Govern the lifecycle
SOCM Command Center — System of Connected Methodology — tracks work from initial intent through release and operation, with stages, gates, reviews, approvals, evidence, and visibility in one place.
It is the one product area available on both the web and the desktop application, so reviewers and leaders can take part without installing anything.
The distinction is simple but important: a stage shows where the work is; a gate decides whether it may proceed. SOCM keeps both visible so the delivery method is carried with the work instead of depending on a separate process document and institutional memory.
Five stages and four gates
| Stage | Purpose | Exit gate |
|---|---|---|
| Ideation | Establish the product need and high-level solution direction | Gate 1 · PRD and HLD sign-off |
| Inception | Elaborate the implementation design | Gate 2 · LLD and decomposition review |
| Construction | Implement the work and prepare it for validation | Gate 3 · Peer review, plus security when flagged |
| Validation | Validate release readiness | Gate 4 · Release sign-off |
| Operation | Release, operate, and observe the work | No further formal gate |
Work items
A work item carries lifecycle state, gate status, artefacts, comments, review decisions, and Jira context when that integration is configured.
That record is intended to make a later review reconstructable: what evidence was available, which reviewer slot applied, who acted, and what decision moved—or stopped—the work. It does not turn a recorded approval into proof that the underlying software is correct; the quality of the decision still depends on the required evidence and the accountable reviewer.
The model recognises initiatives, epics, stories, and subtasks. Gates apply at the levels where they make sense: Gate 1 to an epic, and Gates 2 to 4 to a story.
Personas and the reviewer model
The eight workspace personas are Engineer, Capability Lead, Guild, Product, QA, Security, Release Manager, and Leader.
- A gate has required and optional reviewer slots, expressed as personas.
- A slot is either strict — specific named people must approve — or a pool, which any eligible person can satisfy.
- Approval satisfies that slot. Rejection requires a reason, so the team knows what must change.
- Per-gate indicators on a card communicate open, pending, approved, or rejected state.
The Reviews screen separates Needs you — a slot that names you — from Waiting for <persona> — an unfilled pool slot your persona could take — and Waiting on others, which is tracked for awareness only.
Board views
The Action Board offers Kanban, List, Timeline, Swimlanes, and Grouped views. Use the one that suits the conversation: triage, sequencing, ownership, or review.