Doctrine · Published 2026-07-10
Merged is not deployed
A lesson in distinguishing a change in review from reality in use.
Before
A reviewed change could be described as if it were already in effect.
After
A change is described by its actual state, including work still in flight.
Review and deployment are both meaningful moments, but they are not the same moment. Treating them as interchangeable makes a status update sound more complete than the evidence supports.
A careful account says what has been reviewed, what is available, and what is still underway. This is not hedging. It gives a reader a more accurate picture of the present and avoids converting an intention into a claim of completion.
Versioned work makes this distinction especially important. More than one change can be moving at once, and the practical question is always which state is actually in effect. The answer belongs in the record, not in implication.
Adopted doctrine
Describe work by the state it is actually in: reviewed, in flight, or deployed.
Public evidence