The supplier says the work is ninety per cent complete. The project team has seen screenshots but no usable deliverable. Ask for progress evidence connected to the agreed result, the stage reached and the checks still outstanding. A percentage or demonstration can support a conversation without proving operational acceptance.
PMI discusses requirements and acceptance criteria. This article is an operational evidence method. It does not decide payment entitlement, contractual completion or whether a particular supplier has breached an agreement; those matters belong with the appropriate commercial or legal owner.
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Establish the agreed basis first
Locate the current scope, deliverable description, acceptance criteria and reporting arrangement. Identify who supplies evidence and who can assess it. If the agreement is unclear, raise that uncertainty rather than inventing new acceptance conditions after the work is done.
Separate progress monitoring from the final acceptance decision. You may need useful evidence before the whole deliverable is ready, but label what that evidence actually establishes.
Use an evidence ladder
For a significant supplier item, distinguish:
Activity reported: work said to have been performed.
Output available: a specific version can be inspected.
Demonstration observed: behaviour shown under stated conditions.
Relevant checks completed: results and limitations recorded.
Accepted result: authorised recipient confirms the agreed conditions.
These are suggested descriptions, not a mandatory contractual sequence. Some engagements use different stages. Make their meaning explicit enough that a sponsor does not hear accepted when the supplier means drafted.
A hypothetical demonstration gap
A supplier demonstrates a reporting tool using prepared sample data. The display looks correct, but the intended import and exception handling are not shown. The project records the demonstration as evidence of those displayed functions only.
It asks for the agreed checks covering the remaining requirements and identifies when suitable client data or participation is needed. If the missing evidence is the client's responsibility, that dependency is visible too. The method should not turn every gap into a supplier accusation.
Record the next evidential step
Capture the deliverable version, claim made, evidence seen, conditions tested, limitation and next action. Ask which evidence will support the next project decision and when it can be obtained.
A request for the whole source archive may be disproportionate. Seek the information required to assess the agreed result, with appropriate confidentiality and access arrangements.
Connect evidence to the forecast
If a material check is still unplanned, reflect that in delivery confidence. Do not continue showing an unsupported acceptance date because visible production activity is progressing.
Bring any proposed scope or commercial change through the correct authority. The small-team planning guide connects supplier inputs to the wider sequence. For the connected task, read How to Write Project Acceptance Criteria People Can Actually Check. If supplier updates sound reassuring while usable evidence remains missing, discuss your project requirements.
