feat: Establish organization-wide branch naming enforcement policy

[ashleyshaw]

Summary

Create and publish an organization-wide branch naming governance policy that extends beyond the .github repository to all LightSpeed organization repositories. This ensures consistent governance enforcement and clear expectations across all teams.

Proposed Solution

Develop centralized governance policy documentation:

1. Central Policy Document (docs/ORG_GOVERNANCE_POLICY.md)

   • Complete branch naming rules for all org repositories
   • All 33 allowed type values with descriptions
   • Explicitly forbidden prefixes with rationale
   • Per-repository configuration guidance
   • Clear exception request and override procedures

2. Policy Enforcement Framework

   • Define which repositories enforce which rules
   • Establish enforcement timeline (e.g., grace period + warnings)
   • Set up compliance dashboard/reporting
   • Create escalation path for violations

3. Communication Plan

   • Notify all teams of new governance rules
   • Provide clear onboarding documentation
   • Establish support channels

Acceptance Criteria

• Central policy document created and published
• All 33 allowed branch types documented with examples
• Forbidden prefixes clearly listed with rationale
• Exception request procedure documented and clear
• Override procedures defined for urgent cases
• Escalation path established for violations
• All org repositories aware of governance requirements
• Team acknowledgment > 90%

Designs / References

• CLAUDE.md — existing branch naming rules (to be summarized)
• docs/BRANCHING_STRATEGY.md — detailed strategy guide (Phase 3 deliverable)
• AGENTS.md — org-wide AI governance rules
• Related issues: feat: Create team onboarding and training documentation for Phase 4 #2665 (training), feat: Migrate governance rules to core organization repositories #2663 (migration)

Dependencies

• Phase 3 completion (BRANCHING_STRATEGY.md, CLAUDE.md updates)
• Issue feat: Migrate governance rules to core organization repositories #2663 (migration) — needs policy before rollout
• Issue feat: Create team onboarding and training documentation for Phase 4 #2665 (training) — policy required for training materials

---

Definition of Ready

• Phase 3 complete and documented
• Target repositories identified
• Policy scope and authority defined
• Enforcement timeline agreed

Definition of Done

• docs/ORG_GOVERNANCE_POLICY.md published
• All 33 branch types documented with examples
• Exception request template created
• Override procedures documented
• Team notification sent
• Policy reviewed by leadership
• Feedback incorporated and published

[linear-code]

LS-2984

[github-actions]

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[github-actions]

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• area:governance
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• type:feat

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