What is verification?
In BriefBuilder, there is a dedicated feature for requirements verification. Verification is the process of checking whether a design solution, process or service meets the formulated requirements.
The actual verification (e.g., by means of tests, calculations, simulations, inspections) does not take place in BriefBuilder, but you can use BriefBuilder to define for each requirements how it should or will be verified (the verification plan) and to capture the outcomes of the verification (the verification result).
By taking a systematic approach to verification, you can avoid requirements being overlooked or ignored during the design process as well as ensure that the outcome of the project will be compliant with what the client asked for.
Typically, it is the design and engineering team that is responsible for verification. In some projects (often integrated projects like Design & Construct), they even have a formal obligation to demonstrate that all requirements have been met.
The verification process can be organized in different ways. It can be a simple check list, but it might also be a more comprehensive set-up, in which requirements are linked to verification methods, verification phases, and demonstration documents. Both are possible in BriefBuilder.
Plans, results, documents
In BriefBuilder, we make a distinction between the verification plan and the verification result. Furthermore, we have the concept of demonstration documents, which serve as the ‘proof’ to support the verification results. See below for a short explanation of all three concepts.
Verification plan
A verification plan is a description of when and how you will verify compliance with a particular requirement. Such a plan usually consists of the following attributes:
- The phase in which verifications will take place (e.g., design phase, construction phase, …)
- The verification method that will be used (e.g., calculation, inspection, …)
- The person or party that is responsible for executing the verification (e.g., architect, electrical engineer, …).
The verification plan can be made by either the construction client or the contract party (contractor/design/engineering team). In the latter case, the verification plan usually has to be approved by the client before it is executed.
A more detailed description (and a video) of how you can develop a verification plan for your project can be found here.
Verification result
The verification result encompasses information about the actual verification. Typical attributes are:
- The outcome of the verification (e.g., compliant, non-compliant, requires attention)
- Notes concerning the outcome (e.g., “non-compliant because ….”)
- A link to a demonstration document (e.g., calculation or test report)
- Possible approval of the outcome (e.g., from the project’s quality manager or the client)
- Possible follow-up actions (e.g., design modification, requirement modification, …)
The verification results are usually added by the design and/or delivery team that is working on the project.
A more detailed description (and a video) of how to capture verification outcomes can be found here.
Demonstration document
Demonstration documents are documents or files that can be used in the verification process to demonstrate that solutions (e.g., a design proposal) or services (e.g., a maintenance activity) are compliant with the client’s requirements.
Examples of demonstration documents are test reports, inspection reports, calculations, specification sheets, and compliance certificates.
Demonstration documents can be manually uploaded in the BriefBuilder model or they can be fetched from a document management system (DMS).
A more detailed description about the use of demonstration documents can be found here.
Working with verifications in BriefBuilder
In BriefBuilder, there are three places where you find and work with verification data:
(1) on the detail view of objects
(2) in the verification table (aka ‘compliance matrix’)
(3) on the verification dashboard.
Both will be discussed briefly below.
(1) Verification on detail view
BriefBuilder’s verification feature can be found on the detail view of an object by clicking on the icon in the upper right corner of the BriefBuilder screen.
Once you toggle this button on, you will see several new icons added to your screen:
Verification plan: this is where you are able to define or see whether a requirement has to be verified in a particular phase.
Verification outcome: this is where you are able to can see or add a verification outcome (and related data such as a note or a link to a demonstration document).
For each verification phase, you see a dedicated verification plan and verification result icon. If you click on those, you are able to edit the data, such as adding an outcome of defining a verification method.
Please note: the attributes of both the verification plan and the verification result can be configured and managed via the verification settings. Verification settings is also where you can define verification phases.
(2) Verification table (aka compliance matrix)
The same verification information is also presented in the verification table, which can be found under the button Verification in the navigation menu.
The verification table is a great tool if you want select a particular group of requirements that should all have the same plan or the same result. For example, all the requirements concerning room sizes, or all requirements concerning acoustics.
See for short explanation below. A more extensive explanation can be found here.
1. Use the Selections to focus on a particular set of verification data (e.g., of a particular phase) and click on Show;
2. Use filters in the table to narrow down your set of requirements (e.g., filtering on ‘usable floor area’);
3. Enter the verification data in the Verification columns of the table (e.g. a method or outcome).
TIP: You can use cell dragging to speed up the process of adding data. For this, click on the small blue corner of a cell and drag it down. See the image below.
Another option for quickly adding verification data is using the bulk edit option. Click here for more info.
TIP: you can download this overview as an excel file by clicking on the button next to the title of the table.
(3) Verification dashboard
The verification dashboard gives you a quick visual overview of the overall verification process.This dashboard can be found via the navigation menu as well, under the header Verification.
The dashboard’s charts show the different verification data (results, responsibilities, methods, …) per verification phase.
Clicking on any part of the charts will instantly take you to that particular set of requirements in the verification table. It’s an easy way to access certain verifications without needing to set up a filter or selection yourself.
More detailed info about the verification dashboard can be found here.
More info?
Check out the other articles about verification in this section.