Checks: post-ship verification for approved work
Shipping finishes the handoff. Checks verify whether the approved change actually worked.
Most teams stop thinking once the handoff ships.
Operators cannot afford that.
The export may be approved. The ticket may be closed. The rollout may be at 100%.
That still does not tell you whether the change worked.
What a Check is
A Check is a scheduled verification point after ship.
It compares the outcome you expected with what actually happened in production.
That means every approved change needs:
- a clear success condition
- a reviewable time window
- someone accountable for reading the result
What to verify
The simplest version is enough for most teams:
- +24h for breakage
- +7d for behavior
- +14d for the target metric and counter-metrics
The point is not ritual.
The point is to keep causality after the handoff leaves the workflow.
Why operators care
Without Checks, teams confuse "nothing broke" with "the change worked."
Those are not the same thing.
Checks make post-ship truth part of the workflow:
- ship
- verify
- decide what happens next
Where ContractSpec fits
ContractSpec treats Checks as a first-class artifact attached to approved work.
That keeps the source, the handoff, and the post-ship verdict in the same operational trail.
Related articles
Outcome checks: deploy is not done
A simple Check schedule (+24h, +7d, +14d) so approved work stays tied to measurable follow-through.
Whats live now: Meeting-to-Execution first, Mission Control next
ContractSpec now starts with one reviewed workflow, keeps handoffs explicit, and expands into Mission Control only after the first lane is trusted.
Mission Control is reviewed automation, not auto-ship
Mission Control runs scheduled drafts behind review queues, caps, and explicit approvals. No silent autonomy.