Phase Contract Enforcement

Purpose

A phase contract becomes governance only when it is actively enforced. This skill complements skills/phase-contract/SKILL.md (which creates contracts) by monitoring adherence, detecting deviations, managing scope changes that affect contract boundaries, and producing a deviation log as evidence for gate reviews. Without enforcement, phase contracts are documentation artefacts, not governance instruments.

When to Use

• A scope change arrives mid-phase that may violate contract boundaries
• Phase work is running beyond the contracted end date without a formal extension
• Exit criteria are being bypassed or redefined without a formal contract amendment
• A gate review reveals that the phase was delivered outside its contracted scope
• Sprint velocity data suggests the phase cannot complete within contract parameters
• A stakeholder requests a change that would alter contracted entry or exit criteria

Instructions

Step 1: Load the Active Phase Contract

Retrieve the signed phase contract for the current phase. Validate it against schemas/phase-contract.schema.json. Confirm the contract status is in_progress (not blocked or ready_for_review). Identify the sign-off authority and the contracted scope boundaries.

Step 2: Detect the Deviation Type

Classify the deviation or potential deviation:

• Scope expansion: new work added beyond contracted scope
• Scope reduction: agreed deliverables removed without formal change
• Timeline breach: phase running beyond contracted end date
• Exit criterion modification: a criterion being redefined after contract sign-off
• Evidence gap: artefacts required by the contract are not being produced
• Dependency breach: an external dependency the contract assumed has failed

Step 3: Log the Deviation

Create a deviation entry in the phase deviation log:

• deviation_id: unique identifier (e.g., DEV-P3-001)
• phase_id: which phase contract is affected
• detected_date: ISO date
• deviation_type: from the classification in Step 2
• description: what happened and how it differs from the contract
• impact: effect on timeline, scope, or gate readiness
• status: open | under-review | resolved | escalated

Step 4: Assess Impact on Gate Readiness

For each logged deviation, assess whether it affects gate readiness:

• Does it invalidate any exit criterion?
• Does it create an evidence gap?
• Does it change the sign-off authority or scope?

If gate readiness is affected: update the phase contract status to blocked and notify the gate reviewer.

Step 5: Manage Scope Changes Through Formal Amendment

For scope changes that fall within tolerable bounds:

• Create a contract amendment record referencing the original phase contract
• Document: what changes, why, impact on exit criteria, new timeline (if any)
• Obtain sign-off from the original contract authority
• Update the phase contract document and increment its version
• Reference the amendment in the evidence index

For changes that exceed contract bounds (major scope increase or reduction):

• Escalate to PM and sponsor
• Do not proceed with the change until escalation is resolved
• Document the escalation in the deviation log

Step 6: Resolve or Escalate Open Deviations

At each sprint review, review all open deviation entries:

• If resolved: document resolution, close the entry, update the phase contract if needed
• If unresolved beyond 5 business days: escalate to PM
• If escalated and unresolved beyond 10 business days: flag as a gate blocker

Track resolution in the deviation log. The deviation log is a gate review artefact.

Step 7: Include Deviation Log in Gate Evidence Pack

Before gate review, the deviation log must:

• List all deviations detected during the phase
• Show resolution status for each
• Reference any contract amendments produced
• Be added to the evidence index as a mandatory gate artefact

Key Principles

1. Contracts are enforced, not filed — a signed contract that is never checked is not governance.
2. Deviations are not failures — they are information; detecting them early enables correction before gate.
3. Scope changes need formal authority — no change to contracted scope proceeds without the sign-off authority's approval.
4. The deviation log is an audit trail — it demonstrates that governance was active, not that the project was perfect.
5. Enforcement protects the team — undocumented scope creep harms the team; enforcement keeps the contract honest.

Reference Materials

• Schema: schemas/phase-contract.schema.json
• references/lifecycle-overview.md — Phase boundaries and sign-off authority definitions
• references/gate-criteria-reference.md — Gate criteria that deviation may affect
• references/artefact-catalog.md — Mandatory artefacts that deviation log must reference

Quality Checks

• Every scope change received during a phase has a deviation log entry
• Open deviations older than 5 business days have an escalation record
• Contract amendments are versioned and signed by the original authority
• Deviation log is included in the gate evidence pack
• Phase contract status accurately reflects the current state (not stale)
• No exit criterion is modified post-contract-sign-off without a formal amendment