# verification-before-completion

> Use when about to claim PM deliverable is complete, before finalizing documents, or before stakeholder review. Requires checking success criteria with evidence before any completion claims.

- Author: Arnon Cavaeiro
- Repository: aaarnon/pm-copilot
- Version: 20260113221905
- Stars: 0
- Forks: 0
- Last Updated: 2026-02-06
- Source: https://github.com/aaarnon/pm-copilot
- Web: https://mule.run/skillshub/@@aaarnon/pm-copilot~verification-before-completion:20260113221905

---

---
name: verification-before-completion
description: Use when about to claim PM deliverable is complete, before finalizing documents, or before stakeholder review. Requires checking success criteria with evidence before any completion claims.
---

# Verification Before Completion

## Overview

Claiming deliverables are complete without verification wastes stakeholder time and erodes trust.

**Core principle:** Evidence before claims, always.

---

## The Iron Law

```
NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT VERIFICATION AGAINST SUCCESS CRITERIA
```

If you haven't checked each criterion, you cannot claim it's done.

---

## The Gate Function

```
BEFORE claiming any deliverable complete:

1. IDENTIFY: What success criteria apply?
2. CHECK: Does deliverable meet each criterion?
3. VERIFY: Is there evidence (not assumption)?
4. GAPS: What's missing or incomplete?
5. ONLY THEN: Claim status with evidence
```

---

## PM Verification Types

| Deliverable | Verification |
|-------------|--------------|
| Strategy doc | Links to vision? Says NO clearly? Stakeholders can act on it? |
| Roadmap | Ties to strategy? Trade-offs explicit? Now/Next/Later clear? |
| OKRs | Outcomes not outputs? Measurable? Ambitious but achievable? |
| Initiative doc | Problem defined? Roles clear? Risks assessed? |
| Interview summary | Quotes attributed? Opportunities framed as capabilities? Evidence-based? |
| One-pager | Follows style-guide.md? No placeholders? Decision-ready? |

---

## Verification Checklist

For any PM deliverable:

```markdown
## Verification: [Deliverable Name]

**Success Criteria from Plan:**
- [ ] Criterion 1: [Status + Evidence]
- [ ] Criterion 2: [Status + Evidence]
- [ ] Criterion 3: [Status + Evidence]

**Quality Checks:**
- [ ] Follows style-guide.md
- [ ] No `[Needs input: ...]` placeholders remaining
- [ ] Actionable (stakeholders know what to do)
- [ ] Connects to foundation (vision/strategy)

**Gaps Found:**
- [Any missing elements]

**Status:** [Complete / Has Gaps / Blocked]
```

---

## Red Flags - STOP

- Using "should be done" without checking
- Claiming "ready for review" without verification
- Expressing satisfaction before checking criteria
- Assuming prior work is still valid
- Trusting memory instead of checking files

---

## Common PM Verification Failures

| Claim | Requires | Not Sufficient |
|-------|----------|----------------|
| "Strategy complete" | All three patterns filled, says NO | Document exists |
| "Roadmap ready" | Ties to strategy, trade-offs clear | List of initiatives |
| "OKRs set" | Outcome-focused, measurable | Activity list |
| "Alignment doc done" | Problem + Roles + Risks | Template filled |
| "Interview synthesized" | Quotes + opportunities extracted | Notes transcribed |

---

## Rationalization Prevention

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "The structure is there" | Check content quality |
| "I just need to polish it" | Then it's not complete |
| "Stakeholder will fill in gaps" | Flag gaps explicitly first |
| "This is just a draft" | Drafts still need verification |
| "We can iterate later" | Verify before sharing |

---

## Why This Matters

- Incomplete deliverables waste stakeholder review time
- Missing gaps discovered late require rework
- Trust erodes when "complete" doesn't mean complete
- PM credibility depends on deliverable quality
- Stakeholders make decisions based on your outputs

---

## When To Apply

**ALWAYS before:**
- Claiming any deliverable "done" or "ready"
- Sending for stakeholder review
- Moving to next initiative phase
- Saving final version to outputs/
- Reporting progress to user

---

## The Bottom Line

**Run the checklist. Check the criteria. THEN claim completion.**

This is non-negotiable.