diff --git a/docs/ISSUE50_RETROSPECTIVE.md b/docs/ISSUE50_RETROSPECTIVE.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..965b608 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/ISSUE50_RETROSPECTIVE.md @@ -0,0 +1,248 @@ + + + +# Issue #50 Retrospective: Learning from Multi-PR Epic + +## Summary + +Issue #50 ("Multi-tenant security, field encryption & blind indexes") was successfully implemented across **7 main PRs** and several supporting PRs. However, the workflow exposed challenges with GitHub's automatic project status updates when multiple PRs reference the same issue. + +This document captures lessons learned and demonstrates how the **Sub-Issue pattern** (now documented in [EPIC_WORKFLOW.md](./EPIC_WORKFLOW.md)) would have made tracking cleaner. + +## What Happened + +### Epic Structure + +Issue #50 defined 7 implementation phases: + +- PR-0: Org `.github` DRY & Preflight +- PR-1: Migrations & Base Schema +- PR-2: Services — KeyStore & BlindIndex +- PR-3: Tenant Middleware & RBAC +- PR-4: Model/Observer & Repository +- PR-5: API Endpoints (JSON) +- PR-6: Rotation & Maintenance +- PR-7: Hardening & Cleanups + +### Actual PRs Merged + +| PR # | Title | LOC | Status | +| ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | --------------------------- | +| #51 | feat: org .github DRY & preflight (PR-0) | 108 | ✅ Merged | +| #52 | PR-1: Migrations & Base Schema | 394 | ✅ Merged | +| #53 | PR-2: TenantKey Model & KEK Management | 504 | ✅ Merged | +| #55 | feat: PR-3 - Tenant Middleware & RBAC Wiring | 593 | ✅ Merged | +| #59 | docs: Quick wins from PR review analysis | 505 | ✅ Merged (supporting) | +| #60 | feat: Add Sanctum API token authentication (Issue #50 PR-4) | 450 | ✅ Merged | +| #61 | fix: Resolve PostgreSQL BYTEA binary encoding issue (Issue #50 PR-4) | 822 | ✅ Merged (supporting) | +| #63 | fix: resolve parallel test execution failures (Issue #62) | ~150 | ✅ Merged (supporting) | +| #64 | feat: PR-5 - Person API endpoints with auth and permissions | 439 | ✅ Merged | +| #65 | feat: PR-6 - Key rotation and maintenance commands + DEK-based encryption | 822 | ✅ Merged | +| #67 | feat: PR-7 - Hardening & cleanups | 281 | ✅ Merged | +| #68 | refactor: improve DRY and add pre-PR checklist | 120 | ✅ Merged (post-completion) | + +**Total:** 12 PRs, ~5,188 LOC (excluding vendor/tests), completed in 1 day + +## Problems Encountered + +### 1. Project Status Confusion + +**Issue:** Each PR description mentioned "Fixes #50" or "Closes #50", causing: + +- ❌ GitHub Projects automatically moved #50 to "Done" after first PR merged +- ❌ Manual re-opening of #50 required after each PR +- ❌ Project board showed inconsistent epic status +- ❌ Difficult to track which parts were complete + +### 2. No Granular Progress Tracking + +**Issue:** The epic had a checklist in the description, but: + +- ❌ Checklist wasn't automatically synchronized with PR status +- ❌ Manual updates required after each merge +- ❌ No way to see individual PR progress in project board +- ❌ Contributors couldn't easily see dependencies + +### 3. Supporting PRs Not Planned For + +**Issue:** Unexpected PRs emerged during implementation: + +- #59: Process improvements from review analysis +- #61: BYTEA encoding fix (discovered during PR-4) +- #63: Parallel test isolation fix (discovered during testing) +- #68: Post-completion DRY improvements + +These weren't in the original plan, creating confusion about epic scope. + +## How Sub-Issues Would Have Helped + +### Ideal Structure + +```text +Epic Issue #50 (stays open until all sub-issues closed) +├─ Sub-Issue #51: PR-0 Org DRY & Preflight +├─ Sub-Issue #52: PR-1 Migrations & Base Schema +├─ Sub-Issue #53: PR-2 TenantKey Model & KEK +├─ Sub-Issue #55: PR-3 Tenant Middleware & RBAC +├─ Sub-Issue #60: PR-4 Sanctum Auth +│ ├─ Supporting PR #61: BYTEA encoding fix +│ └─ Supporting PR #63: Parallel test fix +├─ Sub-Issue #64: PR-5 Person API Endpoints +├─ Sub-Issue #65: PR-6 Key Rotation & Maintenance +└─ Sub-Issue #67: PR-7 Hardening & Cleanups (closes #50) + +Post-completion: +└─ Sub-Issue #68: DRY improvements & checklist +``` + +### Benefits + +**For Project Tracking:** + +- ✅ Each sub-issue has independent status in project board +- ✅ Epic automatically shows "5 of 7 complete" progress +- ✅ No manual status updates needed +- ✅ Clear which parts are done vs in-progress vs blocked + +**For Contributors:** + +- ✅ Clear focus: each sub-issue = one PR's worth of work +- ✅ Dependencies explicit: "Depends on: #52" +- ✅ Supporting PRs can link to sub-issues (not epic) +- ✅ New contributors can pick up any sub-issue + +**For