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Update Checklist - Operations

Update Cadence

Monthly Review - First Monday of each month. Increase frequency if scaling team or facing technical challenges.

Pre-Update Checklist

Before You Start

  • [ ] Review security incidents or concerns
  • [ ] Check deployment success rates
  • [ ] Review legal/compliance deadlines
  • [ ] Assess technical debt accumulation

Update Process

1. Development Workflows (development-workflows.md)

  • [ ] CI/CD pipeline reliable (>95% success rate)?
  • [ ] Code review process followed?
  • [ ] Testing coverage adequate (>70%)?
  • [ ] Documentation current?
  • [ ] Developer productivity metrics improving?

2. Deployment Processes (deployment-processes.md)

  • [ ] Deployment frequency meeting targets (daily/weekly)?
  • [ ] Mean time to recovery (MTTR) acceptable (<1 hour)?
  • [ ] Rollback procedures tested?
  • [ ] Environment parity maintained?
  • [ ] Monitoring and alerting effective?
  • [ ] Corporate filings up to date (annual reports, etc.)?
  • [ ] IP protection current (trademarks, patents)?
  • [ ] Employment agreements current for all team?
  • [ ] Contractor agreements in place?
  • [ ] Regulatory compliance maintained?

4. Security & Data (security-data.md)

  • [ ] Security policies documented and followed?
  • [ ] Data encryption at rest and in transit?
  • [ ] Access controls appropriate (least privilege)?
  • [ ] Security incidents tracked and resolved?
  • [ ] Penetration testing scheduled/done?

5. Tool Stack (tool-stack.md)

  • [ ] All tools licensed and current?
  • [ ] Costs within budget?
  • [ ] Tool integrations working?
  • [ ] Redundant tools consolidated?
  • [ ] Vendor relationships healthy?

Technical Metrics

Track monthly: - [ ] Deployment frequency - [ ] Lead time for changes - [ ] Mean time to recovery (MTTR) - [ ] Change failure rate - [ ] System uptime/availability - [ ] API response times - [ ] Error rates

Security Checklist

Monthly review: - [ ] Access logs reviewed - [ ] Password policy enforced - [ ] Two-factor authentication required - [ ] Backups tested and verified - [ ] Incident response plan current - [ ] Employee security training current

Track annual requirements: - [ ] Corporate annual reports - [ ] Tax filings and payments - [ ] IP renewal deadlines - [ ] Insurance policy renewals - [ ] Contractor agreement reviews - [ ] Data protection compliance (GDPR, etc.)

Infrastructure Costs

Monthly review: - [ ] Cloud costs vs. budget - [ ] Tool/software subscriptions - [ ] Storage and bandwidth usage - [ ] Scaling costs projected - [ ] Cost optimization opportunities

Vendor Management

Track all vendors: - [ ] Contracts current and signed - [ ] SLAs being met - [ ] Renewal dates tracked - [ ] Performance reviews done - [ ] Exit strategies defined (for critical tools)

Development Process

Monitor: - [ ] Code review turnaround time - [ ] Bug backlogs manageable - [ ] Technical debt being addressed - [ ] Knowledge sharing effective - [ ] Onboarding process smooth

  • 00-Command-Center: Include operational milestones in sprint
  • 01-Product: Technical architecture impacts operations
  • 02-Market: Security/compliance requirements from enterprise
  • 04-Marketing: Marketing tools and tracking setup
  • 05-Beta: Beta infrastructure and support processes
  • 06-Team: Onboarding and development tools
  • 07-Fundraising: Technical maturity due diligence

Red Flags

⚠️ If you notice: - Deployment failures >10% - Security incidents or vulnerabilities - Technical debt accumulating rapidly - Infrastructure costs spiking - Tool sprawl and redundancies - Compliance gaps or upcoming deadlines

Time Budget

Monthly review: 3-4 hours (comprehensive assessment) Weekly pulse check: 30 minutes (metrics, incidents) During scaling: 10+ hours/week (process setup, hiring)

Scaling Checklist

As team grows: - [ ] Development processes formalized - [ ] Access controls scaled appropriately - [ ] Documentation thorough for new hires - [ ] Monitoring scales with usage - [ ] Security posture maintained - [ ] Cost controls in place

Last Updated: YYYY-MM-DD Next Review: First Monday of next month