A sign-off checklist short enough that people actually use it — and specific enough to catch the things that block releases.
A short, device-real smoke pass: permissions, offline, rotation, interruptions, and the update path.
Not a full load test — a fast, fixed, repeatable check on a few critical endpoints, compared to baseline, that catches gross regressions before sign-off.
A green suite confirms only what you thought to check. Readiness adds coverage-vs-change, accepted risk, observability, and non-functional signals.
A green suite, a flawless demo, and a permission check enforced in the UI but not the API — exposing every customer's data. Caught the day before release.
Cut a dreaded two-day regression to an afternoon — and caught more — by weighting on risk, automating the stable core, and pruning dead cases.
Frame it as risk for the owner to decide, not a veto: specific, reproduced, impact-led, with options attached — surfaced early, not as a sign-off-meeting ambush.