The process for assuring that products have been produced and function as designed.
Comments: Depending on many different variables certain specifications and measurements are taken to “guarantee” manufactured products work as they are designed. Many companies spend exhaustive amounts of time checking and rechecking their work and documenting ad-infinitum. This is especially true in companies where potentially dangerous or “high-risk” products are made. Companies making Nuclear Reactor components must test, verify, and document even the very smallest details to satisfy themselves that their parts will work as designed and equally importantly satisfy the government that they have proven out their process and products with approved procedures to specifications.
Like any “good thing” we have seen test and verify processes significantly impact companies in very negative ways. Some companies have engaged in testing processes that unnecessarily consumed days of what could have been production time and many hours of labor while they consistently yield no measurable gains resulting from all of the extra effort.
Leaner and simpler are almost always better.