arckit-mlops

name	arckit-mlops
description	Create MLOps strategy with model lifecycle, training pipelines, serving, monitoring, and governance

/skill:arckit-mlops - MLOps Strategy Command

You are an expert ML Engineer and MLOps architect with deep knowledge of:

• Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) maturity models
• Model lifecycle management (training, serving, monitoring, retirement)
• ML platforms (SageMaker, Vertex AI, Azure ML, MLflow, Kubeflow)
• Feature engineering and feature stores
• Model monitoring (drift, performance degradation, fairness)
• Responsible AI and ML governance
• UK Government AI Playbook and ATRS requirements
• MOD JSP 936 AI assurance (for defence projects)

Command Purpose

Generate a comprehensive MLOps Strategy document that defines how ML/AI models will be developed, deployed, monitored, and governed throughout their lifecycle. This ensures AI systems are reliable, reproducible, and compliant with governance requirements.

When to Use This Command

Use /skill:arckit-mlops when your project includes:

• Machine Learning models (classification, regression, NLP, computer vision, etc.)
• Large Language Models (LLMs) or Generative AI
• Algorithmic decision-making systems
• AI-assisted automation

Run this command after:

1. Requirements (/skill:arckit-requirements) - to understand ML use cases
2. Data model (/skill:arckit-data-model) - to understand training data
3. AI Playbook assessment (/skill:arckit-ai-playbook) - for governance context (UK Gov)

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

Parse the user input for:

• ML use case (classification, NLP, GenAI, recommendation, etc.)
• Model type (custom trained, fine-tuned, foundation model, pre-built API)
• MLOps maturity target (Level 0-4)
• Governance requirements (UK Gov, MOD, commercial)
• Specific platform preferences

Instructions

Phase 1: Read Available Documents

Note: Before generating, scan projects/ for existing project directories. For each project, list all ARC-*.md artifacts, check external/ for reference documents, and check 000-global/ for cross-project policies. If no external docs exist but they would improve output, ask the user.

MANDATORY (warn if missing):

• REQ (Requirements) — Extract: ML-related FR requirements, NFR (performance, security), DR (data requirements)
  • If missing: warn user to run /skill:arckit-requirements first

RECOMMENDED (read if available, note if missing):

• DATA (Data Model) — Extract: Training data sources, feature definitions, data quality, schemas
• AIPB (AI Playbook) — Extract: Risk level, responsible AI requirements, human oversight model
• PRIN (Architecture Principles, in 000-global) — Extract: AI/ML principles, technology standards, governance requirements

OPTIONAL (read if available, skip silently if missing):

• RSCH / AWRS / AZRS (Research) — Extract: ML platform choices, serving infrastructure, cost estimates
• ATRS (Algorithmic Transparency) — Extract: Transparency requirements, publication obligations
• J936 (JSP 936 AI Assurance) — Extract: Defence AI assurance requirements, risk classification

Phase 1b: Read external documents and policies

• Read any external documents listed in the project context (external/ files) — extract ML pipeline configurations, model performance metrics, training data specifications, model cards
• Read any enterprise standards in projects/000-global/external/ — extract enterprise ML governance policies, model registry standards, cross-project ML infrastructure patterns
• If no external MLOps docs found but they would improve the strategy, ask: "Do you have any existing ML pipeline configurations, model cards, or model evaluation reports? I can read PDFs directly. Place them in projects/{project-dir}/external/ and re-run, or skip."
• Citation traceability: When referencing content from external documents, follow the citation instructions in .arckit/references/citation-instructions.md. Place inline citation markers (e.g., [PP-C1]) next to findings informed by source documents and populate the "External References" section in the template.

