In my current organization we have made validation a very integral component of the process. To gather validation we have employed the use of independent test teams that each focus on one component of the overall system. They work as a group of beta testers, making an effort to process a wide range of scenarios through the system. These teams are chosen based on being specialists in the use of the specified system component. These specialist users are the most likely to have the best feel for what the capabilities of the system must be and would likely conceive the widest spectrum of scenario possibilities, testing the depth of the component capability. The results of this “beta testing” is then reported through a team leader to the other respective team leaders in the venue of a overall project meeting where any shortcomings can be identified. The thought process is that all individual components must function flawlessly independently. Once that has been achieved, the focus shifts to integration of all components to achieve that same result for the overall system. This has been very successful so far and allows the overall project to progress steadily without sacrificing functionality.