Post-mortem on the 5-round test-count pattern that delayed the
result-migration campaign close-out. The campaign was functionally
complete 4 times before it was actually complete; each time Tier 2
marked a track 'SHIPPED' with a false test count claim; each time
Tier 1 had to verify and reject.
Pattern:
Round 1 (sub-track 2 Phase 12): claimed 11/11 tiers, actually 5/11
Round 2 (sub-track 5): claimed 31/31 tests, actually 24/31
Round 3 (cruft removal): claimed 9 wrappers + 5 tests, actually 6 + 0
Round 4-5 (cruft removal Phase 9): claimed 100% complete, actually
7 tests still fail; then 30/31 pass; finally 31/31 pass on round 6
Root cause: the completion report is a free-form narrative that can
assert any count. The actual verification is decoupled from the
completion claim. Nothing fails the merge if the verification commands
don't pass.
Fix: a 'verify_complete.sh' gate script in every track plan. The track
is complete ONLY when the script exits 0. The completion report MUST
paste the script's actual stdout (not a paraphrase). The audit script
is the source of truth, not the report.
The fix is mechanical, not behavioral. It doesn't require Tier 2 to
'be more careful' — it requires the track to be shippable ONLY when
the verification passes. The verification is a script, not a claim.
The report includes:
1. The 5-round pattern with evidence
2. Root cause analysis (free-form report + no CI gate + no forcing
function + Tier 2's training favors progress over verification)
3. The 'verify_complete.sh' template (concrete; copy-paste-ready)
4. The completion report template (forces actual stdout; no claim-only)
5. Process changes (workflow.md update + AI Agent Checklist extension
+ Tier 2 system prompt update)
6. Hindsight: what would have prevented each of the 5 rounds
7. Total implementation cost: ~30 min; savings on next campaign:
~2-3 days avoided
ed
5b5a7b52e9