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Quality gates + release governance to reduce rework
Engineering + QA leadership • B2B Software • 4 weeks
Improved release reliability with consistent gates, definitions, and review rituals.
Snapshot
Services
- Delivery Enablement
Deliverables
- Definition of Ready / Done
- Release checklist + go/no-go agenda
- QA gate criteria and test coverage baseline
- Rollback and comms playbook
- Learning loop template (retro → standard update)
Context
- Engagement: 4-week release governance + QA gates setup
- Timeline: 4 weeks
- Client: Engineering + QA leadership
- Industry: B2B Software
- High release frequency with increasing coordination overhead
- Late-stage surprises triggered rollbacks and rework loops
- Needed clear, shared definitions to reduce negotiation during releases
Constraints
- Gates had to be fast enough to keep cadence intact
- Release rituals needed clarity without adding meeting load
- Learning loops had to translate incidents into updated standards
Challenge
Releases were frequent but fragile: late surprises caused rollbacks, rework, and high coordination overhead during release windows.
How we worked
- Aligned Definition of Ready/Done to release risk and readiness signals
- Introduced minimum QA gates and acceptance criteria as non-negotiables
- Created a go/no-go ritual with a clear checklist and ownership
- Established an incident learning loop to keep standards current
What we did
- Defined Definition of Ready / Definition of Done aligned to release risk
- Introduced minimum QA gates and acceptance criteria
- Created release checklist and go/no-go ritual
- Established lightweight incident learning loop tied to standards updates
Outcomes
- Escaped defects: ↓ ~30% within 8–10 weeks
- Release rollbacks: ↓ ~20% within 90 days
- Release confidence: Improved (clear gates)
Proof
- Definition of Ready/Done (high-level) for release readiness
- Release checklist + go/no-go agenda (redaction-safe)
- QA gate criteria and baseline (minimum viable quality)
- Learning loop template (retro → standard update)
Want something similar?
We’ll help you define what “done” means, build the right deliverables, and create momentum you can sustain.