Reviews:** + +- ✅ Smaller, focused PRs easier to review +- ✅ Each sub-issue has specific acceptance criteria +- ✅ Less context-switching for reviewers +- ✅ Can review PRs in parallel (if no dependencies) + +## What Went Well + +Despite the tracking issues, Issue #50 was a success: + +### Strengths + +1. **Clear Requirements**: Epic description had detailed technical specs +2. **Small PRs**: Most PRs stayed under 600 LOC (excluding tests) +3. **TDD Approach**: 114 tests, 332 assertions, 0 failures +4. **Quality Gates**: All PRs passed Pint, PHPStan, PEST +5. **Documentation**: Each PR had clear descriptions and checklists +6. **Iterative Improvements**: Supporting PRs (#59, #61, #63, #68) improved quality + +### Metrics + +- **Velocity:** 12 PRs in 1 day (highly productive) +- **Quality:** 0 regressions, all tests passing +- **Coverage:** TDD from start, comprehensive test suites +- **Documentation:** README, DEVELOPMENT.md, inline docs updated + +## Recommendations for Future Epics + +### 1. Use Sub-Issue Pattern from Start + +**Before starting work on a large feature:** + +1. Create epic issue using organization "Epic" template +2. Break down into sub-issues (~400-600 LOC each) +3. Create sub-issues using organization "Sub-Issue" template +4. Link all sub-issues in epic's tasklist +5. Start work on first sub-issue + +**During implementation:** + +- Each PR references its sub-issue: `Fixes #` +- Supporting PRs can reference sub-issues or epic: `Part of: #` +- Only the LAST PR closes the epic: `Closes #` + +### 2. Plan for Unknowns + +Reserve flexibility for unexpected work: + +```markdown +## 📋 Sub-Issues & Work Plan + +### Planned Implementation + +- [ ] #52 PR-1: Migrations +- [ ] #53 PR-2: Models +- [ ] #54 PR-3: API + +### Supporting Tasks (created as needed) + +- [ ] #61 Bugfix: Encoding issue (discovered during PR-2) +- [ ] #63 Improvement: Test isolation (discovered during testing) +``` + +### 3. Document Scope Changes + +When the plan changes (new sub-issues added): + +- Update epic description with new sub-issues +- Add comment explaining why +- Update project board if necessary + +### 4. Celebrate Milestones + +Comment on the epic after major milestones: + +- "✅ Core implementation complete (PRs 1-4 merged)" +- "✅ API endpoints live (PR-5 merged)" +- "🎉 Epic complete! All 7 PRs merged, 114 tests passing" + +Keeps team informed and motivated. + +## Key Takeaways + +### For Project Management + +1. **Large features = Epics with sub-issues** (not single issues with multiple PRs) +2. **Automate status tracking** (let GitHub do the work) +3. **Plan for unknowns** (budget time for supporting PRs) +4. **Celebrate milestones** (keep team informed) + +### For Development + +1. **Small PRs are easier to review** (target <600 LOC) +2. **TDD pays off** (caught issues early, all tests green) +3. **Quality gates work** (Pint, PHPStan, PEST prevented regressions) +4. **Documentation is crucial** (README, DEVELOPMENT.md, inline docs) + +### For Process + +1. **Templates help** (PR/issue templates ensure consistency) +2. **Checklists work** (pre-PR checklist caught issues) +3. **Iterate on process** (Issue #50 led to EPIC_WORKFLOW.md) +4. **Learn from experience** (this document!) + +## Related Documentation + +- [EPIC_WORKFLOW.md](./EPIC_WORKFLOW.md) - Complete guide to sub-issue pattern +- [DEVELOPMENT.md](../DEVELOPMENT.md) - Development guidelines +- [Epic Template](https://github.com/SecPal/.github/blob/main/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/epic.yml) - Organization template +- [Sub-Issue Template](https://github.com/SecPal/.github/blob/main/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/sub-issue.yml) - Organization template + +## Timeline (for Reference) + +- **2025-11-01 16:24:** Issue #50 created +- **2025-11-01 16:54:** PR #51 merged (PR-0) +- **2025-11-01 17:44:** PR #52 merged (PR-1) +- **2025-11-01 18:40:** PR #53 merged (PR-2) +- **2025-11-01 19:12:** PR #55 merged (PR-3) +- **2025-11-01 19:53:** PR #59 merged (process improvements) +- **2025-11-01 20:38:** PR #60 merged (PR-4 Sanctum) +- **2025-11-01 22:38:** PR #61 merged (BYTEA fix) +- **2025-11-01 23:04:** PR #63 merged (parallel test fix) +- **2025-11-01 23:48:** PR #64 merged (PR-5) +- **2025-11-02 00:52:** PR #65 merged (PR-6) +- **2025-11-02 01:23:** PR #67 merged (PR-7) - **Issue #50 closed** +- **2025-11-02 01:52:** PR #68 merged (post-completion DRY) + +**Total time:** ~9 hours for 12 PRs (1 developer with Copilot assistance) + +--- + +**Created:** 2025-11-02 +**Author:** @kevalyq +**Purpose:** Document lessons learned and guide future epic implementations