Book Description
This report provides a step-by-step guide, or user manual, for personnel responsible for the planning and execution of the verification and validation (V & V), and developmental testing, of expert systems, conventional software systems, and various other types of artificial intelligence systems. While the guide was developed primarily for applications in the utility industry, it applies well to all industries. The user manual has three sections. In Section 1 the user assesses the stringency of V & V needed for the system under consideration, identifies the development stage the system is in, and identifies the component(s) of the system to be tested next. These three pieces of information determine which Guideline Package of V & V methods is most appropriate for those conditions. The V & V Guideline Packages are provided in Section 2. Each package consists of an ordered set of V & V techniques to be applied to the system, guides on choosing the review/evaluation team, measurement criteria, and references to a book or report which describes the application of the method. Section 3 presents details of 11 of the most important (or least well-explained in the literature) methods to assist the user in applying these techniques accurately.