Quality is evidence, not a phase at the end.

If a program cannot show how it knows something is done, it cannot promise an outcome. Gates exist to make that knowledge inspectable.

01
Definition of done
Agreed before build scales. Includes tests, documentation, security checks, and operational readiness—not only ‘it runs on a laptop’.
02
Peer review
Work is reviewed by someone who did not author it. Comments are recorded and closed, not performed as theatre.
03
Architecture review
Material deviations from accepted ADRs are reviewed before they become the estate.
04
Automated testing
Where the stack allows, automated checks are part of the pipeline. Coverage is a conversation about risk, not a vanity percentage.
05
Manual QA
Exploratory and scenario testing for paths automation will miss—especially across system boundaries.
06
UAT
Named business owners, scripted and unscripted paths, defect disposition, and a written recommendation.
07
Release gates
Evidence required to promote: tests, security review, rollback, and communications. A date is not a gate.
08
Post-release validation
Confirm the operating service, not only the deploy job. Defects found in production re-enter RAID and the backlog with owners.

Next step

Ask what evidence a release would require.

That conversation tells you more about a delivery partner than a test-tool logo.