Verification, Validation, and Accreditation (VV&A)

The field of modeling and simulation (M&S) has become an integral part of the systems acquisition process, augmenting design, development, and T&E while reducing program technical and cost risk.  M&S can examine a broader tradespace in a shorter amount of time and at less cost than traditional T&E. As the complexity of these models has increased, model users have implemented verification, validation, and accreditation (VV&A) processes to assess and demonstrate the credibility of the M&S results used to support program decisions. Moreover, Department of Defense (DoD) instructions require that M&S be accredited for use, and that accreditation be supported by data demonstrating how well the M&S meets user requirements. The SURVICE Engineering Company uses a cost-effective approach to M&S VV&A, where V&V activities are scoped and prioritized by first determining critical user requirements (e.g., what capabilities are required in the M&S, how accurate the M&S needs to be, and what user support is required).SURVICE tailors the VV&A process to focus only on providing those results that directly support user accreditation requirements, thereby producing the best answer for the least cost to the customer.