Which term describes the process of evaluating a system to ensure it meets specified requirements?

The process of evaluating a system to ensure it meets specified requirements is known as testing. This involves executing the software with the intent to identify any discrepancies between the actual outcomes and the expected requirements. During testing, various methods such as unit tests, integration tests, and system tests can be utilized to check for correctness, reliability, and performance.

Testing is crucial in the software development lifecycle, as it helps to uncover defects, verify functionality, and validate that the system behaves as intended. By systematically assessing the software against its requirements, stakeholders can ensure quality prior to deployment, helping to minimize issues that may arise in real-world usage.

Other terms in the question, like maintenance, refer to the ongoing process of updating and improving the software after it has been deployed, while debugging focuses specifically on identifying and fixing defects that have already been found. Deployment pertains to the act of releasing the system to users, which occurs after testing has demonstrated that the system meets its requirements.