Overview of Standards Validation Methods

The Purpose of Validation

Any standard is a collection of requirements which, if implemented correctly, achieve certain objectives in a product. These requirements could specify physical characteristics such as length, voltage and accessibility or behaviour such as the interchange of messages and the responses to particular stimuli. The purpose of validation is to ensure as far as possible that the requirements expressed in the standard do, in fact, acheive their objectives.

Validation Methods

Different types of standard require different forms of validation depending on the content of the standard and the methods used to define it. When considering methods of validation it is useful to distinguish between explicit and implicit methods:

• Explicit Validation Methods:
• Explicit validation methods encompass all those in which the primary objective is validation itself. Explicit methods include:
• Peer reviews
• Product-Based methods
• Model-Based methods
• Implicit Validation Methods:
• Implicit validation methods encompass those methods where the primary objective is not validating the standard but where validation is a by-product of the activity. Implicit methods include:
• Requirements Cataloguing
• Test Development
• Product Development
• Documentation

Validating the contents of a standard can be greatly simplified if a common approach to the layout and structure of the standard is taken. General guidelines exist for the basic presentation style of ETSI standards and for the use of the English language (SR 001 262)

Levels of Validation

It is not practical to consider using all possible validation methods but it could be useful to consider validation at different levels. In this way it may be easier to determine which combination of methods is most appropriate in each application.

The validation of standards can be defined in three levels:

• Level 1 represents the basic validation expected for a standard
• Level 2 represents acceptably strong validation
• Level 3 the most rigorous

EG 201 015 describes a range of practical methods that can be used for validating ETSI standards and other documents. It also defines the three levels of validation for both base specifications and their associated testing standards.

Regardless of which level and methods are chosen, there is a fundamental cycle of development, evaluation, analysis and revision that should be followed in order to ensure that the validation of the standard(s) is as comprehensive and effective as possible.