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Template 7 of 10

Readiness check template

A readiness check answers one question before development starts: is everything the team needs to build this decided, consistent and approved? It ends in a verdict and a list of what blocks it.

Signed off by:
The tech lead
Comes after:
User story
Leads to:
Test plan
readiness.md
# Readiness · <date>

**Verdict:** Ready / Ready with conditions / Not ready

## Blocking
| # | Finding | Where | Who fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|

## Should fix

## Fine to go

What to check

  1. Coverage. Every FR and NFR maps to at least one story, and every story maps to a requirement.
  2. Consistency. Names, limits, rules and flows match across the PRD, the UX spec, the architecture and the stories. A 5 MB limit in the PRD and 10 MB in a story is a finding.
  3. Stories. Each has testable acceptance criteria, points, an epic, and fits in a sprint.
  4. Design. Every screen a story touches has its frames, or is listed as needing design.
  5. Technical. The architecture covers each story's data and APIs; risks have mitigations.
  6. Approvals. Which docs are still drafts.
  7. Open questions. Anything unanswered that blocks a story.

Be strict

"Ready" when it isn't costs a sprint. Cite the doc and section for every finding so whoever fixes it doesn't have to hunt.

The verdict

  • Ready: nothing blocks.
  • Ready with conditions: the team can start; named findings must be fixed by a date.
  • Not ready: at least one blocking finding, each with who fixes it.

Common mistakes

  • A checklist of ticks with no findings, which nobody reads twice.
  • Findings without an owner.
  • Checking each doc on its own instead of against the others.

Example

Readiness · March release, sprint 1

Verdict: Ready with conditions

Blocking

#FindingWhereWho fixes it
1File size limit is 5 MB in the PRD but 10 MB in BO-2PRD FR-1, BO-2Sam
2The architecture is still a draftdocs/architecture.mdLee

Should fix

  • BO-5 has no design frame for the "file over 5 MB" error.

Fine to go

  • All 4 FRs and 2 NFRs are covered by stories BO-2 to BO-6.

Have Releavo write the readiness check

In Releavo this lives at docs/readiness.md. Releavo drafts it from the docs before it and your team's conversations; every edit is a draft until the tech lead approves it, and approved versions are never overwritten.

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