Software development has evolved through countless methodologies over the years, but few models have stood the test of time like the V Model. Known for its clarity, structure, and strong emphasis on verification and validation, the V Model continues to be a foundational concept for QA professionals even in today’s Agile, DevOps, and CI CD driven environments.
Whether you’re exploring qa test training or enrolling in a QA software tester course, understanding the It is essential. It forms the backbone of how testing aligns with development and ensures product quality from start to finish.
This comprehensive guide will break down everything you need to know about the V Model, including its stages, benefits, challenges, real world use cases, and why it is still relevant.
Introduction
The V Model Verification and Validation Model is a software development lifecycle SDLC approach that emphasizes a strict, structured sequence of development and testing activities. Often described as an extension of the Waterfall Model, the V Model creates a V shaped diagram where each development phase on the left corresponds to a specific testing phase on the right.
In simple terms:
Every development activity has a matching test activity.
This alignment reinforces the idea that testing is not a one time step at the end. It is a continuous process that begins from the requirements stage.
Why the Still Matters Today
Even with Agile and DevOps trending worldwide, the V Model retains importance because:
- Many industries require predictability and documentation, such as healthcare, banking, aerospace, and manufacturing.
- It enforces discipline and clarity in requirements.
- It encourages early detection of errors, reducing cost and delays.
- It is ideal for teams that rely on structured QA processes learned through qa test training and structured test planning.
The V Model remains a powerful method for teams that need stability, clear deliverables, and compliance ready documentation.
Understanding the V Shape: Verification and Validation
The V Model divides the SDLC into two major parts:
Left Side: Verification Phases Development
Right Side: Validation Phases Testing
Each phase has its own goals, inputs, outputs, and deliverables.
Let’s break it down step by step.
Verification Phases Left Side of the V
Verification ensures that the software is being built correctly. It includes:
Requirement Analysis
This is the top level planning phase.
Activities include:
- Gathering client requirements
- Defining system expectations
- Understanding functionality and constraints
- Reviewing for completeness, clarity, feasibility
Deliverable: Software Requirement Specification SRS
The User Acceptance Testing UAT phase on the right later validates it.
System Design
This phase focuses on defining:
- System architecture
- Tech stack
- Modules
- Interfaces
- Data flow
Engineers create system design specifications that will later be tested via System Testing.
High Level Design HLD
Here the system is broken into major components or modules.
Includes:
- Module descriptions
- Database design
- API outlines
- Integration strategy
The corresponding test phase: Integration Testing.
Low Level Design LLD
This phase goes deeper into technical details:
- Functions and methods
- Logic flows
- Class diagrams
- Pseudocode
The corresponding test phase: Unit Testing.
Coding Phase
This is where the actual development happens.
Programming teams build:
- Modules
- Components
- User interfaces
- Business logic
Once coding ends, the right side of the V begins with testing activities.
Validation Phases Right Side of the V
Validation ensures that the software meets the expectations laid out during verification.
Unit Testing
Developers test individual units or components:
- Functions
- Classes
- Methods
This ensures each unit works perfectly in isolation.
Tools commonly used include JUnit, NUnit, TestNG, and more.
Integration Testing
Next, testers validate how modules interact with each other.
They check:
- Data flow
- API communication
- Component interactions
- Interface mismatches
This confirms that integrated modules work as expected.
System Testing
System testing examines the entire software as a complete system.
Checks include:
- End to end functionality
- Performance
- Security
- Usability
- Compatibility
This phase validates the system design created earlier.
User Acceptance Testing UAT
The final validation phase.
UAT verifies:
- The software meets business requirements
- It behaves as the client expects
- It is ready for deployment
This phase directly maps back to the requirement analysis phase.
The V Model Diagram Explained
Visually, the V Model looks like this:
Requirements → UAT
System Design → System Testing
High Level Design → Integration Testing
Low Level Design → Unit Testing
Coding
This symmetry is the essence of the V Model.
Key Principles of the V Model
To understand the full value of the V Model, remember its core principles:
Testing Starts Early
Testing activities begin at the requirements stage, not after development finishes.
Each Phase Must Be Completed Before the Next Begins
This ensures quality and prevents ambiguity.
Each Development Phase Has a Corresponding Test Activity
This ensures that deliverables are validated throughout the lifecycle.
Documentation Is Mandatory
Every stage produces documentation:
- Test plans
- Test cases
- Requirement documents
- Design documents
This is especially helpful for learners in a qa software tester course as they learn structured testing methods.
Advantages
The V Model remains popular due to its clear, disciplined structure and predictable outcomes.
Early Detection of Defects
Because testing begins early, defects are caught before they become expensive.
Well Defined Deliverables
Every phase produces clear outputs, helping QA teams plan test coverage thoroughly.
