Visual Sync Alerts for "Commit more changes" Workflow
Summary:
Introduce a sync indicator for features in the pipeline. This would alert users when a feature branch has received additional commits (via the "Commit more changes..." button) that have not yet been promoted to downstream environments.
Problem:
When an admin or developer adds metadata to an existing feature branch that is already sitting in a downstream environment (like UAT or Stage), a "parity gap" is created. Currently, the pipeline doesn't visually signal that the version in UAT is now "stale" compared to the version upstream.
This creates a risk where a user might promote a feature from UAT to Production, forgetting that the latest commits (the "more changes") are still sitting in Dev.
Example:
1. Initial State: A new field is promoted from Dev → UAT.
2. Feedback: A stakeholder in UAT notes the Help Text is incorrect.
3. The Gap: The Admin uses "Commit more changes..." to update the help text in Dev. Now, the feature branch in Dev is "Current," but the feature in UAT is "Stale."
4. The Risk: Without a visual warning, a Release Manager might promote the UAT version to Production, accidentally deploying the "Incorrect Help Text" because the fix was left behind in Dev.
Proposed Solution:
Status Flags: If "Commit more changes" is used, any downstream environment holding that feature should display a "Version Outdated" or "Update Available Upstream" badge.
Sync Requirement: This badge persists until the new commits are promoted to that environment, ensuring the "furthest" environment always has the most recent version before a Production release.
Resolution: The warning remains until those specific upstream changes are promoted to that environment, bringing the feature back to parity across the pipeline.
Impact
Currently, Gearset’s "Bug" feature handles fixes for things already in Production. This request addresses the "Pre-Prod Revision" cycle. It ensures that if a developer is actively adding to a feature branch, the Release Manager has a clear warning that the version currently being tested in UAT is no longer the "source of truth." This significantly reduces the risk of accidental stale deployments.