**Overview of the OCSE Independent Verification & Validation
Assessment**

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***U.S. Department of Health and Human Services***

***Administration for Children and Families***

***Office of Child Support Enforcement***

**Definition of IV&V**

Software Verification and Validation (V&V) is a systems engineering
discipline which helps the development organization build quality into
the software during the software life cycle. Validation is concerned
with checking that the software meets the user\'s needs, and
Verification is concerned with checking that the system is well
engineered. This is sometimes expressed as \"Are we building the right
system?\" and \" Are we building the system right?\"

Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) is Verification and
Validation activities performed by an agency that is not under the
control of the organization that is developing the software. The
definition of activities included under IV&V in CFR 307.15(b)(10) is
quite broad, including both technical and management activities (see
Enclosure 1).

**Purpose of the IV&V assessment**

# The Office of Child Support Enforcement conducts IV&V assessments on Child Support Enforcement systems when any of the triggering criteria of CFR 307.15(b)(10) occur (see Enclosure 2). The purpose of the assessment is to determine the extent of the IV&V services that a state program will be required to obtain. A secondary purpose may be to determine if an independent state agency is qualified to perform the IV&V role. 

**Nature and conduct of the assessment**

OCSE will conduct an on-site visit to aid in the assessment. OCSE may
provide a list of questions to help the State prepare for the visit.
During the on-site visit, the assessors will interview State staff and
collect documentation. The goal of the assessors is to understand both
the system\'s development processes and the quality and completeness of
the products of those processes. They will also need to understand both
the history and the current status of the process. The assessors will
need access to all system standards and documentation, and to personnel
who understand the process.

Enclosure 3 describes the potential areas of assessment. Not all these
areas are applicable to every project.

The State is encouraged to supply any additional information that will
help explain the State\'s development process. The State may do brief
presentations by project staff on the project\'s history, status, and
development processes if the State feels it will be helpful to the
assessors.

After the on-site visit, the assessors will analyze the documentation
and other materials gathered during the on-site visit. They will contact
the State if any additional information or clarification is required.

**Results of the assessment**

After all the collected information has been analyzed, OCSE will report
on the extent of the IV&V services the State will be required to obtain.
These services must be obtained from a contractor via RFP or from a
State agency, approved by OCSE, which is independent of the Child
Support Enforcement program.

If a contractor is used, the RFP and contract (or similar documents if
IV&V is performed by another State agency) must be submitted to ACF for
prior approval, regardless of the cost or thresholds. The contract must
include the names and skills of key personnel who will actually perform
the IV&V analysis. The State must submit an APD Update to include IV&V
activities and costs eligible for Federal financial participation at the
66 percent matching rate. The contractor or ACF-approved State agency
will provide the services described in Enclosure 3.

To be approved as an IV&V provider, a State agency must have both the
technical capability to perform IV&V services and managerial
independence from the system development agency

**Enclosure 1**

**Independent Verification and Validation activities from CFR
307.15(b)(10)**

1)  Develop a project work plan. The plan must be provided directly to
    OCSE at the same time it is given to the State.

2)  Review and make recommendations on both the management of the
    project, both State and vendor, and the technical aspects of the
    project. The results of this analysis must be provided directly to
    OCSE at the same time it is given to the State.

3)  Consult with all stakeholders and assess the user involvement and
    buy-in regarding system functionality and the system\'s ability to
    meet program needs.

4)  Conduct an analysis of past project performance (schedule, budget)
    sufficient to identify and make recommendations for improvement.

5)  Provide a risk management assessment and capacity planning services.

6)  Develop performance metrics which allow tracking of project
    completion against milestones set by the State.

**Enclosure 2**

**Criteria from CFR 307.15(b)(10) that trigger an IV&V assessment of a
State system**

\(A\) State does not have in place a statewide automated child support
enforcement system that meets the requirements of the FSA of 1988

\(B\) States which fail to meet a critical milestone, as identified in
their APDs

\(C\) States which fail to timely and completely submit APD updates

\(D\) States whose APD indicates the need for a total system redesign

\(E\) States developing systems under waivers pursuant to section
452(d)(3) of the Social Security Act

\(F\) States whose system development efforts we determine are at risk
of failure, significant delay, or significant cost overrun.

**Enclosure 3**

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                    **IV&V Options**

  **Part I -        Project Initiation
  Project           
  Management**      

                    Business Process Reengineering

                    Project Planning and Reporting

                    Project Estimating and Scheduling

                    Project Personnel

                    Project Organization

                    Subcontractors and External Staff

                    Subcontractor Commitment

                    State Oversight

                    Acceptance and Turnover

  **Part II -       Training and Documentation
  Project-Wide      
  Processes**       

                    User Training and Documentation

                    Developer Training and Documentation

                    Process Definition and Standards

                    Quality Assurance

                    Configuration Management

                    Requirements Management

                    System Security

                    System Capacity

  **Part III -      Systems Engineering
  Environments,     
  Processes, and    
  Products**        

                    Requirements Analysis

                    Interface Requirements

                    Requirements Allocation and Specification

                    Reverse Engineering

                    Operating Environment

                    System Hardware

                    System Software

                    Data Management

                    Database Software

                    Data Conversion

                    Database Design

                    Development Environment

                    Hardware

                    Software

                    Software Architecture

                    High-Level Design

                    Detailed Design

                    Job Control

                    Code and Test

                    Code

                    Unit Test

                    Integration Test

                    Pilot Test
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