Suitable for Complex, Safety Critical Systems
Industries like:
- Aerospace
- Banking
- Healthcare
- Government
prefer models with predictable processes and rigorous testing.
Excellent for Beginners in QA
For learners exploring qa test training, the V Model is one of the first concepts taught because:
- It establishes a testing mindset
- It teaches requirement analysis
- It reinforces structured planning
Easy to Manage
Project managers benefit from its orderly, step by step workflow.
Limitations
While highly structured, the V Model does have limitations.
Not Suitable for Changing Requirements
Once a phase is complete, going back is difficult.
No Overlapping Phases
Modern Agile environments allow flexibility and continuous iterations. The V Model does not support this.
Late Working Product
The first true version of the software appears only after coding is complete.
Heavy Dependence on Requirements
If requirements are unclear or incomplete, the entire process suffers.
Comparison: V Model vs Waterfall Model
Both models are linear, but the V Model emphasizes testing more strongly.
| Feature | Waterfall Model | V Model |
|---|---|---|
| Testing Begins | After development | Starts from requirements |
| Documentation | High | Very high |
| Risk Handling | Moderate | High |
| Suitability | Small to medium projects | High risk or critical projects |
| Test Planning | At end | At every stage |
The V Model is essentially a more quality focused evolution of the Waterfall Model.
Comparison: V Model vs Agile
| Aspect | V Model | Agile |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Predictive | Adaptive |
| Flexibility | Low | Very high |
| Documentation | Extensive | Minimal |
| Delivery | One release | Iterative releases |
| Testing | Stage wise | Continuous |
| Best For | Regulated industries | Fast moving industries |
Even though Agile dominates today, companies still use the V Model for projects requiring structure, compliance, and traceability.
Real World Use Cases of V Model
The V Model is widely used in:
Healthcare Software
Accuracy is mandatory for patient safety.
Banking and Finance
Strong validation ensures compliance and prevents costly errors.
Aerospace and Defense
Where risk is not tolerated.
Manufacturing and Industrial Sensors
Testing requirements must match strict engineering design.
Professionals trained through qa test training will often encounter documentation heavy environments where V Model is still the preferred SDLC approach.
Why QA Testers Must Understand the V Model
If you are learning through a qa software tester course, the V Model is foundational because:
- It teaches traceability between requirements and tests
- It helps you write test cases aligned with business goals
- It improves planning and documentation skills
- It builds strong analytical thinking
- It prepares you for real world projects that use structured methodologies
Knowing the V Model makes you a stronger candidate during QA interviews as well.
How Testers Work in Each V Model Phase
Let’s look at how QA professionals engage in each stage.
Requirement Analysis
- Prepare UAT scenarios
- Validate requirement completeness
- Identify testable requirements
System Design Phase
- Draft system level test cases
- Plan system testing strategy
High Level Design
- Prepare integration test cases
- Identify module interactions
Low Level Design
- Assist in unit test review
- Understand code level logic flow
Coding Phase
- Execute tests after development
- Collaborate with developers
A strong understanding of these activities is essential for mastering material taught in qa test training.
Is the V Model Relevant in 2025 and Beyond
Absolutely. Many industries still operate under compliance, documentation, and safety heavy systems.
Even in hybrid Agile environments, teams often borrow from the V Model structure to:
- Improve requirement traceability
- Strengthen documentation
- Maintain structured reviews
- Reduce production defects
The V Model continues to complement modern SDLC approaches.
Conclusion
software testing is a systematic and disciplined approach that emphasizes the importance of verification and validation at every stage of development. Its structured nature, documentation requirements, and strict mapping between development and testing activities make it an invaluable model for QA professionals.
Whether you are enrolled in a qa software tester course or pursuing qa test training, mastering the V Model strengthens your knowledge, sharpens your testing mindset, and prepares you for real world QA roles.
As software systems grow more complex and industries demand higher accountability, the V Model remains a cornerstone methodology, especially for testers who take quality seriously.
13 Responses
V-MODEL:
V-Model is also called as verification model and validation model. In this process, each phase of SDLC starts. It has sequential design process same as waterfall model.
Verification:
Verification consists of a static analysis method done without running the code. It is a product development code process to find whether specified requirements meet.
Validation:
Validation involves a dynamic analysis method which is functional and non-functional, testing is done to process to divide the software after the completion of the development process to determine whether the software meets the requirements and customer expectations.
V-model contains verification phases on one side of the validation phases on the other side.
There are different phases of verification in the V-model:
1. Business requirement analysis
2. System Design
3. Architecture Design
4. Module Design
5. Coding step
When we use V-Model?
