| 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
- Merge now: Verification is complete, risks are acceptable; merge directly.
- Open PR: Requires reviewer or cross-team sync; open PR first.
- Keep branch: Has remaining split work; keep branch active for continuation.
- 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.
