Standards Adoption Checklist¶

Use this checklist to systematically adopt the comprehensive development standards in your project.

🚀 Week 1: Foundation¶

Day 1-2: Setup and Planning¶

• Read README.md and UNIFIED_STANDARDS.md
• Identify which standards apply to your project
• Copy CLAUDE.md to your project for AI assistance
• Create a docs/PROJECT_STANDARDS.md to document your choices
• Set up your project repository structure

Day 3-4: Development Environment¶

• Install required linters and formatters
• Configure editor/IDE settings (.editorconfig)
• Set up pre-commit hooks
• Configure code formatting tools
• Test that all tools work correctly

Day 5: Version Control & CI/CD¶

• Set up .gitignore properly
• Configure branch protection rules
• Create CI/CD pipeline skeleton
• Add automated linting to CI
• Add automated testing to CI

📋 Week 2: Core Implementation¶

Testing Standards¶

• Set up testing framework
• Write first unit tests
• Configure coverage reporting
• Set coverage threshold (85%)
• Add coverage badge to README

Code Quality¶

• Implement error handling patterns
• Add logging framework
• Set up code review process
• Document coding conventions
• Create PR template

Security Basics¶

• Set up dependency scanning
• Configure security headers
• Implement input validation
• Set up secrets management
• Add security scanning to CI
• NEW: Install NIST compliance hooks (./scripts/setup-nist-hooks.sh)
• NEW: Review NIST_IMPLEMENTATION_GUIDE.md
• NEW: Start tagging security code with @nist annotations

🏗️ Week 3: Advanced Standards¶

Observability¶

• Implement structured logging
• Set up basic metrics
• Configure health checks
• Add monitoring alerts
• Create runbooks

Performance¶

• Set up performance benchmarks
• Implement caching strategy
• Configure CDN (if applicable)
• Optimize build process
• Monitor Core Web Vitals

Documentation¶

• Create API documentation
• Write deployment guide
• Document architecture decisions
• Create onboarding guide
• Set up changelog

🎯 Week 4: Specialization¶

Choose Your Focus Areas¶

For Web Applications¶

• Implement SEO_WEB_MARKETING_STANDARDS.md
• Set up FRONTEND_MOBILE_STANDARDS.md
• Configure WEB_DESIGN_UX_STANDARDS.md
• Add accessibility testing

for APIs/Backend¶

• Implement EVENT_DRIVEN_STANDARDS.md
• Configure DATA_ENGINEERING_STANDARDS.md
• Set up CLOUD_NATIVE_STANDARDS.md
• Add API versioning
• Tag all security endpoints with NIST controls

For DevOps Focus¶

• Implement DEVOPS_PLATFORM_STANDARDS.md
• Configure OBSERVABILITY_STANDARDS.md
• Set up COST_OPTIMIZATION_STANDARDS.md
• Automate everything

🔄 Ongoing: Continuous Improvement¶

Monthly Reviews¶

• Review standards compliance
• Update metrics dashboard
• Check NIST control coverage
• Gather team feedback
• Plan improvements
• Update documentation

Quarterly Activities¶

• Full standards audit
• Update to latest standards
• Team training session
• Process refinement
• Celebrate achievements

📊 Tracking Progress¶

Metrics to Monitor¶

Success Indicators¶

Green Flags 🟢

• Automated checks passing
• Team adopting practices
• Metrics improving
• Fewer production issues

Warning Signs 🟡

• Skipping tests to meet deadlines
• Ignoring linting errors
• Manual processes creeping in
• Standards becoming blockers

Red Flags 🔴

• No tests for new features
• Security scans failing
• Team resistance
• Metrics declining

🎉 Completion Celebration¶

When you've implemented the core standards:

1. Generate Badges: Run ./generate-badges.sh
2. Create Report: Use compliance report template
3. Share Success: Post about your achievement
4. Help Others: Contribute improvements back

💡 Pro Tips¶

1. Start Small: Don't try to implement everything at once
2. Automate Early: Set up automation before habits form
3. Measure Progress: You can't improve what you don't measure
4. Get Buy-in: Involve the team in decisions
5. Iterate: Standards should evolve with your needs

🆘 Getting Help¶

• Questions: Create an issue in the standards repo
• Examples: Check the examples/project-templates/ directory
• Integration: See INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md
• Updates: Watch the repository for updates

Remember: The goal is continuous improvement, not perfection. Each checkmark is progress! 🚀