Delivery

Observation: “Done” is not a technical property. It is an operational verdict, and its definition depends on who is making the call. To the engineer, done means the component runs without error in at least one environment. To the QA team, it means the component passes the agreed tests. To the project manager, it means the component is listed on the delivery manifest. To the client, it means the component produces the expected result in their context. To the sponsor, it means the component has crossed the threshold for invoicing. ...

Observation: The engineer reports that the component is “mostly working.” The project manager translates “mostly working” into “ready for testing.” The manager translates “ready for testing” into “ready for demo.” The sponsor hears “ready for demo” and prepares to communicate “ready to ship.” At every translation step, ambiguity collapses in the direction of progress. Nobody deliberately inflates status. The inflation is structural: each party’s cautious signal is read by the next party as a confident one, because that is the reading that lets the project move forward. ...