Guides Verification (tests, reviews) vs Validation (user acceptance) for CMMI Level 3 SDLC quality. Use for test strategy, code reviews, shipping without tests, defect management.
npx claudepluginhub tachyon-beep/skillpacks --plugin axiom-sdlc-engineeringThis skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.
This skill implements the **Verification (VER)** and **Validation (VAL)** process areas from the CMMI-based SDLC prescription.
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This skill implements the Verification (VER) and Validation (VAL) process areas from the CMMI-based SDLC prescription.
Core principle: Verification ≠ Validation. Tests prove you built it correctly (VER). Users prove you built the right thing (VAL). Both required at Level 3.
Critical distinction:
Reference: See docs/sdlc-prescription-cmmi-levels-2-4.md Section 3.3 for complete VER/VAL policy.
Use this skill when:
Do NOT use for:
| Situation | Primary Reference Sheet | Key Decision |
|---|---|---|
| "Skip tests to ship faster?" | Testing Practices | Level 3: Tests required before merge. Exception protocol for emergencies only. |
| "Reviews catching nothing" | Peer Reviews | Social dynamics issue, not technical. Psychological safety + reviewer accountability. |
| "Tests pass, customers unhappy" | Validation with Stakeholders | VER without VAL. Both required at Level 3. UAT process needed. |
| "Same bugs recurring" | Defect Management | Requires RCA (5 Whys, fishbone). Pattern = systemic issue needing process fix. |
| "Manual tests take 2 days" | Testing Practices | Ice cream cone anti-pattern. Migrate to test pyramid with economics. |
What: Ensuring product meets specifications and requirements
How: Testing, code review, static analysis, inspections
Who: Development team (internal)
When: Throughout development, before release
Level 3 Requirements:
Example: Unit tests pass, integration tests pass, code reviewed
What: Ensuring product meets user needs and solves actual problems
How: User acceptance testing (UAT), stakeholder demos, beta testing
Who: End users, stakeholders (external to dev team)
When: End of iteration, before production release
Level 3 Requirements:
Example: Users confirm feature solves their problem, stakeholders approve for release
| Scenario | VER | VAL | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tests pass, users happy | ✅ | ✅ | SUCCESS - Built correctly AND right thing |
| Tests pass, users unhappy | ✅ | ❌ | FAILURE - Wrong feature, wrong UX, wrong problem solved |
| Tests fail, users would have been happy | ❌ | ✅ | FAILURE - Right idea, poor execution, bugs prevent use |
| Tests fail, users would be unhappy | ❌ | ❌ | DISASTER - Wrong thing built poorly |
Level 3 mandate: Both VER and VAL required before production release.
VER Requirements:
VAL Requirements:
Work Products:
Quality Criteria:
Audit Trail:
VER Requirements:
VAL Requirements:
Work Products:
Quality Criteria:
Audit Trail:
Statistical Practices:
Quantitative Work Products:
Quality Criteria:
Audit Trail:
CRITICAL: "Tests later" = tests never (documented historical pattern)
Level 3 projects - Absolute requirements:
Rationale: Risk too high, rework too expensive, reputation damage too severe
When: Production outage, immediate fix needed, no time for full test suite
Level 3 Requirements:
Frequency Limit: >5 TEST-HOTFIXes per month = systemic problem requiring process audit
Violation: Skipping retrospective tests = QA failure, escalate to engineering manager
If absolutely must ship without full coverage:
Retrospective required: Within 7 days, answer "Why no tests?" and address root cause
Enforcement: Violations escalate to engineering manager, process audit if patterns emerge
Detection: Tests written after code (or not at all), "We'll add tests later"
Red Flags:
Why it fails: "Later" never comes, test debt accumulates, bugs reach production, rework costs 10-100x more
Counter: TDD requirement (Level 3 can waive, but must justify). Tests = part of "done", not optional.
Detection: Code reviews <5 minutes, "LGTM" without specific feedback, defects escaping to production
Red Flags:
Why it fails: Social pressure not to block > quality, reviewers fear being "difficult", no accountability
Counter: Review metrics (finding rate should be 20-40%), reviewer accountability, psychological safety
Detection: Mostly manual E2E tests, few unit tests, regression testing takes days
Red Flags:
50% of testing time is manual
Why it fails: Doesn't scale, slow feedback, expensive to maintain, brittle tests
Counter: Test pyramid economics, migration to unit-heavy strategy, ROI calculation
Detection: Same bugs recurring in different places, no pattern analysis, firefighting constantly
Red Flags:
Why it fails: Treats symptoms not causes, waste effort on recurring issues, no learning
Counter: RCA requirement (Level 3 mandatory for recurring defects), defect pattern analysis
Detection: Stakeholders "approve" without actually using system, checkbox exercise
Red Flags:
Why it fails: False confidence, issues found in production, customer dissatisfaction
Counter:
The following reference sheets provide detailed guidance for specific QA domains. Load them on-demand when needed.
When to use: Deciding test strategy, coverage requirements, test pyramid, TDD
→ See testing-practices.md
Covers:
When to use: Code reviews ineffective, rubber-stamp approvals, unclear reviewer responsibilities
→ See peer-reviews.md
Covers:
When to use: Planning UAT, stakeholder acceptance, beta testing, demo preparation
→ See validation-with-stakeholders.md
Covers:
When to use: Bugs recurring, defect triage, root cause analysis, prevention
→ See defect-management.md
Covers:
When to use: Measuring quality effectiveness, tracking improvement, justifying QA investment
→ See qa-metrics.md
Covers:
When to use: Understanding appropriate QA rigor for project tier
→ See level-scaling.md
Covers:
| Mistake | Why It Fails | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| "Tests later" | Later never comes, debt accumulates | Tests = part of "done". Level 3: required before merge. |
| "Tests pass = done" | Conflates VER with VAL, skips user acceptance | Both required at Level 3. Tests AND stakeholder approval. |
| "LGTM rubber stamps" | Social pressure > quality, reviewers fear blocking | Reviewer accountability, metrics (20-40% finding rate), psychological safety. |
| "Automate everything" | Automation has costs (setup, maintenance), not always ROI-positive | Test pyramid economics. Unit tests cheap, E2E expensive. Choose wisely. |
| "Manual testing is bad" | Some testing should be manual (exploratory, one-time, usability) | Strategic automation. Critical paths automated, exploratory manual. |
| "Skip RCA, fix it quick" | Same bugs recur, waste effort whack-a-mole | Level 3: RCA required for recurring defects. Fix root cause, not symptom. |
| "Stakeholder approved" (without using system) | Validation theater, issues found in production | Hands-on UAT required. Stakeholder must actually use feature, not just demo. |
| When You're Doing | Also Use | For |
|---|---|---|
| Writing tests for Python code | axiom-python-engineering | pytest-specific patterns and idioms |
| E2E/performance/chaos testing | ordis-quality-engineering | Specialized test strategies |
| Implementing code review process | design-and-build | Code review checklist, CI integration |
| Designing acceptance criteria | requirements-lifecycle | INVEST criteria, user story format |
| Setting up CI for testing | design-and-build | CI/CD pipeline configuration |
Without this skill: Teams experience:
With this skill: Teams achieve:
Remember: Verification proves you built it correctly. Validation proves you built the right thing. You need BOTH.