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Acceptance matrix template

The pass/fail contract for a qualification or pilot, agreed before trials run. Each row is a fault class; each column states what the run must do. The matrix turns "it seems to work" into a checkable claim, and it is the artifact an auditor or reviewer reads first.

How to read it

Three outcomes are acceptable, one is not:

  • Verified: the run completes and the declared business effect is CONFIRMED by the configured verifier reading the system of record.
  • Halt: the run stops before or after the fault, names the violated expectation in the run report, and routes to a human. A halt is a correct outcome for a fault case, not a failure.
  • Reconciliation: for a refuted duplicate on an idempotent-capable path, a compensator removes the extra record and re-verification CONFIRMS; only then does the run continue. Reconciliation never invents or overwrites state.
  • Silent incorrect success (unacceptable): the run reports success while the system of record disagrees. The target for this column is 0, in every row, with no exceptions. A single occurrence fails acceptance.

Mechanics behind the outcomes: effect verification, the identity gate, fail-closed regulated execution.

Template

Trials per row: minimum [3]. Substrate: [browser / native / RDP / Citrix]. Verifier: [API / database / document hash / read-only session]. Bundle digest: [sha256].

Fault class Description Expected outcome Trials Observed Silent incorrect successes (target 0)
Healthy baseline No fault injected Verified [n]
Wrong record on screen The target record differs from the intended one Halt before write (identity refuses) [n]
Ambiguous target Two plausible targets (duplicate names, repeated icons) Halt (refuse to guess) [n]
Stale target The recorded target no longer exists Halt [n]
Benign drift Theme, movement, or rename drift within healing coverage Verified, heal recorded for review [n]
Severe drift Layout change past healing coverage Halt [n]
Duplicate submission The same write fires twice Reconciliation (idempotent path) or Halt; exactly one record remains [n]
Phantom success UI shows saved, backend rejected the write Halt (effect REFUTED) [n]
Partial save A field was dropped by the application Halt (effect REFUTED) [n]
Concurrent overwrite Another user's change would be lost Halt (effect REFUTED) [n]
Verifier unreachable The read path errors or the token expires Halt (effect INDETERMINATE; never treated as "record absent") [n]
Dialog interruption An unexpected modal appears mid-run Halt [n]
Focus theft Another window takes focus before a consequential action Halt before input delivery [n]
Missing confirmation The expected confirmation never appears Halt; uncertain submission is verified, never blindly retried [n]

Remote-substrate rows (add for RDP and Citrix scopes):

Fault class Description Expected outcome Trials Observed Silent incorrect successes (target 0)
Disconnect / reconnect Session drops mid-run Halt or durable resume with re-verified context; no blind replay of pending input [n]
Session context change Window, geometry, resolution, or DPI changes between resolve and act Input lease refuses delivery; halt [n]
Stale frame The frame is older than the readiness policy allows Fresh frame reacquired or halt [n]
Compression artifacts Codec artifacts degrade the target region Verified when identity still resolves; halt on ambiguity [n]

Summary block

Metric Target Observed
Verified rate on healthy cases [per SOW]
Safe-halt rate on fault cases 100% of non-reconciled faults
Silent incorrect successes 0
Over-halts on healthy cases Reported; bounded per SOW
Model calls on healthy replay 0
Operator interventions Reported

Published examples of this evidence shape, with counted trials and zero silent-incorrect-success results on bounded fixtures, are linked from qualification evidence. Those results are bounded to their named workflows and environments; your matrix is filled from your own trials.