Tails

We discussed this topic with kibi in the last 2-3 months, in part of the post-mortem of the 4.2.* mess (Feature #15281).
Here’s what we agreed on:

For changes that may impact automatic upgrades, the responsible developers MUST put the RM into the loop in advance (way before the code is merged). Then the RM can:

• Raise any concerns
• Propose extra manual tests that would help build confidence in the changes
• Make developers benefit from an independent “What can possibly go wrong?” brainstorming

Also, during a code freeze, developers MUST let the RM know about freeze exceptions they intend to propose or merge:

• In the general case, once the RM has been notified, there’s no need for the developers to block on the RM’s feedback before proceeding.
• For changes that may impact automatic upgrades, it’s very important to get feedback from the RM before making a freeze exception.

I’ll document these expectations somewhere so that developers are aware of them and can look them up later.