Development Workflow

Overview

This document outlines the complete development workflow for our SaaS CRM application, from initial requirement gathering to final release.

Workflow Stages

1. Requirements Gathering

Sources

Customer Feedback: Support tickets, feature requests, user interviews
Internal Teams: Sales, support, product management insights
Market Analysis: Industry trends and competitive landscape

Documentation Requirements

Create detailed requirement specification
Include user stories and acceptance criteria
Define success metrics
Document in GitHub Issues with label requirement

2. Competitor Analysis

Before implementing any new feature:

Research Competitors
Check if similar features exist in:
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Pipedrive
- Zoho CRM
Document findings in requirement ticket
Differentiation Strategy
If feature exists: How do we improve it?
If feature is unique: What's the competitive advantage?
Document USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

3. Impact Analysis

Business Impact

Revenue Impact: Will this increase MRR/ARR?
Customer Retention: Will this reduce churn?
Market Position: Does this strengthen our position?

Technical Impact

System Performance: Database queries, API response times
Scalability: Can handle 10x current load?
Dependencies: Third-party services, existing features
Breaking Changes: API versioning requirements

User Impact

User Experience: Simplifies or complicates workflow?
Learning Curve: Training requirements
Migration: Data migration needs for existing users

4. Prioritization

Priority Matrix

Priority	Criteria	Timeline
P0 - Critical	System down, data loss risk, security vulnerability	Immediate
P1 - High	Major feature broken, significant customer impact	1-2 days
P2 - Medium	Important feature, planned roadmap item	Current sprint
P3 - Low	Nice-to-have, minor enhancement	Next quarter

Factors for Prioritization

Customer demand (number of requests)
Revenue impact
Strategic alignment
Technical debt reduction
Competitive advantage

5. UI/UX Design

Design Process

Wireframing
Create low-fidelity mockups
Review with stakeholders
Tool: Figma/Sketch
High-Fidelity Design
Complete UI design with brand guidelines
Responsive design for all screen sizes
Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA)
Design Review
Product team approval
Developer feasibility check
Customer feedback (if applicable)

Design Handoff

Export assets to shared drive
Create design specifications document
Component library reference
Animation and interaction details

6. Database Design

Schema Planning

Entity Relationship Diagram
Define new tables
Relationships with existing tables
Index planning for performance

Migration Scripts

-- Example migration format
-- Migration: YYYY-MM-DD_feature_name.sql
ALTER TABLE customers ADD COLUMN feature_flag BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE;
CREATE INDEX idx_feature_flag ON customers(feature_flag);

Data Integrity
Foreign key constraints
Check constraints
Default values
NOT NULL requirements

Performance Considerations

Query optimization
Proper indexing strategy
Partitioning for large tables
Archive strategy for historical data

7. Development Planning

Sprint Planning

Task Breakdown
Frontend tasks
Backend API development
Database migrations
Testing requirements
Documentation updates
Time Estimation
Use story points or hours
Include buffer for unknowns
Account for code review time
Deadline Setting
Development completion date
Testing phase duration
UAT (User Acceptance Testing) period
Production release date

Assignment

One Owner Rule: Single person accountable for feature
Backup developer identified
Clear handoff procedures

8. Implementation

Development Standards

Code Quality
Follow coding standards (see architecture docs)
Implement error handling
Add logging for debugging
Write self-documenting code

Version Control

# Branch naming convention
feature/CRM-123-user-authentication
bugfix/CRM-456-login-error
hotfix/CRM-789-critical-security-patch

Commit Messages

type(scope): subject

body (optional)

footer (optional)

Example:
feat(auth): add two-factor authentication

Implements TOTP-based 2FA for enhanced security

Closes #123

9. Testing Phase

Testing Levels

Unit Testing
Minimum 80% code coverage
All critical paths tested
Edge cases covered
Integration Testing
API endpoint testing
Database transaction testing
Third-party integration verification
User Acceptance Testing
Beta testing with selected customers
Internal team testing
Feedback collection and iteration

10. Release Process

Pre-Release Checklist

Release Steps

Merge to main branch
Tag release version
Deploy to staging
Staging verification
Production deployment
Post-deployment verification
Notify stakeholders

Workflow Diagram

graph TD
    A[Requirement Gathering] --> B[Competitor Analysis]
    B --> C[Impact Analysis]
    C --> D[Prioritization]
    D --> E[UI/UX Design]
    E --> F[Database Design]
    F --> G[Development Planning]
    G --> H[Implementation]
    H --> I[Testing]
    I --> J{Tests Pass?}
    J -->|No| H
    J -->|Yes| K[Release]
    K --> L[Monitor & Feedback]
    L --> A

Tools & Resources

Project Management: Jira/GitHub Projects
Design: Figma/Sketch
Version Control: GitHub
CI/CD: GitHub Actions
Communication: Microsoft Teams
Documentation: This repository

Best Practices

Document Everything: Decisions, changes, rationale
Communicate Early: Flag blockers immediately
Test Thoroughly: Never skip testing for deadlines
Review Code: All code requires peer review
Monitor Post-Release: Track metrics and user feedback

Emergency Procedures

For critical issues bypassing normal workflow: 1. Create hotfix branch from main 2. Implement minimal fix 3. Emergency testing 4. Deploy with approval from CTO/Lead 5. Full documentation post-deployment 6. Root cause analysis within 48 hours

Last Updated: January 2025 Version: 1.0.0