6.3 VERIFICATION—CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGN OF TESTING

Verification involves designing and applying a sufficiently exhaustive set of tests that measure how individual modules, sectors, or complete models behave. This behaviour is compared with the modes of behaviour we have specified for individual modules, sectors, or complete models.

Modules are designed to perform functions that are critical to the operation of the model as a whole. The tests we design and apply will establish the extent to which this is so.

Models must sufficiently and faithfully incorporate the governing business rules to produce behaviour over time that is representative of the reference modes defined a preceding stage. Again, the tests we design and apply will establish the extent to which this is so.

There are a variety of tests which might be conducted in the process of verifying a module or model. These include:

logical tests,
extreme-value tests, and
mass-balance tests.