even better more structured throughput scheduling

plot adjustments
validation adjustments

docs/evaluation/methodology.md

@@ -33,13 +33,29 @@ per-inference measurements become `NA` in aggregates, not zero. With zero
 completed outputs, interval, throughput, and energy per inference are unavailable;
 measured average chip power can still be reported. Functional status is retained.
 
+Floating-point correctness requires both elementwise absolute/relative tolerance
+and a relative L2 limit for each nonzero reference output. The L2 limit prevents
+small reference outputs from accepting all-zero results under the absolute floor.
+It cannot substitute for the elementwise check. Zero references use the absolute
+check; integer outputs require exact agreement. Nonfinite outputs are rejected.
+Validation reports record both maximum absolute and relative L2 errors.
+Report reuse includes the validation-policy identity.
+
+Removing normalization operations can amplify floating-point sensitivity and
+change the computation. Such variants must use their own native reference.
+Agreement in a global norm alone does not establish elementwise correctness.
+Independent reference implementations and higher-precision calculations can
+help diagnose rounding sensitivity without relaxing the recorded pass criteria.
+
 Ablation percentages require positive finite values for both the variant and
 its matching baseline. Tiny positive measurements retain significant digits
 instead of being rounded to zero in the comparison CSV. An extreme valid
 decrease can round to `-100.00%`; that value alone is not evidence of failure.
 Reciprocal output interval and throughput cannot both have that decrease.
-The ablation plotter warns and displays `N/A` for such invalid paired percentages,
-while leaving the CSV and functional status unchanged.
+The ablation report uses each disabled feature as its comparison baseline.
+Planning gain uses `no-plan`; throughput synchronization gain uses `no-sync`.
+Throughput gain measures the relative increase. Latency, power, and energy gains
+measure relative reductions. Both programs' functional statuses remain separate.
 
 ## Report reuse and implementation revisions
 
@@ -58,6 +74,12 @@ Metrics come from Pimsim's
 [`Chip::getSimulationReport`](../../backend-simulators/pim/pimsim-nn/src/chip/Chip.cpp)
 and [`EnergyCounter`](../../backend-simulators/pim/pimsim-nn/src/utils/EnergyCounter.cpp).
 
+Pimsim-nn omits `vsoftmax` before instruction fetch. Reported performance and
+energy exclude its work. The PIM queue estimator uses the same omission.
+Functional validation executes Softmax and compares the same full model with
+its native reference. This timing approximation does not establish hardware
+support for Softmax or include its execution energy.
+
 - Latency mode measures time to complete one inference.
 - Throughput-mode latency is measurement duration / completed iterations,
   equal to `1000 / throughput` before rounding. It is not end-to-end pipelined
@@ -67,9 +89,16 @@ and [`EnergyCounter`](../../backend-simulators/pim/pimsim-nn/src/utils/EnergyCou
   mode). Plots convert pJ to mJ with `1e-9`; no pipeline-depth or batch-size
   division is applied.
 
+Existing `average_energy_pj`, `raptor_energy_pj`, and validation CSV energy
+columns retain their names for compatibility. They contain energy per inference.
+
 Fast mode measures throughput over the last two convergence windows but power
 and energy over the entire run up to early stop. Energy includes startup and
 work in flight, so it need not equal average power / reported throughput.
+If convergence fails, comparison and ablation reports retain the simulator's
+full-duration fallback throughput. This measurement includes transient execution.
+It does not establish steady-state convergence. The per-case JSON records its
+measurement type and convergence status. Missing or invalid measurements remain `NA`.
 Use `--no-fast` for full-duration measurements. Consult the
 [correctness notes](../../validation/tools/pim/pimcomp/correctness/README.md) before interpreting failed rows
 as performance comparisons.