Skipping Phases
How to legally skip steps without hiding risk.
The Lens determines what the Accelerator must include. You may skip stages, but every skip is a risk decision.
Conditions for Legal Skipping
A stage can only be legally bypassed in the OS if the following are true:
- ☐The rationale is documented in the Scope Card/Charter.
- ☐The Sponsor and Delivery Owner sign off.
- ☐Engineering and Architecture agree the risk is manageable.
- ☐The Change Forum (if applicable) is informed.
Risk Implications of Skipping
Risk: Architectural surprises mid-sprint, unvalidated integration, sudden cost or performance failures.
Valid Use-Case: Extending platforms where feasibility is long established.
Risk: Real-world behavior differs dramatically, data correctness issues, user misunderstanding.
Valid Use-Case: Pure backend refactors or internal components without user interaction.
Risk: Overscoping, waste, delivery delay. "We built everything, but not the thing that mattered."
Valid Use-Case: Very small, tightly scoped internal tools or known functionality replacements.