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# System prepended metadata

title: Pontoon Development Process

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# Pontoon Development Process

Adding a new feature to Pontoon requires going through a process that is described in this document.

The steps are:

1. Feature idea / request
2. Specification
3. Bug(s)
4. Code
5. Documentation
6. Review
7. Release

## Feature idea / request

Someone proposes a change to make to Pontoon. It can be a simple idea of a brand new feature, or a change to an existing feature, or removing a feature… 

*Where? How?*

## Specification

The idea needs to be turned into a full specification, explaining what the feature is about, why it would improve Pontoon, what it will impact, and touch lightly on what changes would be required.

How to write a specification is still to be defined. 

*Maybe: as a file in Pontoon, added via a PR that would be reviewed, and the spec can evolve with the feature.*

## Bug(s)

Once the specification is complete, it needs to be turned into as many bugs as possible, splitting the feature in the smallest possible chunks. It is organised so that it's easy to get the full picture of the work needed for that feature, and it is easy to know where to start and where to go from each step.

## Code

For each bug, someone writes the code that is required. It should be complete code, with unit tests and feature flagging if needed.

## Documentation

The person writing the code is also responsible for updating the associated documentation. If there is no documentation about the feature yet, they should write it.

In some cases, features will require better discoverability. Such cases might be when the feature is big, when it is hidden away, when it has impact on several parts of Pontoon… 

Better discoverability can mean an in-app announcement, a full-fledged tutorial that users get shown when they first face the feature, or a range of other things (to be defined).

## Review

Someone from the core Pontoon team reviews the code and documentation, making sure that it is sane, it has good test coverage, and it is correctly documented.

## Release

The Pontoon team releases the feature to stage then production, ensuring that it works correctly, then mark the feature as complete when it applies.