Lean from the Trenches

No Junk on the Trunk

For a project of this size, it’s critically important to have a stable trunk at all times. Stable in our case means ready for system test. This maps directly to the project board column with the same name and the definition of ready for system test that’s written above it (see ​Ready for System Test​).

When a feature has been developed, we thoroughly test it at the feature level before checking it in to the trunk and before moving the card to the “Ready for System Test” column. Once it passes these tests, we check the code in to the trunk and move the card.

This means that, from the trunk’s perspective, the product grows ...