Verification of Design Information

DOESTD107393

extracted design information; and technical management review, which includes the identification of any

missing design information. A flowchart of these activities is presented as Figure 34.

3.3.1 VERIFICATION OF DESIGN INFORMATION

The design information extracted during each identification and retrieval phase (i.e., formal review,

smart search, and comprehensive search) should be verified. Proper verification entails checks to

ensure that the extracted information is accurate and that no design information was overlooked.

Verification should be performed by someone other than the individual who extracted the design

information from the source document. It may be performed more efficiently by reviewing the source

document along with the extracted design information. Independent extraction and comparison of

results are not necessary. Verification should be performed shortly after each source document is

technically reviewed to extract design information. Verification can reveal discrete errors and omissions

and provide feedback conducive to improvement of extraction methods and personnel performance.

3.3.2 TECHNICAL VALIDATION OF DESIGN INFORMATION

Technical validation differs from verification performed earlier; it is an independent technical review that

exceeds the quality check accomplished by verification. Technical validation ensures that the retrieved

information is technically appropriate and correct; this includes the assumptions on which such

information is based and the methods by which it was produced. On a sample basis, consideration

should be given to whether the design information is appropriate for the current design arid physical

configuration.

Critical calculations and analyses should be validated by performing them independently and by

different methods. Priority should be given to equipment that supports accident prevention and

mitigation and to those design documents for which the accuracy of the original calculations and

analyses is suspect.

Technical information developed before formal QA requirements were established may be considered

valid if it is labeled, legible, logical, and pertinent to the current physical configuration. Any open items

or discrepancies should be identified for evaluation through the DR program discrepancy resolution

process.

Technical validation should be performed by technically competent individuals familiar with the facility

design and the design process. The same individuals involved in extraction and verification may

perform the technical validation; however, the validation activity should be clearly separated from the

extraction and verification activities.

Unlike verification activities, technical validation is most efficiently performed on small batches of

system-specific or topical design information rather than on source documents as a whole. Validation

should take place at regular intervals (e.g., once a month or once a quarter) or after a defined set of

documents have been reviewed. The benefits of validating information in batches are that efficiency is

gained by validating many pieces of design information together on a single system or topic and that

effectiveness of the validation can be improved by the insights gathered from accompanying

information. On the other hand, as technical validation is the last step before release of extracted

design information, it should be scheduled so as to provide for the timely release of results.

3.3.3 RELEASE OF VERIFIED AND VALIDATED DESIGN INFORMATION

After the design information is technically validated, it should be added to the CM equipment database

for use in supporting ongoing design and operations activities. This step is crucial to making the results

II-71