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“Are we done?” - the only status question that matters
· Ever Release
“Are we done?” is the status question that matters because it forces honesty against a finish line: shippable outcomes, not activity. If you cannot answer it, you do not have delivery status - you have motion reporting.
“Are we done?” is the status question that matters because it forces honesty against a finish line: shippable outcomes, not activity. If you cannot answer it, you do not have delivery status - you have motion reporting.
Why is “percent complete” a weak substitute?
Percent complete climbs while integrations, edge cases, and production readiness stay invisible. Teams hit 80% and discover the remaining 20% is the real release. That is the eighty-percent surprise - a delivery gap symptom, not a planning accident.
How do you ask “are we done?” well?
- Done relative to a named finish line (product goal + success metrics)
- Done means production-ready, not “almost”
- Every open item either serves the finish line or is floating work
- The answer can be no - without career theater
FAQ
- What does “are we done?” mean in ReleaseFlow?
- It means honest status against the finish line: whether shippable, production-ready outcomes exist - not whether people were busy.
- How often should teams ask if they are done?
- Every delivery cadence. Waiting until the date is hot turns status into crisis. Follow means asking early, against structure.