It will define the what, where, and when of our planned testing, influence regression testing, and largely determine which test techniques to use.
The way testing is organized must fit the development life cycle or it will fail to deliver its benefit.
If time to market is the key driver, then the testing must be fast and efficient. If a fully documented software development life cycle, with an audit trail of evidence, is required, the testing must be fully documented.
In every development life cycle, a part of testing is focused on verification testing and a part is focused on validation testing. Verification is concerned with evaluating a work product, component or
system to determine whether it meets the requirements set. In fact, verification focuses on the question 'Is the deliverable built according to the specification?'. Validation is concerned with evaluating a work product,component or system to determine whether it meets the user needs and requirements. Validation focuses on the question 'Is the deliverable fit for purpose, e.g. does it provide a solution to the problem?'.