@@ -5,18 +5,26 @@ title: "The Infrastructure Platforms Project Management"
## Project Management in Platforms
We use GitLab epics and issues to communicate the progress and status of our work.
The [Platforms epic](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/-/epics/2115) is indexing the top level epic for each team, and links to active OKR's for a given quarter.
All teams in Infrastructure Platforms follow these guidelines so that it is easy for team-members to contribute to different projects if needed.
### Projects are reviewed weekly in the Grand Review
**Every Wednesday**, the DRI for a project is expected to update the status block in the epic description to:
#### Epic Update Timeline
1. Indicate any project blockers.
2. Briefly highlight progress since the last update.
3. Indicate planned next steps, or mitigations required to progress.
Infrastructure Platforms epics are aligned with the [GitLab Operating Model (GOM)](https://internal.gitlab.com/handbook/company/gitlab-operating-model/). Many epics are either:
1. Children of [Grand Review Epics](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/-/work_items/2115)
2. Linked to [Operating Model Functional Lead Epics](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-operating-model/-/work_items?label_name%5B%5D=Owner%3A%3AInfrastructure%20Platforms&type%5B%5D=epic)
The update schedule is designed to cascade information up through these levels:
This enables other engineers and other managers to have good information about projects in an asynchronous fashion.
-**Friday**: Leads update Grand Review and GOM Functional Lead epics using the information from Thursday
-**Monday**: Leadership team discusses updates
-**Tuesday**: Platforms Grand Reviews occur
-**Wednesday**: Company-wide Operating Model reviews where Infrastructure VP and PM use the cascaded information
This timeline ensures alignment with [E-Group Objectives](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-operating-model/-/work_items?label_name%5B%5D=Operating%20Model%3A%3A%202%20-%20Egroup%20Metric&type%5B%5D=epic) and [Company Initiatives](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-operating-model/-/work_items?label_name%5B%5D=Operating%20Model%3A%3A%201%20-%20Company%20Objective&type%5B%5D=epic), providing timely and well-supported data for strategic decision-making at all levels up to the executive team.
Completed epics should remain "Open" with the ~"workflow-infra::In Progress" label.
Update the status block in the epic description to summarize the project and share the completed status.
@@ -26,11 +34,18 @@ This automation runs several times each day, and can be triggered by [running th
#### Status updates on project epics
Once weekly status updates are enabled for a project epic, there will be a comment with instructions on how to provide a status update.
**Every Thursday**, the DRI for a project must ensure that the status block in the epic description is updated to:
1. Log the number of hours spent on the project by all contributors.
1. Briefly highlight achievements since the last update.
1. Indicate any project blockers.
1. Indicate planned next steps, or mitigations required to progress.
Comments are automatically generated on project epics to report status.
To enable this functionality, please ensure the epic follows [these steps](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/epic-issue-summaries/-/blob/42365bbd7df9757f49d6dd4eb3d2625c399fac59/README.md#child-epics)
Once weekly status updates are enabled for a project epic, there will be a comment with instructions on how to provide a status update.
The assignee of the epic will be mentioned in a note that looks like this:
