Guides

Published

April 7, 2026

Our guides offer step-by-step instructions for frequent tasks you perform within the ValidMind Platform, organized by category.

model documentation
A structured and detailed record pertaining to a model, encompassing key components such as its underlying assumptions, methodologies, data sources, inputs, performance metrics, evaluations, limitations, and intended uses.

Within the realm of model risk management, this documentation serves to ensure transparency, adherence to regulatory requirements, and a clear understanding of potential risks associated with the model’s application.

validation report
A formal document produced after a model validation process, outlining the artifacts, assessments, and recommendations related to a specific model’s performance, appropriateness, and limitations. Provides a comprehensive review of the model’s conceptual framework, data sources and integrity, calibration methods, and performance outcomes.

Within model risk management, the validation report is crucial for ensuring transparency, demonstrating regulatory compliance, and offering actionable insights for model refinement or adjustments.

document template
Lays out the structure of model documents, segmented into various sections and sub-sections, and function as test suites to help automate your development, validation, monitoring, and other risk management processes. Document templates are available for default ​ValidMind document types1 as well as custom document types.
documentation template2
A default ​ValidMind document type that serves as a standardized framework for developing and documenting models, including sections designated for model details, data descriptions, test results, and performance metrics. By outlining required documentation and recommended analyses, document templates ensure consistency and completeness across model documentation and help guide developers through a systematic development process while promoting comparability and traceability of development outcomes.
validation report template3
A default ​ValidMind document type that serves as a standardized framework for conducting and documenting model validation, including sections designated for attaching test results, evidence, or artifacts (findings). By outlining required documentation, recommended analyses, and expected validation tests, validation report templates ensure consistency and completeness across validation reports and help guide validators through a systematic review process while promoting comparability and traceability of validation outcomes.
monitoring template, monitoring report template4
A default ​ValidMind document type that serves as a standardized framework for ongoing model monitoring, including sections designated for test results, performance metrics, and drift analyses. By outlining required monitoring checks and expected routine tests, monitoring templates ensure consistency and completeness across monitoring reports and help guide model owners through a systematic monitoring process while promoting early detection of model performance degradation.
test
A function contained in the library, designed to run a specific quantitative test on the dataset or model. Test results are sent to the ValidMind Platform to generate the model documentation according to the template that is associated with the documentation.

Tests are the building blocks of ​ValidMind, used to evaluate and document models and datasets, and can be run individually or as part of a suite defined by your model documentation template.

metrics, custom metrics
Metrics are a subset of tests that do not have thresholds. Custom metrics are functions that you define to evaluate your model or dataset. These functions can be registered via the ValidMind Library to be used with the ValidMind Platform.

In the context of ​ValidMind’s Jupyter Notebooks, metrics and tests can be thought of as interchangeable concepts.

inputs
Objects to be evaluated and documented in the ValidMind Library. They can be any of the following:
  • model: A single model that has been initialized in ​ValidMind. Refer to the vm.init_model() function for more information.
  • dataset: Single dataset that has been initialized in ​ValidMind. Refer to the vm.init_dataset() function for more information.
  • models: A list of ​ValidMind models - usually this is used when you want to compare multiple models in your custom tests.
  • datasets: A list of ​ValidMind datasets - usually this is used when you want to compare multiple datasets in your custom tests. (Learn more: Run tests with multiple datasets)
parameters
Additional arguments that can be passed when running a ​ValidMind test, used to pass additional information to a test, customize its behavior, or provide additional context.
outputs
Custom tests can return elements like tables or plots. Tables may be a list of dictionaries (each representing a row) or a pandas DataFrame. Plots may be matplotlib or plotly figures.
test suite
A collection of tests which are run together to generate model documentation end-to-end for specific use cases.

For example, the classifier_full_suite test suite runs tests from the tabular_dataset and classifier test suites to fully document the data and model sections for binary classification model use cases.

4 Refer also to: Ongoing monitoring

3 Refer also to: Validation reports

2 Refer also to: Model documentation

1 Default ​ValidMind document type templates:

Access

Before you begin, let’s make sure you’re able to access ​ValidMind:

Configuration

Onboard your organization, teams or business units, and users onto the ValidMind Platform:

Then, customize your model document types, templates, and reusable blocks:

Further customize your personal user experience within the ValidMind Platform:

Workflows

Use workflows within the platform to match your organizational needs for risk management oversight:

Model inventory

Use the ValidMind Platform model inventory to thoroughly track your models and audit activity:

Model documentation

First, customize your model document templates and reusable blocks:

Then, document and test your models in your own model development environment with the ValidMind Library:

Finally, refine your model documentation, and collaborate with model validators all within the ValidMind Platform:

Model validation

First, set up your organization for validation, and customize reusable report templates and blocks:

Then, prepare validation reports, work with artifacts and evidence, and collaborate with model developers within the ValidMind Platform:

Reporting

Review analytics or export your documents, model inventory, and artifacts for external records:

Monitoring

First, customize your ongoing report templates and reusable blocks:

Then, regularly evaluate the ongoing accuracy, robustness, and stability of a model after it has been deployed:

Attestation

Document and certify model attributes at specific points in time, supporting compliance and governance processes: