Completion Quality Gate Designer

Overview

This skill designs the structure and rules that define what "done" means at each stage of a software project. It produces reusable quality gate matrices, completion vocabulary definitions, evidence ownership mappings, exception registers, and release readiness checklists.

The core problem this skill addresses: teams often conflate "code is written" with "quality is confirmed" with "ready to ship." When these concepts are not explicitly separated, test gaps become invisible, metrics diverge across documents, and known limitations are buried under blanket "all OK" statements.

Scope Boundary: This skill designs gates, criteria, and governance structures. It does not execute code reviews (use critical-code-reviewer), score completeness (use project-completeness-scorer), or implement CI pipelines. It produces the specifications that those activities operate against.

When to Use

• 新規案件の開始時に「Definition of Done」を工程別に設計したい
• テスト報告・完了サマリー・リリース判断資料の不整合をなくしたい
• 標準検証コマンドを固定し、開発者・CI・報告書で同じ定義を使いたい
• 例外的に未完了項目を持ち越すときの例外運用を決めたい
• 「実装完了」「品質確認完了」「出荷可能」を別概念として整理したい
• リリース判定の基準を決めたい / Design release readiness criteria
• Define exit criteria for project phases or milestones
• Standardize verification evidence across teams
• Create quality gates for CI/CD pipelines
• Establish exception governance for deferred items

Inputs

• Development process definition or WBS
• Test strategy / test reports (if available)
• Existing CI pipeline definitions
• Completion summaries / release decision documents (if available)
• Approval workflow information
• Defect analysis reports (if available)

Outputs

1. Quality Gate Matrix -- gates with entry/exit criteria, evidence, owners, and exception rules
2. Definition of Done -- completion state definitions with vocabulary separation
3. Standard Verification Command Set -- fixed commands for CI, developers, and reports
4. Exception Register -- tracked exceptions with risk, controls, and expiration
5. Evidence-to-Owner Mapping -- evidence items with source (auto/manual), owner, and reconciliation rules

Prerequisites

• A project with identifiable phases, milestones, or deliverables
• Access to (or willingness to define) the project's development process, test strategy, and approval workflow
• No scripts or API keys required (v1.0 is guidance-only)

Workflows

Phase 1: Scope Phases and Gate Units (対象工程と判定単位を切る)

Determine the project's natural breakpoints and decide how gates will be organized.

1. Identify the project's lifecycle model (waterfall phases, sprint milestones, or deliverable-based)
2. Select one of three gate organization patterns:
   • Phase-based: Requirements / Design / Implementation / Testing / Release
   • Milestone-based: M1 Design Complete / M2 Implementation Complete / M3 Verification Complete / M4 Release Approved
   • Deliverable-based: Feature Spec / Code / Test Results / Runbook / Release Notes
3. Load references/gate_patterns.md for detailed pattern guidance
4. For each gate, assign a Gate ID (e.g., G1, G2, G3, G4) and name
5. Document gate dependencies: which gate must pass before the next can begin
6. Output: ordered list of gates with IDs, names, and dependency chain

Phase 2: Separate Completion Vocabulary (完了の語彙を分離する)

Establish precise terminology to prevent "done" from meaning different things to different people.

1. Load references/definition_of_done_framework.md
2. Define at minimum the following five completion states:
   • Implemented (実装完了): Code is written and committed; no quality assertion implied
   • Verified (検証完了): Standard verification commands have passed; evidence recorded
   • Accepted (受入完了): Designated approver has reviewed evidence and signed off
   • Released (リリース完了): Deployed to production and confirmed operational
   • Exception-approved (例外承認済): Known incomplete items approved with conditions
3. Map each completion state to the gates defined in Phase 1
4. Define prohibited expressions (e.g., "all OK" when exceptions exist, "complete" before verification)
5. Output: vocabulary table using assets/definition_of_done_template.md

Phase 3: Define Exit Criteria for Each Gate (各ゲートの退出条件を定義する)

For every gate, specify exactly what must be true before the gate can pass.

1. For each gate defined in Phase 1, specify:
   • Required Inputs: what artifacts must exist before evaluation begins
   • Required Evidence: what proof of quality must be produced
   • Standard Command: which verification command(s) must pass (if applicable)
   • Owner: who is responsible for producing the evidence
   • Approver: who signs off on gate passage (must differ from owner)
   • Pass Rule: the minimum threshold for passage (e.g., "all critical tests pass, coverage above 80%")
   • Failure Handling: what happens when criteria are not met (block, escalate, or exception path)
   • Carryover Policy: which items, if any, may be deferred to the next gate with conditions
2. Output: completed assets/quality_gate_matrix_template.md
3. Validate: every gate must have at least one required evidence item and one approver

Phase 4: Pin Evidence Sources and Metrics (証跡とメトリクスの出どころを固定する)

Eliminate discrepancies by defining the single authoritative source for each metric.

1. Load references/evidence_catalog.md for the evidence type inventory
2. Load references/metrics_reconciliation_guide.md for reconciliation rules
3. For each evidence item in the gate matrix:
   • Classify as Auto (CI-generated, machine-readable) or Manual (human-authored)
   • Assign an owner responsible for accuracy
   • Define update frequency (per-commit, per-sprint, per-release)
   • Specify reconciliation rule if the same metric appears in multiple documents
4. Apply the Auto-First Principle: if a metric can be auto-collected, manual override is prohibited unless the auto source is demonstrably broken
5. Output: completed assets/evidence_ownership_matrix_template.md

Phase 5: Fix Standard Verification Commands (標準検証コマンドを固定する)

Create a canonical command set so that "tests pass" means the same thing everywhere.

