Common evidence boundary
The evidence cutoff and exact evidence bundle are identified and cryptographically bound before evaluation.
DDC Independent Assurance
Two independent determinations. One frozen evidence set.
A controlled assurance model for consequential AI and software workflows where a single evaluator or methodology is not enough.
Independent determinations
Each evaluator works in its native method without seeing the other evaluator's determination first.
Frozen before comparison
Required determinations are frozen before cross-evaluator reveal is allowed.
Keep disagreement visible
Convergence, evaluator-specific findings, conclusion disagreement and evidentiary-boundary disagreement remain distinct.
Representation control
Neither evaluator's finding becomes final client-facing comparison text until that evaluator confirms its representation.
Bound final package
The final comparison binds the evidence root, determination roots and case root without erasing disagreement.
What “independent” means
DDCAL distinguishes procedural independence from organizational independence. Determinations are produced separately before reveal. Where an external evaluator participates, that relationship is identified explicitly.
DDC is a DDCAL methodology and is not described as organizationally independent from DDC Assurance Lab.
Evidence timing matters
The protocol distinguishes contemporaneous evidence, evidence that existed but was unavailable at the relevant action boundary, and later reconstruction. Later evidence does not silently become contemporaneous.
Pilot status
Development candidate: a controlled real-client pilot remains subject to QMS recovery/re-establishment, approved scope, software qualification, external-evaluator qualification where applicable, and public-claims approval.