The ISHI has a clear process for the development of its methods and the improvement of existing ones. The different phases of the process include project initiation, method development, method validation: in-house assessment, method validation including inter-laboratory comparative test, and project finalization. Validation is a critical aspect of method development and is intrinsically embedded into each project in ISHI. To ensure its methods are fit for purpose, ISHI has identified six validation criteria, which are analytical specificity, analytical sensitivity, selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility and diagnostic performance, against which the performance of the method is measured, see ISHI-Guidelines for the Validation of Seed Health Methods. The ISHI has benchmarked its validation criteria against international validation standards and will continue to do so on a regular basis.

The entire process of method development and method validation is conducted by a project team with a project lead. The scope of the method and its validation criteria are first defined and documented in a validation plan before the onset of the experimental studies. All results of the experiments and their analyses are then compiled in a validation report. Internal critical peer reviewing occurs at various stages of the process, by ISHI members independent of the project team, to ensure the development of fit-for-purpose methods that can be used widely and secure the delivery of healthy seed to customers.

The table below presents all validation reports.