1. Inventory all verification commands currently used in the project (e.g., npm test, pytest, linters, security scanners)
2. For each command, document:
   • Exact invocation (including flags and environment)
   • What it covers (unit only, integration, E2E, security, etc.)
   • What it does NOT cover (explicit exclusions)
   • Where it runs (local, CI, both)
   • Whether it is a CI required status check
3. Assign commands to gates: which command(s) must pass for each gate
4. Define the "Standard Test Report" format: the minimum fields that a test report must contain (total tests, passed, failed, skipped, coverage, execution time, environment)
5. Output: command definition table embedded in the Quality Gate Matrix

Phase 6: Design Exception Governance (例外運用を設計する)

Define the rules for when incomplete items can be carried forward under controlled conditions.

1. Load references/exception_governance.md
2. For each gate, specify:
   • Exception-eligible items: which types of incomplete work may be deferred
   • Exception-ineligible items: which must block (e.g., security vulnerabilities above threshold, data loss risks)
   • Required exception record fields: What, Why, Risk, Temporary Control, Due Date, Owner, Approver, Closure Evidence
   • Escalation path: who approves exceptions at each severity level
   • Expiration rule: maximum time an exception may remain open before mandatory re-review
3. Output: completed assets/exception_register_template.md
4. Validate: no gate may have an empty exception policy (every gate must explicitly state what is and is not deferrable)

Phase 7: Enforce Expression Control (表現統制を設計する)

Prevent misleading language in reports and status communications.

1. Define a Prohibited Expressions List specific to this project:
   • "All OK" or "all tests passed" when any exception is registered
   • "Complete" or "done" when the item is only at Implemented state (not yet Verified)
   • "All PASS" when only a subset of standard commands was executed
   • Percentage claims (e.g., "100% pass rate") without specifying the denominator and scope
2. Define Required Qualifiers for each completion state:
   • Implemented: "Implementation complete; verification pending"
   • Verified: "Standard verification passed per [command set]; [N] exceptions registered"
   • Accepted: "Accepted by [approver] on [date]; [N] known limitations documented"
   • Released: "Deployed to [environment] on [date]; post-deployment verification [status]"
3. Specify where expression rules apply: test reports, completion summaries, release decision documents, status emails, dashboards
4. Output: Expression control rules section in the Quality Gate Matrix or as a standalone appendix
5. Final deliverable: assemble all outputs into a coherent Release Readiness Package using assets/release_readiness_template.md

Resources

File	Type	Purpose	When to Load
references/gate_patterns.md	Reference	Phase-based gate patterns, enforcement mechanisms, required status checks, sign-off separation	Phase 1
references/definition_of_done_framework.md	Reference	Implemented/Verified/Accepted/Released definitions, common misuse patterns, JP/EN terminology	Phase 2
references/evidence_catalog.md	Reference	Evidence types: test results, CI logs, static analysis, manual verification, exception approvals	Phase 4
references/metrics_reconciliation_guide.md	Reference	Manual vs auto update priority, discrepancy resolution, single source of truth rules	Phase 4
references/exception_governance.md	Reference	Exception eligibility, escalation, expiration, closure criteria	Phase 6
assets/quality_gate_matrix_template.md	Template	Gate ID / Phase / Objective / Required Inputs / Evidence / Command / Owner / Approver / Pass Rule / Exception Rule / Exit State	Phase 3, Phase 5
assets/definition_of_done_template.md	Template	Completion state definitions with explicit exclusions and outstanding items	Phase 2
assets/exception_register_template.md	Template	Exception tracking with risk, temporary controls, due dates, closure evidence	Phase 6
assets/release_readiness_template.md	Template	Release decision document with open criticals, known limitations, test scope, conditions	Phase 7
assets/evidence_ownership_matrix_template.md	Template	Evidence item / Source type / Owner / Frequency / Reconciliation rule	Phase 4

Best Practices

Separate Roles: Owner vs Approver

• The person who produces evidence must never be the sole approver of that evidence
• Gate sign-off requires at least one person who did not produce the artifacts being evaluated
• For small teams, use cross-functional review (developer reviews test plan, QA reviews release notes)

Auto-First Evidence Collection

• If a metric can be auto-collected from CI, do not accept manual entry as the primary source
• Manual metrics are permissible only for items that cannot be automated (e.g., UX review outcomes, stakeholder sign-offs)
• When auto and manual values conflict, the auto value takes precedence unless the auto source is demonstrably broken (and this must be documented as an exception)

Exception Discipline

• Every exception must have an expiration date; open-ended exceptions are prohibited
• Exceptions must specify both the risk and the temporary control that mitigates it
• An exception without a named approver is not an exception -- it is an uncontrolled gap
• Track exception closure as rigorously as defect closure

Expression Precision

• Ban "all" and "complete" as standalone status words; always qualify with scope and conditions
• Reports must state what was tested, what was not tested, and what is known to be broken
• A release recommendation must explicitly list conditions under which the recommendation would change

Living Documents

• Gate definitions are not write-once artifacts; revisit them at each retrospective
• When a gate fails to catch a defect that escapes to production, update the gate criteria as part of the RCA corrective actions
• Version-control all gate definitions alongside the project code