output meets the design input.

 

[SteelMaiden]

I have a rather simplistic view on the differences of verification and validation. If I get an e-mail stating that someone on the Cove made a statement and I ask, say Energy, and he says "yes, that is so" I could say that the statement is validated based on the fact that energy is a frequent visitor here, and he has never told me a falsehood (except maybe a fish story or two )

But, If I ask Mike S., he'll not only tell me it is so, he'll find the quote and send it to me. He just verified the statement by not only his experience and competency but by providing back up evidence.

There are some things made that you really can't verify, through hardening of gear blanks for one. But the process can be validated by regulating and monitoring the furnace, process controls of product going in, and any types of nondestructive testing and your past track record in producing these parts.

 

[Kevin Mader]

Just in case this distinction was missed:

As noted in the body of the posts above, keep in mind that there are two types of validation being discussed here: product validation (from a customer's perspective) and process validation.

Regards,

Kevin

 

[olddog]

validation - verification

look at it this way validation is the process of verification.
If a nightclub requires all patrons to be over 21 years of age, they must validate this is true. They do that by placing a person at the entrance to verify age by checking ID's.

In otherwords, the only way to validate something is to verify it. The act of checking is verification. The process of checking is validation.

 

[Randy]

In aviation maintenance verification is checking to see if systems and components work on the ground (MOC's) and validation is the test flight activity (MTF) itself.

 

[dbzman]

Reply to Answers

Thanks for all of the input!

One more question:

we are a Heat Treating company. All we do is take the customer part, heat treat it to harden it, and then send it back to the customer. We test for hardness to make sure that it is correct.

How does verification and validation fit into this?

Thanks!

 

[tomvehoski]

Verification will be to do a hardness check to make sure you hardened it to the correct specification. Validation will most likely be up to your customer - unless you have the ability to run the part in a real world type test.

In your situation I normally state something to the effect that verification is the act of inspection. Validation is the responsibility of the customer. As long as the customer does not complain, and pays the invoice, the part is considered validated and the design process can be considered closed.

Tom