How do I practice validation documentation?

The most direct way to practice validation documentation is through a focused exercise: Pick a schema you tested recently — a belief you put against reality in any form (a prediction, a conversation, an experiment). Write a validation record with five fields: (1) the schema as you held it before testing, (2) what you did to test it, (3) what you expected to happen, (4) what actually happened, (5) what this means for the schema going forward. Be specific. 'It mostly worked' is not a result. Name the evidence.

Common pitfall: Documenting only your successes. If your validation log contains nothing but confirmations, you are not documenting — you are curating a highlight reel. The most valuable entries are the ones where reality surprised you, because those are the entries that will actually change how you think. A validation history with no disconfirmations is a warning sign, not a badge of rigor.

This practice connects to Phase 15 (Schema Validation) — building it as a repeatable habit compounds over time.