Operating Control

Validation

Establish the rule that the data, condition or evidence presented must satisfy the applicable requirement before an action proceeds.

Protocol Family: Operations
Status: Published
Version: 1.0
Effective Date: 2026-08-13
Related Department: QRProtocol.us
Scope: Governed QR interactions in which data, conditions or evidence are presented.
Purpose: Establish the rule that the data, condition or evidence presented must satisfy the applicable requirement before an action proceeds.
Dependencies: operating-sequence

Received is not the same as accepted.

Validation determines whether what was presented satisfies what the applicable Protocol requires. Transmission proves delivery. Validation proves sufficiency.

Completeness

Everything the applicable requirement calls for is present.

Form

What was presented is in a form the system can evaluate.

Condition

The stated condition is satisfied at the time of evaluation.

Sufficiency

The evidence presented is adequate for the action requested.

Validation is not certification

Validation determines that presented data satisfies an applicable requirement. Certification is the separate determination made by QRCertified.us that applicable certification requirements have been satisfied.

Definition

Validation is the determination that the data, condition or evidence presented satisfies the applicable requirement.

Governing Rule

Data is not accepted because it was received. Data is accepted because it satisfies the applicable requirement.

What it governs

— Which requirements apply to presented data, conditions or evidence
— The point at which those requirements are evaluated
— What occurs when a requirement is not satisfied

Permitted

— Refusing incomplete, malformed or unsupported input
— Applying different requirements to different classes of interaction

Not permitted

— Accepting data solely because it was transmitted successfully
— Substituting validation for authorization, certification or compliance
— Continuing the sequence while a required condition is unsatisfied

When the condition passes: The presented data is accepted and the interaction continues.
When the condition fails: The interaction is refused or rerouted under Failures & Exceptions.
Department performing the operation: Protocol establishes the applicable requirements. Evaluation occurs within the operating environment; certification determinations remain with QRCertified.us and compliance determinations with QRCompliance.us.
Record / evidence required: Where the applicable Protocol requires it, the conditions evaluated and the resulting outcome are recorded.
Where the operational record lives: QRCodex.us.

Direct Answers

Is validation the same as certification?

No. Validation determines that presented data, conditions or evidence satisfy an applicable requirement. Certification is performed by QRCertified.us and determines whether applicable certification requirements have been satisfied.