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Develop Phase 4DDR Template

This template is optimized for decisions made during the Develop phase of GISE methodology, focusing on implementation practices, development tools, testing strategies, and code quality standards.

Develop 4DDR Template​

---
id: 4DDR-NNNN
status: proposed
phase: develop
decision: "Clear statement of development practice, tool, or implementation approach chosen"
context: "Team needs, code quality requirements, or development challenges addressed"
consequences: "Impact on development velocity, code quality, team learning curve, and maintenance"
alternatives: ["Alternative tool 1", "Alternative practice 2", "Alternative approach 3"]
stakeholders: ["Developers", "Tech Lead", "QA Engineer", "DevOps"]
author: "Development Team"
date: "YYYY-MM-DD"
tags: ["development", "tooling", "practices", "code-quality"]
team-impact: "How this affects daily development work"
learning-curve: "Low/Medium/High - time needed for team adoption"
automation-level: "Manual/Semi-automated/Fully automated"
maintenance-overhead: "Ongoing effort required to maintain this decision"
---

# 4DDR-NNNN: [Development Decision Title]

## Development Context

What development challenge, team need, or quality requirement drives this decision?

### Current Situation
- **Existing Practice**: Current approach or tools in use
- **Problems**: Issues with current approach
- **Requirements**: New requirements or constraints
- **Team Constraints**: Skills, time, or resource limitations

## Implementation Decision

State the specific development practice, tool, framework, or approach selected.

### Technical Details
- **Technology/Tool**: Specific technologies or tools involved
- **Configuration**: Key configuration or setup requirements
- **Integration**: How this integrates with existing development workflow
- **Standards**: Coding standards, conventions, or guidelines

## Development Benefits

### Productivity Improvements
- **Developer Experience**: How this improves daily development work
- **Automation**: Manual tasks that become automated
- **Efficiency**: Time savings or workflow improvements
- **Collaboration**: Enhanced team collaboration capabilities

### Quality Enhancements
- **Code Quality**: Impact on code maintainability and reliability
- **Testing**: Improvements to testing coverage or effectiveness
- **Documentation**: Better code documentation or self-documenting code
- **Consistency**: Standardization across codebase or team practices

## Implementation Plan

### Adoption Strategy
- **Pilot Phase**: Limited rollout to test effectiveness
- **Training**: Team training or knowledge transfer needed
- **Migration**: Existing code or process migration requirements
- **Timeline**: Phased adoption schedule

### Development Workflow Integration
- **IDE Setup**: Development environment configuration
- **CI/CD Integration**: Continuous integration and deployment changes
- **Code Review**: Impact on code review process
- **Documentation**: Required documentation updates

## Quality Gates

### Automated Checks
- **Linting**: Code style and quality checks
- **Testing**: Unit, integration, and end-to-end test requirements
- **Security**: Security scanning and vulnerability checks
- **Performance**: Performance testing and monitoring

### Manual Processes
- **Code Review**: Peer review requirements and standards
- **Testing**: Manual testing procedures
- **Documentation**: Documentation review and approval
- **Deployment**: Manual deployment steps or approvals

## Success Metrics

### Development Metrics
- **Velocity**: Impact on development speed and throughput
- **Quality**: Bug rates, technical debt, code complexity
- **Consistency**: Adherence to standards across team/codebase
- **Knowledge**: Team proficiency and capability improvement

### Process Metrics
- **Automation**: Percentage of automated vs manual tasks
- **Efficiency**: Time saved through improved processes
- **Collaboration**: Team satisfaction and communication improvement
- **Reliability**: Reduction in process failures or issues

## Risk Assessment

### Adoption Risks
- **Learning Curve**: Time and effort required for team adoption
- **Productivity Impact**: Temporary reduction in development velocity
- **Tool Complexity**: Risk of over-complicating development workflow
- **Dependency**: Risk of becoming dependent on specific tools or practices

### Mitigation Strategies
- **Training Plan**: Structured learning and knowledge transfer
- **Gradual Adoption**: Phased rollout to minimize disruption
- **Fallback Options**: Alternative approaches if primary choice fails
- **Support Resources**: Documentation, training, or expert assistance

## Team Considerations

### Skill Requirements
- **Existing Skills**: Current team capabilities that support this decision
- **Skill Gaps**: Areas where team needs additional training or hiring
- **Learning Resources**: Training materials, courses, or documentation
- **Knowledge Sharing**: How knowledge will be shared across team

### Workflow Changes
- **Daily Practices**: Changes to routine development activities
- **Collaboration**: New collaboration patterns or communication needs
- **Tooling**: New tools or changes to existing development tools
- **Process**: Updates to development processes or procedures

## Maintenance and Evolution

### Ongoing Maintenance
- **Updates**: Tool updates, version management, compatibility
- **Monitoring**: Tracking effectiveness and identifying issues
- **Optimization**: Continuous improvement opportunities
- **Support**: Ongoing support requirements and resources

### Evolution Path
- **Upgrades**: Planned improvements or feature additions
- **Scaling**: How this approach scales with team or project growth
- **Technology Evolution**: Adapting to new technologies or practices
- **Lessons Learned**: Incorporating feedback and experience

## Related Decisions

Link to related development decisions or dependencies:

- 4DDR-XXXX: [Related Tool Decision](./4ddr-xxxx-title.md)
- 4DDR-YYYY: [Testing Strategy Decision](./4ddr-yyyy-title.md)
- [Development Standards Document](https://link-to-document.com)

Common Develop Phase Decision Types​

Testing Strategy Decisions​

  • Testing frameworks and tools (Jest, Playwright, Cypress)
  • Test coverage requirements and metrics
  • Automated vs manual testing approaches
  • Performance and load testing strategies

Code Quality Decisions​

  • Linting rules and code style standards
  • Code review processes and requirements
  • Static analysis tools and configurations
  • Technical debt management approaches

Development Tool Decisions​

  • IDE and editor standardization
  • Version control workflows (Git flow, GitHub flow)
  • Build tools and bundlers
  • Package management and dependency strategies

Deployment Process Decisions​

  • Continuous integration and deployment workflows
  • Environment management and configuration
  • Feature flags and deployment strategies
  • Monitoring and observability implementation

Example Develop Phase 4DDRs​

---
id: 4DDR-0033
status: accepted
phase: develop
decision: "Adopt TypeScript for all new JavaScript development"
context: "Reducing runtime errors, improving code maintainability and developer experience"
consequences: "Initial learning curve and build complexity, but improved code quality and IDE support"
alternatives: ["Continue with JavaScript + JSDoc", "Flow type checker", "Gradual adoption"]
stakeholders: ["Frontend Team", "Backend Team", "Tech Lead"]
author: "Development Team"
date: "2025-07-26"
tags: ["typescript", "code-quality", "developer-experience"]
team-impact: "All developers need TypeScript training, improved IDE experience"
learning-curve: "Medium"
automation-level: "Fully automated - type checking in CI/CD"
maintenance-overhead: "Low after initial setup"
---

This template ensures development decisions are well-documented, team-aligned, and support effective implementation practices.