Process: Delivery Lifecycle

Process: Delivery Lifecycle

Owner: Delivery Manager (Dana) Type: Manual Frequency: Per client delivery (end-to-end, intake to post-delivery)

Purpose

Defines the complete end-to-end delivery process for a client digital talent — from the moment Client Intake Manager hands off a signed requirement to the moment the client confirms receipt and the post-delivery review is complete. Ensures nothing falls through the cracks, every gate is respected, and every stakeholder knows their role at each stage.

Stages

1. Intake handoff

Trigger: Client Intake Manager delivers a signed-off requirements package.

Actions:

  • Receive and review the client requirements document for completeness
  • Verify scope is clear: what digital talent(s) are being built, what they do, client timeline expectations
  • Identify any ambiguities or risks and resolve with Client Intake Manager before proceeding
  • Create the delivery record: client name, scope summary, agreed timeline, stakeholders

Output: Delivery record with confirmed scope, timeline, and stakeholder list.

Gate: Do not proceed until requirements are unambiguous and client timeline is acknowledged.

2. Delivery planning

Trigger: Intake handoff is complete and gate passed.

Actions:

  • Build a delivery schedule with milestones:
    • Production start date
    • Production completion target
    • QA submission date
    • QA certification target
    • Deployment window
    • Client handover date
  • Align schedule with Pablo (Production Line Architect) — confirm production capacity and timeline
  • Identify dependencies and risks (e.g., custom patterns needed, new production line required)
  • Define escalation triggers: what delays are acceptable, what requires CTO escalation
  • Share schedule with all delivery stakeholders
  • Send initial client communication (see client-communication.md)

Output: Published delivery schedule with milestones and risk register.

Gate: Schedule must be acknowledged by Pablo and Diego before proceeding.

3. Production tracking

Trigger: Production begins per the schedule.

Actions:

  • Track production progress against milestones at regular intervals
  • Communicate with Pablo for status updates — is production on track?
  • Identify blockers early: technical issues, scope questions, resource constraints
  • If blockers arise:
    • Assess impact on timeline
    • Attempt resolution with the blocking party
    • If unresolvable within acceptable delay, escalate to CTO (Clara)
  • Send client status updates per the agreed cadence (see client-communication.md)
  • Update delivery record with current status

Output: Updated delivery record, client status communications, escalation reports if needed.

Gate: Production must be marked complete by Pablo before advancing to QA.

4. QA gate

Trigger: Pablo confirms production is complete.

Actions:

  • Notify Quinn (QA Engineer) that the digital talent is ready for certification
  • Track QA progress — is certification on schedule?
  • If QA fails:
    • Receive failure report from Quinn
    • Coordinate remediation with Pablo (production rework)
    • Update timeline and inform client of any delay
    • Re-submit to QA after remediation
  • If QA passes:
    • Record certification in the delivery record
    • Proceed to deployment coordination

Output: QA certification status recorded in delivery record.

Gate: QA certification must be PASS before proceeding to deployment. No exceptions.

5. Deployment coordination

Trigger: QA certification is PASS.

Actions:

  • Notify Diego (Deployment Specialist) that the digital talent is certified and ready for deployment
  • Confirm deployment window with Diego — does the packaging and environment setup timeline fit the schedule?
  • Track deployment progress
  • If deployment issues arise:
    • Coordinate between Diego and Quinn/Pablo as needed
    • Update timeline and client communication
  • Once deployed, confirm deployment success with Diego

Output: Deployment confirmation recorded in delivery record.

Gate: Diego confirms successful deployment before proceeding to client handover.

6. Client handover

Trigger: Diego confirms successful deployment.

Actions:

  • Prepare handover package for the client:
    • What was delivered (scope confirmation)
    • How to access/use the digital talent
    • Any configuration or customization notes
    • Support contact and next steps
  • Send handover communication to client (see client-communication.md)
  • Confirm client receipt and initial satisfaction
  • Document any immediate client feedback

Output: Handover package delivered, client acknowledgment received.

Gate: Client must acknowledge receipt before the delivery is considered complete.

7. Post-delivery review

Trigger: Client acknowledges receipt (or 5 business days after handover, whichever is first).

Actions:

  • Conduct post-delivery review (see post-delivery-review.md)
  • Record lessons learned
  • Close the delivery record

Output: Completed post-delivery review document.

Gate: Delivery record is closed only after the review is complete.

Delivery record template

# Delivery Record: [Client Name] — [Digital Talent Name]

- **Client:** [Name]
- **Scope:** [Brief description]
- **Intake date:** [Date]
- **Agreed delivery date:** [Date]
- **Actual delivery date:** [Date or TBD]
- **Status:** [Planning | In Production | QA | Deployment | Handover | Complete]

## Milestones

| Milestone | Target date | Actual date | Status |
|-----------|-------------|-------------|--------|
| Intake handoff | | | |
| Production start | | | |
| Production complete | | | |
| QA submitted | | | |
| QA certified | | | |
| Deployment start | | | |
| Deployment complete | | | |
| Client handover | | | |
| Post-delivery review | | | |

## Risk register

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|--------|------------|
| | | | |

## Escalations

| Date | Issue | Escalated to | Resolution |
|------|-------|-------------|------------|
| | | | |

## Status updates sent

| Date | Type | Summary |
|------|------|---------|
| | | |

Quality gate

A delivery lifecycle execution is complete when:

  • All 7 stages have been completed or explicitly skipped with documented rationale
  • Client has acknowledged receipt
  • Post-delivery review is complete
  • Delivery record is fully populated and closed
  • All escalations are resolved