Automated conformance checks

Shift governance left

Conformance that only runs in a console is easy to ignore. The real value is catching issues where the work happens — in the spec author's editor and in CI.

Where checks can run

• In Exchange / Governance — the program-wide conformance view.
• In CI pipelines — validate specs on every pull request so a non-conforming change never merges.
• Locally — authors can lint specs against the ruleset before publishing.

A CI-friendly mindset

Treat the ruleset like a test suite. A spec change that fails conformance is a failing build, surfaced to the author in minutes, not discovered weeks later in a program review.

Coaching note

The outcome you are guiding toward is governance that developers barely notice — fast feedback at author time, so conformance becomes the default rather than an audit. Celebrate when a team stops thinking about the ruleset because they have internalized it.