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Re: a little respect for "unvalidated"--a real world example
Subject:Re: a little respect for "unvalidated"--a real world example From:David Neeley <dbneeley -at- gmail -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:55:32 +0300
There are many kinds of "validity"--some are for products, some for
concepts, processes, or statements of fact. Most of the discussion has
revolved around product validation.
For example, the ISO 9000 series qualification process may require
that procedures followed in a particular situation be documented and
that documentation validated to the standards required by the
certifying body. Process instructions that are not readily
reproducible without error may have to be substantially revised. (I
will leave whether the ISO process stifles innovation and embeds
existing inefficiencies for another day).
However, when a process as documented is shown to lead to wrong
results, at a minimum it has been invalidated.
There are also statements given as fact, such as most statements by
politicians regarding budgets and spending, which are difficult to
assess. Attempts to "validate" them through bodies such as the
Congressional Budget Office have had mixed results, especially dealing
with long-term forecasts of costs.
David
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