Quality concepts
Verification
Also called: verify
Verification is the act of confirming that a piece of work meets its specified requirement: you compare what was actually installed to the drawing, the approved submittal or the acceptance criteria and record that it matches. It answers the question 'did we build it to spec?' — measurement, inspection and test against a known standard. Verification is the everyday work of QC, and it is only worth anything when the requirement it checks against was written down first.
Why it matters
A claim that work is right is not the same as proof that it is. Verification is what turns 'the sub says it's done' into a measured check against the spec, so the record shows the work met the requirement rather than someone's word that it did.
It is also the gate before cover-up. Concealed work that is verified and photographed before drywall goes up can be defended later; work that was never checked leaves a hole in the record exactly where it is hardest to reopen.
How it shows up on site
A checklist item compared to the approved submittal, a dimension measured against the drawing tolerance, a test result read against the acceptance criteria — each recorded with a timestamped, tagged photo so the confirmation is evidence, not memory.
Checklists that put verification to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- ValidationConfirming the finished work actually performs its intended function — checking you built the right thing, not just built it to spec.
- Acceptance criteriaThe stated, measurable conditions installed work has to meet before it can pass — the yardstick an inspection judges against.
- Quality control (QC)The hands-on inspection and testing of installed work against the spec — checking the actual product, not the process that made it.
- Objective quality evidenceRecorded, verifiable proof that work met its requirement — a measurement, test result or timestamped photo, not an assurance.
- Quality assurance (QA)The planned system of procedures, plans and checkpoints set up before work starts so the right result is built the first time.
- NonconformanceInstalled work that does not meet the drawings, spec or accepted submittal — formally identified so it gets dispositioned, not ignored.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.