A milestone should be accepted because evidence meets agreed criteria—not because the status report says it is complete.
Reconnect the deliverable to the contract
Confirm the exact scope, acceptance criteria, dependencies and exclusions before reviewing completion.
Inspect evidence, not presentation
Request test results, configuration evidence, approvals, defect status, training records and handover materials appropriate to the milestone.
Check security and operational readiness
Confirm access controls, logging, backup, recovery, support responsibilities and unresolved security findings.
Record exceptions and decisions
Document what is accepted, conditionally accepted or rejected, who owns each action and what must happen before payment or production use.
Protect the transition
Make sure knowledge transfer, documentation, credentials, support arrangements and ownership are in place before the vendor team steps away.