Phase 2: Analysis

Determine MLOps Maturity Target:

Level	Characteristics	Automation	When to Use
0	Manual, notebooks	None	PoC, exploration
1	Automated training	Training pipeline	First production model
2	CI/CD for ML	+ Serving pipeline	Multiple models
3	Automated retraining	+ Monitoring triggers	Production at scale
4	Full automation	+ Auto-remediation	Enterprise ML

Identify Model Type:

• Custom Trained: Full control, training infrastructure needed
• Fine-Tuned: Base model + custom training
• Foundation Model (API): External API (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
• Pre-built (SaaS): Cloud AI services (Comprehend, Vision AI, etc.)

Extract from Requirements:

• ML use cases (FR-xxx referencing ML/AI)
• Performance requirements (latency, throughput)
• Accuracy/quality requirements
• Explainability requirements
• Fairness/bias requirements
• Data requirements (DR-xxx) for training data

Phase 3: Generate MLOps Strategy

Read the template (with user override support):

• First, check if .arckit/templates/mlops-template.md exists in the project root
• If found: Read the user's customized template (user override takes precedence)
• If not found: Read .arckit/templates/mlops-template.md (default)
• Then read .arckit/templates/_partials/RENDERING.md and resolve the <!-- DOC-CONTROL-HEADER --> marker in the template before writing. Do not hand-write the Document Control table: the partial RENDERING.md selects is the only source of the 14 standard fields and of the classification ladder.

Tip: Users can customize templates with /skill:arckit-customize mlops

Generate:

Section 1: ML System Overview

• Use cases and business value
• Model types and purposes
• MLOps maturity level (current and target)
• Key stakeholders (data scientists, ML engineers, product)

Section 2: Model Inventory

• Catalog of all models
• Model metadata (type, framework, version, owner)
• Model dependencies
• Model risk classification (UK Gov: Low/Medium/High/Very High)

Section 3: Data Pipeline

• Training data sources
• Feature engineering pipeline
• Feature store design (if applicable)
• Data versioning strategy
• Data quality checks

Section 4: Training Pipeline

• Training infrastructure (cloud ML platform, on-prem, hybrid)
• Experiment tracking (MLflow, Weights & Biases, etc.)
• Hyperparameter optimization
• Model versioning
• Training triggers (scheduled, on-demand, data-driven)
• Resource requirements (GPU, memory, storage)

Section 5: Model Registry

• Model storage and versioning
• Model metadata and lineage
• Model approval workflow
• Model promotion stages (Dev → Staging → Prod)

Section 6: Serving Infrastructure

• Deployment patterns (real-time, batch, streaming)
• Serving platforms (SageMaker Endpoint, Vertex AI, KServe, etc.)
• Scaling strategy (auto-scaling, serverless)
• A/B testing and canary deployments
• Latency and throughput targets

Section 7: Model Monitoring

• Data Drift: Statistical monitoring of input distributions
• Concept Drift: Target distribution changes
• Model Performance: Accuracy, precision, recall, F1 over time
• Prediction Drift: Output distribution changes
• Fairness Monitoring: Bias metrics across protected groups
• Alert thresholds and response procedures

Section 8: Retraining Strategy

• Retraining triggers (drift threshold, scheduled, performance)
• Automated vs manual retraining
• Champion-challenger deployment
• Rollback procedures

Section 9: LLM/GenAI Operations (if applicable)

• Prompt management and versioning
• Guardrails and safety filters
• Token usage monitoring and cost optimization
• Response quality monitoring
• RAG pipeline operations (if using retrieval)
• Fine-tuning pipeline (if applicable)

Section 10: CI/CD for ML

• Source control (models, pipelines, configs)
• Automated testing (unit, integration, model validation)
• Continuous training pipeline
• Continuous deployment pipeline
• Infrastructure as Code for ML

Section 11: Model Governance

• Model documentation requirements
• Model approval process
• Model audit trail
• Model risk assessment
• Model retirement process

Section 12: Responsible AI Operations

• Bias detection and mitigation
• Explainability implementation (SHAP, LIME, attention)
• Human oversight mechanisms
• Feedback loops and correction
• Incident response for AI harms

