IFEM phase · verification
Verification — IFEM Doctrine
Verification replaces confidence by inspection: it produces evidence that the implementation remains within the boundary the contract governs.
Purpose
Its purpose is to make acceptance observable through schema checks, compatibility checks, integration behavior, and explicit decision gates.
Inputs and responsibilities
Verification receives the contract, implementation output, examples, compatibility expectations, and the risks identified in earlier phases.
Outputs and artifacts
The artifact is verification evidence: checks, results, exceptions, and a decision about whether the work may enter integration or release.
Verification and decision gate
The phase verifies its own evidence for reproducibility, coverage of failure behavior, and traceability back to the governing contract.
Common failure modes
Confidence substitutes for a missing check, exceptions disappear into release pressure, or tests validate implementation details instead of boundary behavior.
Execution notes
Verification is strongest when its evidence is connected to the contract rather than to a developer’s confidence. A check should state what behavior it observes, which acceptance condition it covers, and what happens when it fails. Integration gates make exceptions visible before release, while failure handling records whether the contract, implementation, or test needs a deliberate change. Readiness means the evidence is repeatable and the remaining risk is understood.