How hard would it be to pay a handsome sum to just one guy who was familiar enough to get enough of a clue? I don't know how things are siloed but presumably plenty know what its for we are just missing some crucial steps. Man I'd love to join a team to figure out some small part. You meet the wildest range of people working on such things.

I'm missing what was the way of testing for equivalency. Seems a crucial step in understanding the overall story.

I'm wondering if adding extra checks can hamper future efforts at production, because you are going to nail down your tests today. Then in the future some crucial part of the process is technically impossible due to upstream shortages. You didn't understand your wiggle room when you locked down your tests (potentially).