Node A6 · Acronym decoder
OT&E
Operational Test and Evaluation
What it actually means
Testing under realistic operational conditions with representative users to determine whether a system is operationally effective and suitable — the customer's exam, as opposed to the developer's. Independence is structural: operational test agencies report outside the program's chain precisely so the answer can be no.
Where you'll meet it
The back end of every major program's test strategy; source of the effectiveness/suitability verdicts.