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TrendGate Best Practices

This guide covers best practices for implementing and using TrendGate effectively across your organization.

🎯 Getting Started Right​

1. Establish Baselines First​

Before enforcing quality gates, collect 1-2 weeks of data:

# Start with observation mode
policies:
  test_pass_rate:
    threshold: 90
    enforce: false  # Don't block initially
    
  coverage:
    threshold: 70
    enforce: false

2. Progressive Enforcement​

  • Week 1-2: Observe only
  • Week 3-4: Warn on violations
  • Week 5+: Block failing PRs

3. Team Buy-in​

  • Present quality trends in meetings
  • Celebrate improvements
  • Make quality visible but not punitive

📊 Policy Configuration​

Start Conservative​

Begin with achievable thresholds and increase gradually:

  • Month 1: 85% pass rate
  • Month 2: 90% pass rate
  • Month 3: 95% pass rate

Branch-Specific Standards​

branch_policies:
  main:
    test_pass_rate: 98
    coverage: 85
    
  develop:
    test_pass_rate: 95
    coverage: 80
    
  "feature/*":
    test_pass_rate: 90
    coverage: 70

🧪 Test Quality​

Managing Flaky Tests​

  1. Identify early (3+ failures in 10 runs)
  2. Tag in code for tracking
  3. Exclude from pass rate calculations
  4. Fix systematically

🚀 CI/CD Integration​

Optimal Pipeline​

  • Run tests in parallel
  • Submit results even on failure
  • Cache dependencies
  • Use incremental testing

📈 Monitoring & Alerts​

Prevent Alert Fatigue​

  • Daily summaries for minor issues
  • Immediate alerts for critical failures
  • Group related notifications
  • Include actionable context

👥 Team Practices​

Quality Reviews​

Weekly: Review trends and flaky tests Monthly: Adjust thresholds and policies

Documentation​

Document your quality standards and exemptions clearly.

🎯 Common Pitfalls​

  1. ❌ Starting with 100% coverage requirement ✅ Begin with current baseline + 5%

  2. ❌ Same standards for all code ✅ Risk-based quality levels

  3. ❌ Ignoring flaky tests ✅ Quarantine and fix systematically

📊 Success Metrics​

Track:

  • Adoption rate
  • Quality improvement trends
  • Prevented regressions
  • Developer satisfaction

💡 Pro Tips​

  1. Compare features against develop, not main
  2. Time-box quality fixes
  3. Reward quality achievements
  4. Automate weekly reports
  5. Learn from every blocked PR

Start where you are, improve gradually, and celebrate progress!