most UK practitioners and testers would understand by the V-model. Validation vs. verification It is sometimes said that validation can be expressed by the query "Are you building the right thing?" and verification by "Are you building it right?" In practice, the usage of these terms varies. The PMBOK guide, also adopted by the IEEE as a standard (jointly maintained by INCOSE, the Systems engineering Research Council SERC, and IEEE Computer Society) defines them as follows in its 4th edition: "Validation. The assurance that a product, service, or system meets the needs of the customer and other identified stakeholders. It often involves acceptance and suitability with external customers. Contrast with verification." "Verification. The evaluation of whether or not a product, service, or system complies with a regulation, requirement, specification, or imposed condition. It is often an internal process. Contrast with validation." Objectives The V-model provides guidance for the planning and realization of projects. The following objectives are intended to be achieved by a project execution: Minimization of project risks: The V-model improves project transparency and project control by specifying standardized approaches and describing the corresponding results and responsible roles. It permits an early recognition of planning deviations and risks and improves process management, thus reducing the project risk. Improvement and guarantee of quality: As a standardized process model, the V-model ensures that the results to be provided are complete and have the desired quality. Defined interim results can be checked at an early stage. Uniform product contents will improve readability, understandability and verifiability. Reduction of total cost over the entire project and system life cycle: The effort for the development, production, operation and maintenance of a system can be calculated, estimated and controlled in a transparent manner by applying a standardized process model. The results obtained are uniform and easily retraced. This reduces the acquirer's dependency on the supplier and the effort for subsequent activities and projects. Improvement of communication between all stakeholders: The standardized and uniform description of all relevant elements and terms is the basis for the mutual understanding between all stakeholders. Thus, the frictional loss between user, acquirer, supplier and developer is reduced. V-model topics Systems engineering and verification The systems engineering process (SEP) provides a path for improving the cost-effectiveness of complex systems as experienced by the system owner over the entire life of the system, from conception to retirement. It involves early and comprehensive identification