ERP Plus Governance & System Evolution¶
This document defines how ERP Plus evolves over time in a controlled, predictable, and scalable way.
It ensures the system does NOT degrade as features and teams grow.
Core Principle¶
ERP Plus is NOT static.
It is:
a continuously evolving modular system with strict architectural governance
Governance Model¶
ERP Plus evolves under 4 governance rules:
1. Architectural Consistency¶
Any change MUST respect:
- engine isolation
- data flow rules
- account boundaries
- public API contracts
2. Controlled Evolution¶
Changes are introduced through the official ERP Plus delivery workflow.
Every change must be traceable from planning to deployment.
The platform uses:
- Taiga for product management
- GitHub for source control
- GitHub Actions for CI/CD
- ADRs for architectural decisions
No feature should appear directly in source code without a corresponding planning artifact.
Accepted planning artifacts:
- Epic
- User Story
- Issue
User Stories are the preferred implementation unit.
Issues are used for:
- bug reports
- support requests
- operational incidents
- customer feedback
Epics are optional and are used when multiple User Stories belong to a larger initiative.
3. No Hidden Coupling¶
The system MUST prevent:
- cross-engine dependencies
- implicit shared logic
- undocumented behavior
- direct model access across engines
4. Backward Compatibility First¶
Breaking changes are allowed ONLY if:
- versioning strategy is applied
- migration path is defined
- ADR is documented
Evolution Flow¶
ERP Plus evolves through a controlled product delivery process.
The complete planning, execution, validation, and release workflow is documented in:
→ Product & Delivery Management
System governance defines the rules under which changes may occur, while Product & Delivery Management defines how work moves from planning to production.
Product Delivery Governance¶
ERP Plus uses a dedicated product management process based on:
- Taiga
- Sprint Planning
- User Stories
- Tasks
- Release Management
The complete delivery workflow is maintained in:
→ Product & Delivery Management
This document focuses on governance rules and system evolution, not on execution workflows.
Versioning Strategy¶
ERP Plus uses semantic versioning per engine conceptually:
MAJOR → breaking architectural or API changes
MINOR → new features (backward compatible)
PATCH → fixes and internal improvements
Contributor Governance¶
ERP Plus supports two contributor models.
Internal Contributors¶
Internal contributors work directly from Taiga User Stories.
Branch naming:
feature/TG-123-user-invitations
bugfix/TG-456-fix-stock-calculation
docs/TG-789-update-workflow
Every implementation branch must reference a Taiga User Story.
Community Contributors¶
External contributors do not require access to Taiga.
Branch naming:
feature/user-invitations
bugfix/fix-stock-calculation
docs/update-workflow
Community contributions enter the planning process only after maintainers review and accept them.
Engine Evolution Rules¶
Each engine evolves independently but under system constraints:
Allowed:¶
- adding new services
- extending public APIs
- internal refactoring
- improving performance
Forbidden:¶
- breaking public contracts without versioning
- accessing other engine internals
- bypassing account or auth rules
- silent behavioral changes
Deprecation Strategy¶
When removing or changing behavior:
Step 1 — Mark as Deprecated¶
Feature marked as deprecated in docs + code comments
Step 2 — Migration Path¶
Provide:
- alternative implementation
- migration guide
- timeline
Step 3 — Removal (Later Release)¶
Only after:
- usage is eliminated
- migration window is complete
- ADR is updated
ADR Governance¶
Architecture Decisions MUST be documented when:
- introducing new engines
- changing data flow
- modifying account system
- altering authentication model
ADR Format¶
ADR-XXXX: Title
Context
Decision
Consequences
Pull Request Governance¶
Pull Requests are the primary validation mechanism between planning and delivery.
Internal Workflow¶
User Story
↓
Branch
↓
Pull Request
↓
Review
↓
develop
When a Pull Request is opened against:
develop
the corresponding User Story should be moved to:
Ready For Test
When changes reach:
main
the corresponding User Story may be moved to:
Done
according to the team's release policy.
Community Workflow¶
Community contributors submit Pull Requests without Taiga integration.
Maintainers are responsible for mapping accepted contributions into the planning process when necessary.
CI/CD as Governance Layer¶
CI is NOT just testing.
It enforces governance:
- Rubocop → style consistency
- RSpec → behavior validation
- Brakeman → security rules
- GitHub Actions → pipeline enforcement
Security Governance¶
Security changes must:
- be reviewed by maintainers
- pass CI security scans
- respect account isolation
- avoid privilege escalation risks
System Stability Rules¶
ERP Plus prioritizes:
1. Stability over speed¶
No architectural shortcuts in production.
2. Explicit over implicit¶
All behavior must be documented or visible in code.
3. Isolation over convenience¶
Engines remain independent even if it costs complexity.
Scaling Governance¶
As teams grow:
- engines become team-owned modules
- boundaries prevent merge conflicts
- CI ensures consistency
- docs become onboarding authority
Anti-Patterns (CRITICAL)¶
Avoid:
- “quick fixes” that bypass engines
- hidden cross-engine calls
- undocumented feature behavior
- skipping ADRs for structural changes
Mental Model¶
ERP Plus evolves like:
Controlled ecosystem where every change is validated, documented, and bounded by architecture rules.
Final System Vision¶
ERP Plus is:
a living modular monolith with enforced architectural governance and controlled evolution over time
What This Enables¶
- ✔ long-term scalability
- ✔ multi-team development
- ✔ predictable architecture growth
- ✔ safe feature evolution
- ✔ enterprise-level maintainability