Features

One change to your app, from its plan to its release.

A feature is one change to your app: a new screen, a change to how something works, or a fix. It’s the unit you ask for and the unit that gets released. Each feature has its own requirements and is built as a set of work items.

What it contains

• Requirements, written as acceptance criteria, that define done.
• Work items, the pieces of work Iron Octopus builds and reviews.
• Review results, including anything sent back for rework.
• A full history of what was asked for, decided, built and checked.

Each feature also has an ID, such as BKG-F012, made from its project key and a number. Work items have IDs too, such as BKG-W031.

Stages

Every feature moves through the same stages.

Stage	What happens	How it moves on
Planning	Iron Octopus drafts the plan, requirements and work items.	You approve the plan with Start building.
Building	Iron Octopus builds the work items and reviews each one.	On its own, when every work item is done.
Acceptance	Iron Octopus verifies every acceptance criterion.	You approve the release with Release feature.
Released	The feature is merged into your project’s main branch.	It’s final.
Cancelled	The feature was stopped.	You can reopen it in Planning.

A feature can also step back. From Building or Acceptance it can return to Planning, and from Acceptance it can return to Building when a requirement needs more work.

These are the default rules. You can change them, for example to let a feature start without your approval.

After release

A released feature doesn’t change. If you find a problem with it later, report a defect. The fix becomes a new feature that goes through the same steps, and the original stays as it was released.

Where you see it

• On your Home page: Needs you when it’s waiting for a decision, In progress while it’s in Building or Acceptance, and Recently released afterwards.
• In the left rail, under its project, while it’s active.
• On its own page, with its stage track, requirements, work items and history.

What you can do

• Approve its plan and start building.
• Follow the work and see what review sent back.
• Release it.
• Read its history or export it.
• Cancel it, or reopen a cancelled feature.