1. When the requirement is well defined and unambiguous.
2. V-shaped model should be used for small to medium-sized projects where requirements are clearly defined and fixed.
3. V-shaped model should choose when sample technical resources are available with essential technical expertise.
Advantages:
1. It is very easy to understand.
2. Testing Methods like planning, test designing happens before coding.
3. It saves a lot of time. So a higher chance of success over the waterfall model.
4. It avoids the downward flow of the defects.
5. Works good for small plans where requirements are easily understood.
Disadvantages:
1. It is rigid and least flexible.
2. Not suitable for a complex project.
3. No early prototypes of the software are produced as software is developed during the implementation stage
4. If changes happen in the midway, then the test documents with the required changes have to be updated.
V- Model is a sequential design process since it consists of verification & validation process joined by coding V Shape that why it is called V-Model.
Verification is a static analysis method ( without running the code) whereas Validation is a dynamic analysis in which testing is done to determine whether the software complies with customer expectation.
V-Model consist of different phases of verification such as.
1 Business requirement analysis:
2 System Design
3 Architecture Design
4 Module Design
5 Coding step.
Use of V_ Model
V-Model is generally used for small to medium size project where requirement are clearly defined & unchangeable In future.
Advantage of V Model
Main advantage of V-Model is that it requires testing at every step. so it restricts the flow of errors & consequently higher chances of success.
Disadvantage
Since the model is not very flexible in terms of the future changes in requirement, so its not suitable for complex projects, besides prototypes can not be produced for this model.
V_MODEL:
V-Model is also called as verification model and validation model. In this process, each phase of SDLC starts. It has sequential design process same as waterfall model.
Verification:
Verification consists of a static analysis method done without running the code. It is a product development code process to find
whether specified requirements meet.
Validation:
Validation involves a dynamic analysis method which is functional and non-functional, testing is done to process to divide the
software after the completion of the development process to determine whether the software meets the requirements and
customer expectations.
V-model contains verification phases on one side of the validation phases on the other side.
There are different phases of verification in the V-model:
1. Business requirement analysis
2. System Design
3. Architecture Design
4. Module Design
5. Coding step
When we use V-Model?
1. When the requirement is well defined and unambiguous.
2. V-shaped model should be used for small to medium-sized projects where requirements are clearly defined and fixed.
3. V-shaped model should choose when sample technical resources are available with essential technical expertise.
Advantages:
1. It is very easy to understand.
2. Testing Methods like planning, test designing happens before coding.
3. It saves a lot of time. So a higher chance of success over the waterfall model.
4. It avoids the downward flow of the defects.
5. Works good for small plans where requirements are easily understood.
Disadvantages:
1. It is rigid and least flexible.
2. Not suitable for a complex project.
3. No early prototypes of the software are produced as software is developed during the implementation stage
4. If changes happen in the midway, then the test documents with the required changes have to be updated.
V-Model is (verification and validation model combined).
Verification consists of a static testing
Validation involves a dynamic testing
The verification and validation processes are joined by the coding phase in v-shape.
There are different phases of verification in the V-model:
Business requirement gathering, System Design, Architecture Design, Module Design, Coding
V-Model is used when the requirement is well defined and unambiguous.
Advantages:
Used for small to medium-sized projects.
Testing Methods like planning, test designing happens before coding.
It saves time and avoids the downward flow of the defects.
Disadvantages:
Not very flexible and not suitable for a complex project.
any client requirement changes impact the test documents as the required changes have to be updated.
V Model is also called as verification and validation model. In this process each phase of SDLC starts. I t has sequential design process same as water flow model
Verification consists of a static analysis method , without running the code
Validation consists of dynamic analysis method which is functional and non-functional
There are different phases of verification in v model
Business requirement analysis, System design, Architecture design, module design, coding.
V-model (Verification and Validation model)
-V-model is a type of SDLC model where process executes in sequential manner.
-Verification and validation happens simultaneously and are joined by coding phase in V-shape.
– In this model every development phase is associated with corresponding testing phase.
Verification is static analysis or static testing done without executing the code.
Validation is dynamic analysis model or it is Functional and non-functional testing done by executing the code.
Different phases of V-model are
-Requirement gathering -System design-Architectural design-Module Design and coding
-V-model is suitable for small scale projects where the requirements are clear and unambiguous.
-It is easy to understand.
-V-model is not viable for medium and large sized projects ,as this model cannot accommodate changing requirements.
It is rigid and not flexible.
V Model – Validation or Verification Model has sequential design process same as waterfall model .
