The In-Haus method

Phases
and gates.

Eight phases. Seven gates. A human signature on every one.

Phases

From Vet to Appreciate.

Build and Demo repeat for each build phase, on the schedule set at Blueprint, until the scope is in. A new release goes back through Contract.

Vet
Is it worth building, and is it ready to contract? You answer the intake. The Chief Architect signs a readiness grade.
Contract
What are we building, for whom, inside what appetite? Scope, success metrics and access get signed before anyone builds.
Blueprint
What does done look like? Stories with acceptance criteria, screens and the access matrix. You approve them.
Build
We build it where you can see it. A daily build log, a decision log, and a change order for every change.
Demo
Does this build phase's work work for your business? Your assigned tester runs the tests. The builder never runs them for you.
Diligence
Does the whole thing work, and is it safe? A full test run, a security readiness report, and proof that backup and restore work.
Deliver
Can you run it alone? The code and database move to your systems. Our access ends.
Appreciate
How does it gain value? Funding, Sell and Launch kits come from the same records. The next release goes back through Contract.

Gates

A gate opens the next phase only when the person accountable for it signs what was shown. The In-Haus Crew builds, tests and drafts; it never signs.

Readiness gate: The readiness grade from Vet.
Signs: Chief Architect. Opens: Contract.
Contract gate: The charter, the appetite, and the Building Code Owners with their backups.
Signs: Owner; also Build Foreman. Opens: Access gate.
Access gate: Every system the plan needs, each passing a live check. One failing system holds the whole plan.
Signs: Owner. Opens: Blueprint.
Blueprint gate: The Master Blueprint, the story map with its tests, the build schedule, the stop points and the access matrix.
Signs: Owner; also Design Steward, Chief Architect. Opens: Build.
Build phase approval: The build phase's work, tested by people in order: the Customer Crew, the Build Architect, the Build Inspector, and the stakeholder when called for.
Signs: Chief Architect. Opens: One merge to main; the next build phase.
Full sign-off: A full test run with every case passed or accepted, no high finding open, and backup and restore evidence.
Signs: Delivery Steward; also Owner, Chief Architect. Opens: Deliver.
Delivered: Release notes, the runbook, the key inventory, the transfer, and provenance for every story.
Signs: Owner. Opens: Appreciate.

Start with Vet

The framework is free to read. A build runs in the App. A scoping call is where Vet begins.