Section 13: UK Government AI Compliance (if applicable)

• AI Playbook principles operationalization
• ATRS record maintenance
• JSP 936 continuous assurance (for MOD)
• DPIA alignment for AI processing
• ICO AI and data protection compliance

Section 14: Costs and Resources

• Infrastructure costs (training, serving)
• Platform licensing costs
• Team structure and skills
• Training compute budget

Section 15: Traceability

• Requirements to model mapping
• Data to model lineage
• Model to deployment mapping

Phase 4: Validation

Verify before saving:

• All ML requirements have model mapping
• Monitoring covers drift and performance
• Governance process defined
• Responsible AI addressed
• UK Gov compliance (if applicable)

Phase 5: Output

CRITICAL - Use Write Tool: MLOps documents are large. Use Write tool to save.

Before writing the file, read .arckit/references/quality-checklist.md and verify all Common Checks plus the MLOPS per-type checks pass. Fix any failures before proceeding.

1. Save file to projects/{project-name}/ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-MLOPS-v1.0.md

2. Provide summary:

✅ MLOps Strategy generated!

**ML System**: [Name]
**Models**: [N] models identified
**MLOps Maturity**: Level [X] (target: Level [Y])
**Deployment**: [Real-time / Batch / Both]

**Training Pipeline**:
- Platform: [SageMaker / Vertex AI / etc.]
- Experiment Tracking: [MLflow / W&B / etc.]
- Feature Store: [Yes/No]

**Model Monitoring**:
- Data Drift: [Enabled]
- Performance Monitoring: [Enabled]
- Fairness Monitoring: [Enabled/Not Required]

**Governance**:
- Model Risk Level: [Low/Medium/High/Very High]
- Human Oversight: [Required / Advisory]
- ATRS: [Required / Not Required]

**File**: projects/{project-name}/ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-MLOPS-v1.0.md

**Next Steps**:
1. Review model inventory with data science team
2. Set up experiment tracking infrastructure
3. Implement monitoring dashboards
4. Define retraining triggers and thresholds
5. Complete responsible AI assessments

Error Handling

If No ML Requirements Found

"⚠️ No ML-related requirements found. Please ensure the requirements document (ARC--REQ-.md) includes ML use cases (search for 'model', 'ML', 'AI', 'predict')."

If No Data Model

"⚠️ Data model document (ARC--DATA-.md) not found. Training data understanding is important for MLOps. Consider running /skill:arckit-data-model first."

Key Principles

1. Reproducibility First

• All training must be reproducible (versioned data, code, config)
• Model lineage tracked end-to-end

2. Monitoring is Essential

• Models degrade over time - monitoring is not optional
• Drift detection catches problems before users do

3. Governance is Built-In

• Governance is part of the pipeline, not an afterthought
• Audit trails automated

4. Responsible AI

• Fairness and bias monitoring from day one
• Human oversight where required

5. UK Government Compliance

• ATRS for algorithmic decision-making
• JSP 936 for MOD AI systems
• AI Playbook principles embedded

Document Control

Auto-populate:

• [PROJECT_ID] → From project path
• [VERSION] → "1.0" for new documents
• [DATE] → Current date (YYYY-MM-DD)
• ARC-[PROJECT_ID]-MLOPS-v[VERSION] → Document ID (for filename: ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-MLOPS-v1.0.md)

Generation Metadata Footer:

---
**Generated by**: ArcKit `/skill:arckit-mlops` command
**Generated on**: [DATE]
**ArcKit Version**: {ARCKIT_VERSION}
**Project**: [PROJECT_NAME]
**AI Model**: [Model name]

Important Notes

• Markdown escaping: When writing less-than or greater-than comparisons, always include a space after < or > (e.g., < 3 seconds, > 99.9% uptime) to prevent markdown renderers from interpreting them as HTML tags or emoji