Verify All Deliverables Before Completion

Purpose

This skill prevents premature task completion in multi-deliverable workflows by ensuring every required output file is created, verified to exist with non-zero size, and confirmed before declaring <COMPLETE>.

When to Use

Use this skill when a task requires creating multiple output files (e.g., spreadsheet + document, report + summary, data file + visualization).

Instructions

Step 1: Identify All Deliverables Upfront

CRITICAL CHECKPOINT: Do not proceed to Step 2 until this step produces visible output.

Before starting any file creation, you MUST output a complete deliverable list in this exact format:

REQUIRED DELIVERABLES CHECKLIST:
☐ [filename1.extension] - [brief description]
☐ [filename2.extension] - [brief description]
☐ [filename3.extension] - [brief description]

This checklist must appear as visible text in your output before executing any file creation commands. Track completion by updating checkboxes (☐ → ☑) as each file is created.

Step 2: Create Each Deliverable in Sequence

Execute the creation of each file one at a time. Do not proceed to the next step until the current file creation command has completed.

Step 3: Verify Each File After Creation

After creating each file, immediately verify it exists and has non-zero size:

ls -la [filename.extension]

Expected output should show file size > 0 bytes. If size is 0 or file is missing, troubleshoot before proceeding.

Step 4: Final Verification Before Completion

Before declaring <COMPLETE>, run a final verification of ALL deliverables:

ls -la file1.ext file2.ext file3.ext

Or use a loop for many files:

for file in file1.ext file2.ext file3.ext; do
  if [ -s "$file" ]; then
    echo "✓ $file exists ($(stat -c%s "$file") bytes)"
  else
    echo "✗ $file missing or empty"
    exit 1
  fi
done

Step 5: Only Then Declare Complete

Only output <COMPLETE> after all files have been verified with non-zero size.

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Prevention
Creating only some deliverables	List all deliverables upfront and track completion
Not verifying file sizes	Always run ls -la after each file creation
Declaring complete too early	Final verification step is mandatory
Assuming success without checking	Explicitly check each file before proceeding

Example Workflow

Task: Create tracking spreadsheet and email template document

1. Identify deliverables:
   - June_2025_Declined_Payments_Outreach.xlsx
   - Email_Template.docx

2. Create spreadsheet → verify with ls -la → confirm size > 0

3. Create Word document → verify with ls -la → confirm size > 0

4. Final check: ls -la *.xlsx *.docx → confirm both files present

5. Only then: <COMPLETE>