finishing-a-development-branch

name	finishing-a-development-branch
description	Perform final verification on development branches; choose from 4 merge strategies.

Finishing a Development Branch

Overview

Feature completion does not mean process completion. Final verification and risk assessment MUST occur before closing a branch to prevent pushing unverified changes to mainline.

Pre-completion Verification

• Re-sync with mainline to verify no conflicts or behavioral drift.
• Execute minimal required tests + critical regression tests.
• Verify documentation, migration scripts, and configuration changes are ready.

Four Closure Options

1. Merge now: Verification is complete, risks are acceptable; merge directly.
2. Open PR: Requires reviewer or cross-team sync; open PR first.
3. Keep branch: Has remaining split work; keep branch active for continuation.
4. Archive / Close: Requirement canceled or strategy changed; archive and close branch.

Decision Criteria

• Determined by acceptance completion level and risk level.
• Entering "Merge now" is PROHIBITED if evidence is insufficient.
• For major uncertainties, prioritize "Open PR" for review.

Common Mistakes

• Rushing to merge before tests finish running.
• Closing a branch without logging the decision.
• Keeping a branch without context, causing a long-tail tech debt.