Verification Methodology

This Methodology explains how 7BE independently evaluates whether a Project Deliverable satisfies its agreed Verification Criteria. It is incorporated into the 7BE Terms of Service and Verified Project Terms.

Verification is project-specific acceptance testing, not a general certification, legal opinion, security audit, financial assurance, or guarantee of future results.

1. Principles

7BE applies the following principles:

• Pre-agreed criteria. Criteria and evidence are documented before performance is evaluated.
• Objectivity. Pass or Fail turns on observable thresholds, procedures, and guardrails rather than preference.
• Reproducibility. A qualified reviewer should be able to understand the material steps, version, data, and result.
• Independence. Reviewers disclose conflicts and are separated from sales incentives that could alter a result.
• Data minimization. Testing uses the minimum data and access reasonably necessary.
• Consistency. The same approved criteria apply to initial test and Re-test unless written change control is accepted.
• Traceability. Material inputs, changes, evidence, and decisions are recorded.
• Proportionality. Test depth and controls reflect the consequence of error and Project risk.

2. Verification Plan

Before the Project begins, the Project Order or attached Verification Plan must define:

• the outcome and Deliverables;
• the tested version and system boundary;
• test environment and dependencies;
• baseline or comparison method;
• metrics, formulas, thresholds, confidence requirements, and tolerances;
• quality, security, fairness, latency, cost, or other guardrails;
• test dataset source, representativeness, exclusions, and permitted transformations;
• evidence the Agency must produce;
• repeated-run, sampling, statistical, and human-review procedures;
• prohibited leakage, manual intervention, and test-specific tuning;
• conditions for Pass, Fail, Unable to Test, Cure, and Re-test; and
• retention, confidentiality, and deletion rules.

Subjective goals such as “high quality,” “accurate,” or “better” are not sufficient without an agreed rubric or threshold.

3. Criteria Hierarchy

The accepted Project Order controls. If it incorporates an exhibit, benchmark, rubric, or policy, the version or date must be stated. Later marketing claims, messages, demos, or proposals do not change the criteria without written change control.

If criteria conflict or cannot be applied as written, 7BE will pause testing and request clarification accepted by Buyer, Agency, and 7BE. 7BE will not silently substitute a new test.

4. Baseline and Dataset Integrity

The Verification Plan must identify the baseline, its measurement period, and relevant operating conditions. Where performance is compared to a prior system or human process, the comparison must use reasonably equivalent inputs and constraints.

Test data must be lawfully obtained, relevant to the intended scope, and sufficiently representative for the stated claim. Known gaps, imbalances, synthetic data, exclusions, contamination risk, or data leakage must be disclosed.

Where feasible, final test cases are withheld from the Agency or protected against test-specific memorization. Any permitted tuning or access to test data must be documented.

5. Submission and Version Control

The Agency submits a versioned Deliverable with deployment details, dependencies, configuration, prompts or workflows where relevant, known limitations, and required evidence. Material changes after submission create a new version and may require a restarted test.

7BE records the tested version, relevant configuration, test time, environment, dataset version, reviewer, and material exceptions. Administrative acceptance of a submission is not a Pass.

6. Test Execution

7BE follows the approved procedure and records material observations. Testing may include automated measurement, manual review, expert evaluation, red teaming, functional testing, comparison, log analysis, or other agreed methods.

Reviewers must not alter a threshold after seeing results. A procedural correction may be made only when it restores the agreed test and is documented. A material change requires written change control.

If statistical claims are used, the Verification Plan should state sample size, aggregation method, uncertainty or confidence treatment, handling of missing data and outliers, and rules for repeated runs.

7. Guardrails

A Project may fail even when a primary performance metric is met if an agreed guardrail fails. Guardrails may include privacy, security, harmful output, discrimination, reliability, cost, latency, explainability, human override, licensing, or regulatory constraints.

A guardrail is evaluated only to the extent and method stated. Passing a limited security or fairness test is not a certification of the whole system.

8. Results

7BE issues one of the following results:

• Pass: all mandatory criteria and guardrails were satisfied under the stated conditions;
• Fail with Cure available: one or more mandatory criteria failed and the default or agreed Cure remains available;
• Final Fail: the Re-test failed or no Cure applies; or
• Unable to Test: testing could not be completed because an identified dependency, access condition, legal restriction, or technical condition prevented a valid result.

The Verification record identifies the Project, tested version, criteria, evidence summary, result, limitations, and next procedural step. Confidential information is disclosed only to authorized parties.

9. Cure and Re-test

Unless the Project Order states otherwise, the Agency receives one Cure and one Re-test. The Agency receives a criteria-based failure notice and normally has 10 business days to submit a corrected version.

The Re-test uses the same criteria, baseline, data policy, and procedure. A new feature, changed business objective, unavailable dependency, or materially changed environment requires change control rather than an undisclosed change to the Re-test.

10. Independence and Conflicts

Personnel making the Verification decision must disclose financial, personal, or project conflicts. A materially conflicted reviewer will be replaced or the conflict and mitigation will be disclosed and accepted.

Sales targets, Agency subscription level, paid placement, Buyer size, and commercial pressure may not change a Verification result. External experts must be qualified, independent of the disputed work, and bound by confidentiality and data-protection terms.

11. Disputes and Corrections

A Buyer or Agency may submit a criterion-specific dispute within five business days under the Verified Project Terms. 7BE reviews the record, procedure, evidence, and alleged error. It may correct a clerical mistake, repeat an invalid test, or use an independent expert.

7BE does not release Project Funds during a timely Verification Dispute. A corrected result replaces the prior result and is recorded with the reason.

12. Data and Security

Verification access is limited to approved personnel and systems. Production data is permitted only when necessary, documented, minimized, and protected under the Data Processing Addendum and Project Order.

7BE does not use Customer Data for general-purpose model training. Project-specific AI or testing providers must be disclosed and authorized before access. Raw Verification Data is deleted or returned under the DPA, normally within 30 days after final resolution, with residual protected backups expiring within 90 additional days.

13. Monitoring After Pass

A Pass applies to the tested version and conditions. Model drift, data drift, configuration changes, dependency updates, environment changes, or misuse can change performance.

Ongoing monitoring, warranty testing, or re-certification is included only if stated in the Project Order. The Buyer and Agency should define change thresholds that require re-testing for material or high-risk systems.

14. Methodology Governance

7BE periodically reviews test templates, reviewer training, conflict controls, incident findings, and feedback. A methodology change does not alter an accepted Project Order without written agreement.

Questions or disputes may be sent to verification@7be.io.