Verification Planning

Build an evidence path

Before changing a non-trivial system, build an evidence path: a project-specific route from the claim being made to evidence that can establish, limit, or refute it.

The purpose is not to select a familiar technique. The purpose is to decide how this system can reveal the truth of this particular change.

1. Frame the claim

State the behavior that needs to become true and the conditions that could make a confident conclusion wrong.

Consider what must change, what must remain true, where the behavior crosses a boundary, and which failure would matter most.

Complete when: the claim, its meaningful uncertainty, and its important failure modes are concrete enough to investigate.

2. Design the evidence path

Derive possible evidence paths from the system itself: its controllable inputs, observable effects, state transitions, invariants, boundaries, artifacts, and ability to repeat or reverse a scenario.

Generate alternatives before choosing. Prefer the path that produces a trustworthy conclusion with proportionate cost, safety, and effort.

Complete when: there is a preferred path, its limitations are understood, and a weaker or stronger alternative is available if circumstances change.

Set a verification budget

At the final state, state the distinct claims, assign one owner to establish or refute each, and choose the minimum non-duplicative evidence that covers the claims and important boundaries. Reuse evidence only while its relevant code, inputs, environment, and state remain valid. Required repository and release checks still apply; broaden or repeat verification only when a stated condition justifies it.

3. Create a verification affordance when needed