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FY26Q4 Stage Lead planning issue: Verify

Issue description

This issue outlines the themes that will be the focus of the Verify stage lead during Q4 of FY26.

Themes

This planning issue breaks down the themes into four categories:

  • Pipeline configuration: Pipeline workflow, configuration, and troubleshooting.
  • Testing and reports: Test visualization, coverage reports, unit test reports, and artifacts.
  • Docker and container jobs: Building Docker images without privileged mode in CI/CD.
  • Runner improvements: Runner documentation and cloud integration.

Pipeline configuration

  • Short description: Improve documentation for pipeline configuration options, workflows, and troubleshooting.
  • Reasoning: Provide guidance on implementing effective pipeline workflows, policies, and resolving common issues.
  • Note: Continues focus on pipeline configuration, merge request workflows, and troubleshooting organization. Includes carryover from Q2.
Issue Group(s) Status Effort Priority Details
Docs example: force merge pipelines to re-run i... (gitlab-org/gitlab#537080) grouppipeline execution 🏋🏽 Medium Medium Target milestone is 18.4. Led by: @lyspin

Documentation example for configuring merge pipeline re-run requirements to ensure test results aren't stale before merging. Carryover item from Q2.
Docs: Improve CI/CD inputs documentation (gitlab-org/gitlab#557974) grouppipeline authoring ⏳ Waiting for TW Medium Medium Target milestone is 18.4. Led by: @marcel.amirault

Revise the CI/CD inputs documentation page to improve clarity, organization, and user experience.
Improve merge trains documentation (gitlab-org/gitlab#417770) grouppipeline execution ⏳ Waiting for TW Medium Medium Target milestone is 18.4. Led by: @lyspin

Improve merge trains documentation by adding user-focused content explaining benefits and visual diagrams to help users understand the feature. Addresses gap in explaining why users should adopt merge trains.
Docs: Consolidate and reorganize CI/CD limits d... (gitlab-org/gitlab#560228) grouppipeline execution ⏳ Waiting for TW Medium High Target milestone is 18.4. Led by: @lyspin

Consolidate CI/CD limits documentation.

Testing and reports

  • Short description: Improve documentation for test visualization, coverage reports, unit test reports, and artifacts.
  • Reasoning: Clarify how to configure and view test visualization results, how to configure and view test results for unit test reports, and how to interact with job artifacts using the API.
  • Note: Continues improving understanding of test reporting features, and artifact handling across different pipeline types. Includes carryover from Q2.
Issue Group(s) Status Effort Priority Details
Docs: Clarify code coverage features and improv... (gitlab-org/gitlab#578763) grouppipeline execution ⏳ Waiting for TW Medium High Target milestone is 18.3. Led by: @lyspin

Expanding documentation for code coverage visualization features including configuration options and interpreting results dashboards. Carryover item from Q2.

Docker and container jobs

  • Short description: Update documentation for secure Docker image building approaches in CI/CD.
  • Reasoning: Provide security-focused guidance on building Docker images without privileged mode.
  • Note: Includes documenting current best practices. Addresses rootless build issues from Q2.
Issue Group(s) Status Effort Priority Details
Docs: buildkit docs do not work (gitlab-org/gitlab#549941) grouppipeline execution ⏳ Waiting for <...> Medium High Target milestone is 18.3. Led by: @lyspin

Address rootless build documentation and validation issues following Kaniko removal. Carryover item to resolve customer issues with replacement solutions.
Follow-up from "Add BuildKit documentation as s... (gitlab-org/gitlab#546511) grouppipeline execution ⏳ Waiting for <...> Medium Medium Target milestone is 18.4. Led by: @lyspin

Add secure CI/CD variable handling documentation to BuildKit examples. Follow-up from Marcel's security concerns about variable masking and protected variables.

Quick wins

  • Short description: Easy docs fixes and improvements across the stage docs.
  • Reasoning: While it's important that big cross-stage improvements are planned and tracked, it's also important to recognize small but significant improvements.

Add glql list - replace Stage name and example query

example: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/technical-writing/team-tasks/-/issues/1398#quick-wins

Legend:

  • ⏳ : Waiting for <...>. technical writer, or PM input, or Engineering input
  • 🚧 : In progress
  • ✅ : Complete
  • 🏋🏽 : Stretch goal (add next to any item that is aspirational this quarter)

Retrospective

After the quarter is complete, create discussion threads with the following titles. Use these discussion threads for self-reflection and to note feedback from others about how the quarter went.

## 👍 What went well?
## 👎 What didn't go as well?
## 📈 What could be improved for next time?

Ongoing tasks

Manage TW-DRI assignments for all milestones:

Specific TW milestone planning issues:

  • 18.6. Release date: 2025-11-20
  • 18.7. Release date: 2025-12-18
  • 18.8. Release date: 2026-01-15

GitLab milestone dates: https://mnohr.gitlab.io/milestone-dates/

References

Edited by Lysanne Pinto