Verification – static analysis
Validation – dynamic analysis
The stages of V model :
1. Business Requirement Analysis : product requirement is gathered
2. System Design : system engineers analyze and explain business of the proposed system
3. Architecture Design : integration testing model is carried out here
4. Module Design : the system breaks down into smaller modules and details design of the modules is specified
5. Coding Step : suitable coding language is decided according the requirments and is reviewed various times
V model is used when : requirements are clear and unambiguous 2. small or medium sized projects 3. when sample technical resources are available with essential technical expertise
Advantages : Easy to understand, saves time, avoids downward flow of defects, works good for small plans .
Disadvantages : very rigid, not suitable for complex project, no prototypes are developed in earlier stages, all test documents need to be updated in case of any changes
V-model is also called as Verification and Validation Model.
Phases in V-Model.
When we go for V-Model?
Advantages of V-Model.
Disadvantages of V-Model.
V-model: v model is also called as verification model and validation model, it has sequential design process as waterfall model.
verification consists of a static analysis method.
validation consists of a dynamic analysis method.
v model contains verification phases on one side and validation phase on other side, they both process are joined by the coding phase in v shape, that’s why we call v-model.
different verifications in V-model:
business requirement analysis and system design, architecture design, module design, coding step.
we use V-model when the requirement is well defined and unambiguous and small to medium projects, sample technical resources are available with essential technical exprtise.
advantages: it is easy to understand
planning and designing happens before coding
it saves lot of time
works good for small plans where requirements are easily understood
Disadvantages: it is rigid and least flexible
not suitable for complex projects.
V-model (Verification and Validation model)
-V-model is a type of SDLC model where process executes in sequential manner.
-Verification and validation happens simultaneously and are joined by coding phase in V-shape.
– In this model every development phase is associated with corresponding testing phase.
Verification is static analysis or static testing done without executing the code.
Validation is dynamic analysis model or it is Functional and non-functional testing done by executing the code.
Different phases of V-model are
-Requirement gathering -System design-Architectural design-Module Design and coding
-V-model is suitable for small scale projects where the requirements are clear and unambiguous.
-It is easy to understand.
-V-model is not viable for medium and large sized projects ,as this model cannot accommodate changing requirements.
It is rigid and not flexible.
V-Model is also called as verification model and validation model. In this process, each phase of SDLC starts. It has sequential design process same as waterfall model.
Advantages :
Easy to understand, saves time, avoids downward flow of defects, works good for small plans .
Disadvantages :
very rigid, not suitable for complex project, no prototypes are developed in earlier stages, all test documents need to be updated in case of any changes
V-MODEL:
V-Model is also called as verification model and validation model. In this process, each phase of SDLC starts. It has sequential design process same as waterfall model.
Verification:
Verification consists of a static analysis method done without running the code. It is a product development code process to find whether specified requirements meet.
Validation:
Validation involves a dynamic analysis method which is functional and non-functional, testing is done to process to divide the software after the completion of the development process to determine whether the software meets the requirements and customer expectations.
V-model contains verification phases on one side of the validation phases on the other side.
There are different phases of verification in the V-model:
1. Business requirement analysis
2. System Design
3. Architecture Design
4. Module Design
5. Coding step
When we use V-Model?
1. When the requirement is well defined and unambiguous.
2. V-shaped model should be used for small to medium-sized projects where requirements are clearly defined and fixed.
3. V-shaped model should choose when sample technical resources are available with essential technical expertise.
Advantages:
1. It is very easy to understand.
2. Testing Methods like planning, test designing happens before coding.
3. It saves a lot of time. So a higher chance of success over the waterfall model.
4. It avoids the downward flow of the defects.
5. Works good for small plans where requirements are easily understood.
Disadvantages:
1. It is rigid and least flexible.
2. Not suitable for a complex project.
3. No early prototypes of the software are produced as software is developed during the implementation stage
4. If changes happen in the midway, then the test documents with the required changes have to be updated.
V-Model is also called as verification model and validation model. In this process, each phase of SDLC starts. Validation involves a dynamic analysis method which is functional and non-functional, testing is done to process to divide the software after the completion of the development process to determine whether the software meets the requirements and customer expectations.V-model contains verification phases on one side of the validation phases on the other side. Here the verification and validation both processes are joined by the coding phase in v-shape. Thus it is called as V-Model.
Different phases of verification in the V-model are business requirement analysis, system design
architecture design, module design aand Coding step
We use V-model when requirement is well defined and unambiguous, for small to medium-sized projects, sample technical resources are available with essential technical expertise.
Advantages:
-easy to understand
-testing methods like planning, test designing happens before coding
-save time so higher chance of success over waterfall model
-avoids downward flow of the defects
-works good for small plans where requirements are easy to understand
Disadvantages:
-It is rigid and least flexible
-not suitable for complex project
-no early prototypes of the software are produced as software is developed during the implementation stage.
-if changes happen in midway, the test documents with required changes have to be updated.