Process

Our approach to sprint planning focuses on balancing major initiatives with flexibility for emerging needs. Each sprint will prioritize three significant tasks, or epics, accounting for approximately 60–70% of the available sprint time. The remaining 30–40% will be reserved for secondary priorities and unanticipated tasks that require less intensive focus.

This roadmap serves as a general guide, recognizing that development planning is inherently dynamic. APTrust has not worked in sprints since before 2022 and, apart from a few months, has not had a full-time developer since May 2024. As such, it is challenging to predict development velocity, and our goals may be adjusted or rescheduled as needed. Our ability to predict velocity will improve with time, increasing the accuracy of our planning.

The process begins with identifying overarching objectives for the year, but detailed planning will occur one quarter at a time. At the end of each quarter, we will revisit the roadmap, refining and reprioritizing goals for the upcoming quarter based on progress, shifting priorities, and emerging requirements.

2025 Goals

Given the size of our current team and the considerations above, these goals may be considered ambitious. To support the completion of this work, we may engage external contractors as needed. Staffing levels will directly influence the overall capacity and development velocity. The absence of a Lead Developer will likely result in many of these goals being deferred to 2026.

1. Storage Provider Expansion: Integration of additional storage platforms to enhance redundancy, flexibility, and cost efficiency.
   1. Wasabi
   2. Microsoft Azure
2. Application Development and Enhancements
   1. DART3 Release Cycle:
      1. Complete the alpha release, 
      2. conduct user testing, and 
      3. deliver the DART3 beta version, and
      4. conduct accessibility testing.
   2. Storage Class and Location Management: Enable seamless content migration between storage classes and locations without requiring restore, deletion, or re-ingestion.
   3. Registry and Reporting: Expand Registry reporting capabilities and integrate with third-party reporting tools.
   4. Integrations: Enhance interoperability with key platforms to streamline workflows and improve data exchange. (Additional integrations to be explored in 2026 include Alma Digital, Archivematica, and Omeka.)
      1. ArchivesSpace
      2. Archive-It (including potential Internet Archive integration)
   5. Storage Flexibility: Enable support for mixed storage configurations, allowing custom combinations across multiple storage classes and locations.
   6. APTrust BagIt Profile Flexibility: Consider and review implications with Advisory for adding flexibility to Bagit Profile / SIP requirements.
3. GitLab Migration and Related Initiatives
   1. GitLab PoC: Test out options in GitLab to determine a final implementation plan.
   2. GitLab Migration: Transition development and project management workflows to GitLab. Includes migrating data from Trello.
   3. CI/CD Pipelines: Implement continuous integration and deployment pipelines with integrated Dynamic and Static Application Security Testing (DAST/SAST). 
   4. GitLab Service Desk: Establish a service desk within GitLab for streamlined issue tracking and support.
4. Platform Maintenance and Optimization
   1. Ongoing Maintenance: Ensure system stability through regular maintenance activities.
   2. Technical Debt: Address accumulated technical debt to improve code quality, performance, and maintainability. This includes improving old Infrastructure-as-Code work, resolving emergent issues, and identifying previously unknown technical debt.
   3. Documentation: Enhance user and developer documentation for clarity and accessibility.
   4. Bug Resolution: Identify and resolve system bugs to maintain platform reliability.
   5. Multi-Cloud and Regional Redundancy: Enable multi-cloud redundancy for RDS backups to improve disaster resilience and cost management. 
   6. Log Management and Optimization: Enhance log retention, partitioning, and indexing for improved system observability and performance.
5. Security and Identity Management
   1. Identity and Access Management (IAM): Establish robust IAM policies and controls for enhanced security and user management.
   2. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Replace the existing Authy-based MFA solution with a more adaptable and secure alternative.
6. Risk Management, Disaster Recovery, Succession Planning
   • Disaster Recovery Planning: Refine existing and, where necessary, develop comprehensive disaster recovery and risk management strategies to ensure business continuity.

APTrust Advisory Representatives can view a version of this roadmap that includes details on quarterly and sprint goals, including when development work is scheduled.

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