Empowered Justin to own RLC 9.7/9.6 LTS ship criteria

January 26, 2026 at 11:42 PMoperationalhigh

Situation

Directed Justin to define and own the ship criteria for RLC 9.7 and 9.6 LTS releases, bypassing Product inability to provide a clear definition of done. Justin will draft a 5-line definition and present it to Brady. Peter will provide air cover for any product fallout.

Reasoning

Product was blocking releases by not defining done - Engineering filling this vacuum is preferable to waiting indefinitely. Value execution over process perfection - the releases are technically ready. Empowering Justin to own outcomes rather than be dependent on others. Ship and learn beats waiting for perfection.

Additional Context

RLC 9.7 and 9.6 LTS are built but unreleased. Justin felt blocked by information overload from multiple PRDs and no clear checklist. The company biggest problem is obscurity - priority is shipping imperfect products quickly to gain market presence.

Observed Evidence

From Justin 1:1: RLC 9.7 and 9.6 LTS are built but unreleased, as the team lacks a clear definition of done from Product. Justin will define and own the ship criteria. Peter will provide air cover for any product fallout. From Brady/Brian sync: Peter directed Justin to create a 5-point launch checklist. The company biggest problem is obscurity.

Confidence Breakdown

33/35
Evidence
25/30
Pattern
20/20
Source
13/15
Corroboration

Reasoning Depth Analysis

Org Signal:Engineering can and should fill vacuum when Product fails to define requirements - establishes that delivery trumps process
Who Affected:Product team (Brady, Brian) - their role in defining done is being bypassed; sets precedent for future releases
Precedent:Creates repeatable process where Engineering owns ship criteria when Product cannot provide them
Consequences:Releases will ship faster; Product may push back but Peter providing air cover
Timing:Releases are built and waiting - every day of delay is opportunity cost

Source

reflection

AI Confidence

91%

Related Context

🎥
Justin <> Peter Weekly 1:1

fathom

Justin will define and own the ship criteria... This is a direct response to Product inability to provide a clear definition of done.

🎥
Brady / Brian <> Peter Biweekly Sync

fathom

Peter directed Justin to create a 5-point launch checklist and share it with Brady for approval. The priority is shipping imperfect products quickly to gain market presence.

Outcome

We have to stop being paralyzed. This should unblock things.

Rating: 4/5

Decision ID: a10e0dd6-eaad-4306-b3e5-cc2c603916d2