The development process, end to end¶

This document describes an end-to-end process flow for a software development team.
It covers requirements definition, feature creation, sprint development, code quality gates, test & verification, and system integration testing — with feedback loops at every stage.

Process Overview¶

The overall process follows these steps: 1. Requirements are created by the Product Manager and reviewed. 2. Features are defined by the Architect, reviewed by the team, and accepted. 3. The software team refines features into user stories. 4. Delivery happens in 3-week sprints using feature branches. 5. Before merging a feature branch: - All stories must be complete. - The build must compile and pass unit tests and static analysis. - Code review must be approved. 6. Once merged, a build is created for T&V. 7. Test & Verification (T&V) and System Integration Testing (SIT) provide structured feedback loops. 8. Rework can happen at any stage based on review findings, bugs, or changes in upstream requirements.

High-level Flow (Mermaid)¶

mermaid diagram

Responsibilities & Hand-offs (PlantUML Activity)¶

mermaid diagram

Feature & Requirement Lifecycle (PlantUML State)¶

plantuml diagram

CI, T&V and SIT Feedback Loops (Mermaid Sequence)¶

mermaid diagram

Commentary & Rationale¶

Feedback loops are intentionally present in every phase, not just testing.
Requirements & features have review cycles to ensure downstream teams work with clarity and stable inputs.
Feature gates before merge protect main and keep builds stable.
T&V and SIT are treated as structured gates, not chaotic bug hunts.
Rework is planned, not a surprise — stories or tasks can be created from findings and re-run through the process.
This model aligns well with ADO/Jira workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and regulated development environments.

Suggested Practice¶

Stage	Trigger	Feedback Loop
Requirement	Ambiguity, scope, missing acceptance	Back to PM for revision
Feature	Technical feasibility or unclear scope	Back to Architect
Dev	Build, static analysis, unit test failure	Developer fixes before merge
Code Review	Review comments	Developer updates
T&V	Defects found	Rework through sprint
SIT	Integration issues	Rework through sprint

Author: Internal Engineering Team
Version: 1.0
Date: October 2025

mermaid diagram