Establish workflow boundary checklists with clear pass/fail criteria and escalation procedures
Establishes structured quality gates at workflow boundaries with explicit pass/fail criteria and executable commands. Use when creating pre-merge checks, deployment gates, or phase transition verification that requires clear automation and escalation procedures.
/plugin marketplace add cipherstash/cipherpowers/plugin install cipherpowers@cipherpowersThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
Create structured quality gates at workflow boundaries with clear "Must Pass" vs "Should Review" criteria, exact commands, and escalation procedures.
Announce at start: "I'm using the creating-quality-gates skill to establish this quality gate."
Wrong: Vague criteria ("ensure quality", "review code") Right: Explicit criteria with commands and pass/fail definitions
Quality gates must be:
Determine where the gate belongs:
| Boundary | Purpose | Example Gate |
|---|---|---|
| Before merge | Code quality | Pre-merge checklist |
| Before deploy | Production readiness | Deploy checklist |
| After design | Implementation readiness | Design review gate |
| After implement | Test readiness | Implementation complete gate |
Brainstorm everything that should be verified:
Separate into two categories:
Must Pass (Automated)
Should Review (Manual)
For each check, provide:
### [Check Name]
- [ ] **[What to verify]**
```bash
[exact command to run]
Expected: [what success looks like]
If fails: [what to do]
Be specific:
- ❌ "Run tests"
- ✅ "Run unit tests: `cargo test --lib` - Expected: All tests pass (0 failures)"
### Step 5: Document Failure Procedures
For automated checks:
```markdown
### If Automated Checks Fail
**STOP. Do not proceed.**
1. Read the error message carefully
2. Check if recent commit caused failure
3. Fix the issue (don't work around)
4. Re-run full check suite
5. If stuck > 30 minutes, ask for help
For manual checks:
### If Manual Review Has Issues
| Severity | Action |
|----------|--------|
| Blocking | Must fix before proceeding |
| Non-blocking | Create follow-up task |
| Discussion | Flag for team review |
Prerequisites - What must be true before starting:
Sign-Off - How to record completion:
Verify the gate is usable:
Add gate to workflow documentation:
# [Workflow Stage] Verification Checklist
**Purpose:** [What this validates]
**When:** [At what point]
## Prerequisites
- [ ] [What must be true first]
## Automated Checks (MUST PASS)
### [Category]
- [ ] **[Check]**
```bash
[command]
Expected: [success criteria]
[Procedures]
| Category | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Automated | ✅/❌ | |
| Manual | ✅/⚠️ |
**Use template:** `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}templates/verification-checklist-template.md`
## Anti-Patterns
**Don't:**
- Use vague criteria ("ensure quality")
- Skip the failure procedures
- Mix Must Pass with Should Review
- Make gates so long they get skipped
- Forget to test commands work
**Do:**
- Provide exact commands
- Separate blocking from advisory
- Keep gates focused and timely
- Update when processes change
- Automate what can be automated
## Example: Pre-Merge Gate
```markdown
# Pre-Merge Checklist
## Prerequisites
- [ ] All changes committed
- [ ] Branch rebased on main
## Automated Checks (MUST PASS)
### Tests
- [ ] **Unit tests**
```bash
cargo test --lib
Expected: 0 failures
cargo nextest run
cargo clippy -- -D warnings
STOP. Fix issues. Re-run all checks.
## Related Skills
- **Organizing documentation:** `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}skills/organizing-documentation/SKILL.md`
- **Creating research packages:** `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}skills/creating-research-packages/SKILL.md`
- **Documenting debugging workflows:** `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}skills/documenting-debugging-workflows/SKILL.md`
## References
- Standards: `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}standards/documentation-structure.md`
- Template: `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}templates/verification-checklist-template.md`
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