Testing (Validation):
The program is tested on a number of suitable test cases. A test plan of the program has to be done at the stage of the program design itself. This ensures a thorough understanding of the specifications. The most trivial and the most special cases should be identified and tested. It is always useful to include the maximum and minimum values of all variables as test data.
Documentation:
Documentation is a very essential step in the program development. Documentation help$ the users and the people who maintain the software. This ensures that future modification if required can be done easily. Also it is required during redesigning and maintenance.
Maintenance:
Updating and correction of the program for changed conditions and field experience is accounted for in maintenance. Maintenance becomes essential in following situations:
– Change in specification,
– ChangelrY equipment,
– Errors which are found during the actual execution of the program.
Modularity, structured programming, thorough testing and debugging and proper documentation greatly reduce the time and cost of maintenance of the software.
