Finalize Phase: Standard Operating Procedure

Training Guide: Step-by-step procedures for completing feature workflows and preserving knowledge.

Supporting references:

• reference.md - Finalization checklist, archival procedures
• examples.md - Complete finalization vs rushed cleanup

Phase Overview

Purpose: Complete feature workflow, update roadmap, archive artifacts, preserve knowledge.

Inputs:

• Deployed feature (production-ready)
• All phase artifacts (spec, plan, tasks, reports)
• Ship report with deployment details

Outputs:

• Updated roadmap (moved to "Shipped")
• Archived artifacts
• Updated README (if applicable)
• Cleaned up branches (if applicable)
• Updated workflow-state.yaml

Expected duration: 10-15 minutes

Execution Steps

Step 1: Update Roadmap

Actions:

1. Move feature from "In Progress" to "Shipped" in roadmap
2. Add completion date, version, and production URL
3. Link to ship report and release notes

Example:

## Shipped

### Student Progress Dashboard (v1.3.0) - Shipped 2025-10-21
- **Production URL**: https://app.example.com/students/progress
- **Ship Report**: [specs/042-student-progress-dashboard/ship-summary.md]
- **Release Notes**: [v1.3.0]
- **Impact**: Teachers can now track student progress with completion rates and time spent

Step 2: Archive Artifacts

Actions: Archive all workflow artifacts in specs/NNN-slug/:

• spec.md
• plan.md
• tasks.md
• optimization-report.md
• preview-checklist.md
• ship-summary.md
• release-notes.md
• workflow-state.yaml

Step 3: Update Documentation

Actions: Update README or docs if user-facing feature:

• README.md: Add feature to feature list
• docs/: Create user guide (if complex feature)
• CHANGELOG.md: Add release entry

Step 4: Clean Up Branches

Actions:

# Delete feature branch (if merged)
git branch -d feature/042-student-progress-dashboard

# Delete remote branch (if applicable)
git push origin --delete feature/042-student-progress-dashboard

Step 5: Commit Finalization

Actions:

git add .spec-flow/memory/roadmap.md README.md CHANGELOG.md
git commit -m "chore: finalize student-progress-dashboard feature

- Updated roadmap: Moved to Shipped (v1.3.0)
- Updated README: Added progress dashboard to features list
- Updated CHANGELOG: Added v1.3.0 release entry
- Archived all artifacts in specs/042-student-progress-dashboard/
- Cleaned up feature branch

Feature complete - workflow closed
"

Common Mistakes

🚫 Roadmap Not Updated

Impact: Roadmap stale, lost tracking Prevention: Always move to "Shipped" with completion date and links

🚫 Incomplete Documentation

Impact: Knowledge loss, onboarding friction Prevention: Update README, create user guides, preserve all artifacts

Completion Criteria

Phase is complete when:

• Roadmap updated (moved to "Shipped")
• All artifacts archived
• Documentation updated
• Branches cleaned up
• Finalization committed

This SOP guides the finalize phase. Refer to reference.md for finalization checklists.