Development Process
How Lumieos software is planned, developed, tested, and deployed.
Develop in the Open
InnovAlda follows a develop in the open philosophy. All epics, issues, and releases are public on GitLab:
- Roadmap & Epics — high-level feature planning
- Issues — bugs, tasks, and feature work
- Releases — release notes and changelogs
Partners and community members can follow along with planned work, track progress on features, and see what’s shipping in each release.
Prioritization
InnovAlda collects input from multiple sources to decide what to build:
- Feedback from current partner regions
- Requests from prospective regions evaluating Lumieos
- Monitoring of FIRST program developments and rule changes
Features are selected based on expected capacity and biggest impact to region and user experience.
Note: To request a specific feature or report a bug, open an issue on GitLab or reach out in the #lumieos Slack channel.
Software Deployment Guidelines
Versioning
Lumieos uses a YY.A.B versioning format:
| Component | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly Major Update (YY) | New major version each year for the new season, generally released in May or June | 24.x.x, 25.x.x |
| Feature Update (A) | New features and enhancements, larger in scope than bug fixes. Not tied to specific months. | 25.2.x, 25.3.x |
| Bug Fix Update (B) | Bug fix updates to existing features | 25.2.1, 25.2.2 |
Types of Deployments
| Type | Description | Expected Downtime |
|---|---|---|
| Major Release | Yearly season release, includes database cleanup from the previous season | Extended |
| Feature Release | New features added to the platform, may include minor database migrations | Minor |
| Bug Fix | Non-urgent fixes to existing features | Minor or None |
| Critical Fix | Urgent fixes for event-day issues or security concerns | Usually Minor or None |
Deployment Pipeline
Deployments are automated through GitLab CI/CD:
- Branch push — Runs automated tests, builds Docker images, and deploys to staging
- Version tag (
v*.*.*) — Builds production images, runs database migrations, then deploys to production with manual approval
General Programming Processes
Branching and Merging
InnovAlda follows a mainline development approach with automated testing. Changes are developed on feature branches, reviewed, and merged into the main branch after passing automated checks.
Dependency Updates
Dependencies are reviewed and updated regularly to keep the platform secure and current. Major dependency upgrades are tested thoroughly before being included in a release.