Why transitions leak
Work moves forward before it is ready: missing acceptance criteria, no linked design, no reviewer, no evidence. The fix is rarely a new process — it is making the existing expectation visible at the moment of transition.
The checklist
- Required fields present (not placeholder text).
- Linked issue or design where the workflow demands it.
- Assignee and reviewer distinct, where applicable.
- Acceptance criteria or definition-of-done reference.
- Approval recorded for sensitive transitions.
Encoding it
Each item above maps to one rule on one transition. Start with the two transitions that cause the most rework, preview the rules, then enforce. Everything else is noise.
Related: ReadyGate