I mean something like disconnecting cables and applying power to a limited number of equipment, then progressively reconnecting all cables while checking after each power-off/on that there is no short/smoke.
I still remember as a young engineer powering up a Control Data super computer to see smoke going up over a frame (it's when I learned that when the circuit breaker doesn't stay up, it's not the circuit breaker, dummy!)
You should not ever see smoke from any shorted wires melting... that is what the protection fuses are for.
Still, a progressive power up could be usefull to locate the source of a short detected by a blown fuse. It's what I will do anyway when time comes but I would rather use a method that has VANs endorsement.