Concept dictionary
Independent Verification
Independent verification is checking a claim, result, or artifact through a person, method, or evidence path that is sufficiently separate from the original producer to reduce shared assumptions, errors, and conflicts of interest.
- Review state
- Reviewed in POC
- Freshness
- Current
- Version
- 1
Also called
- independent-verification
Remember it this wayCheck the work from outside the path that made it.
In plain language
Someone or something outside the original chain checks the work. Independence is not just a second set of eyes; the checker must be able to reach a conclusion without relying only on the same unsupported answer.
Why it matters
An error can survive repeated review when every reviewer uses the same source, assumptions, or incentives. Meaningful separation makes it more likely that a different failure path will be noticed.
Example
An AI assistant summarizes a contract and cites three clauses. A reviewer who did not produce the summary opens the signed contract, locates each clause, and checks the interpretation against the team's requirement before the summary guides a decision.
Common misconception
Independent verification is not a synonym for all verification. Verification checks whether a claim or artifact meets its evidence or requirements. Independent verification adds separation from the original producer or evidence chain.
Related terms
Sources
- NASA, “IV&V Overview”verification, validation, and technical, managerial, and financial dimensions of independence.
- NIST, “AI RMF Core: Measure”involvement of independent assessors and experts who were not front-line developers.