mh-cto-sdlc-handoff-covenant

Formalize the design to engineering handoff by synthesizing a handoff covenant document that captures design commitments, engineering prerequisites, and open questions. This formalizes the transition between Phase 3 design and Phase 4/6 architecture and implementation.

A handoff covenant in software engineering is a formal document declaring design freeze statuses, listing engineering prerequisites, and flagging deferred decisions to ensure a clear transition from design to implementation phases.

Generate a design freeze declaration after completing the component specification phase. It states which parts of the design are frozen and which remain flexible before Phase 4 architecture tasks begin.

Track open questions and engineering prerequisites by documenting them in the handoff covenant. This identifies deferred decisions and outlines what engineering needs before building each product component.

No, completing the component specification phase is a prerequisite. The handoff covenant requires these completed design artifacts to accurately define commitments and list Phase 4 action items.

The limitation of a design freeze declaration in agile development is that it requires balancing frozen design commitments against flexible areas. Open questions deferred during design must still be resolved before implementation can proceed.