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Feature Request: RW Step 7 – Scoped Kanban Sync (UKW Mode)

Type: Feature Request (FR)
Submitted: 2026-02-19
Submitted By: User
Priority: HIGH
Status: IMPLEMENTED (documentation alignment — v0.5.1.38+1)
Assigned Task: E5:S01:T38
GitHub Issue: [TBD]

Summary​

Redefine Release Workflow (RW) Step 7 from a mostly deterministic “Auto-update Kanban Docs” step into an explicitly agentic, scoped Update Kanban Workflow (UKW) run: a Scoped Kanban Sync (UKW Mode) that updates Task/Story/Epic docs, rewires links where necessary, and performs limited, context-aware prioritisation on the Kanban board for the active Task.

Description​

What is the Feature?​

Elevate RW Step 7 to an explicit, policy-backed agentic Kanban sync step that:

  1. Treats Step 7 as a scoped invocation of UKW (for a single Epic/Story/Task), not just “run a script”.
  2. Makes UKW context-aware (standalone vs RW-embedded) so it can safely operate in:
    • RW-scoped mode: Only the E/S/T touched by this release and any directly-related docs/board entries.
    • Standalone mode: Full-board maintenance runs triggered by UKW.
  3. Clearly documents the agentic responsibilities of Step 7:
    • Interpreting recent work.
    • Updating/rewiring Task/Story/Epic docs.
    • Updating the Kanban board.
    • Performing limited prioritisation for new or newly-significant tasks, respecting Kanban governance.

What Problem Does This Solve?​

  • Current state:

    • RW Step 7 is documented and implemented largely as a deterministic doc update step.
    • Some responsibilities (board updates, prioritisation, narrative synthesis) already need agentic intelligence, but this is not formalised.
    • UKW is the “big hammer” for Kanban alignment, but its relationship to RW is implicit rather than specified.

  • Gap:

    • No clear policy-level contract that “RW Step 7 = UKW in scoped mode”.
    • UKW is not defined as RW-aware, so the interplay between RW runs and standalone UKW runs is left to convention.

  • Benefit:

    • A single, canonical understanding that RW Step 7 always uses the same Kanban engine (UKW) in a scoped fashion.
    • UKW gains a formal RW-embedded mode, making it safer and more predictable when called per-release.

What is the Use Case?​

  • Primary: On every RW run, the agent:

    • Uses Step 7 to run a Scoped Kanban Sync (UKW Mode) for the active task.
    • Ensures Task/Story/Epic docs and the Kanban board are aligned with the just-released work.
    • Applies local prioritisation when the release creates a new task or changes its urgency.

  • Secondary: UKW runs in standalone mode to:

    • Perform board-wide housekeeping and prioritisation (existing -u/-p/-a flows).
    • Remain compatible with RW by being aware when it is called from within RW vs standalone.

Requirements​

Functional Requirements​

  • FR-038:R01 – RW Step 7 name and documentation updated to “Scoped Kanban Sync (UKW Mode)” (or equivalent), explicitly describing it as a scoped UKW invocation for the current E/S/T.

  • FR-038:R02 – UKW documentation updated to define an invocation_context (for example, rw_step_7 vs standalone) with clear behavioural differences:

    • rw_step_7: scoped to a single E/S/T + directly related docs/board entries; conservative on reprioritisation.
    • standalone: full-board operations according to flags (-u, -p, -a, etc.).

  • FR-038:R03 – RW Step 7 spec enumerates agentic responsibilities:

    • Task-level updates (status, version markers, narrative).
    • Story/Epic rewiring (overview updates, checklist consistency).
    • Kanban board updates for the active epic/story.
    • Limited prioritisation of new or newly-significant tasks following Kanban governance rules.

  • FR-038:R04 – UKW spec documents how prioritisation and MoSCOW updates behave differently in RW-scoped mode vs standalone runs (e.g., RW-scoped mode does not re-shuffle the entire board).

  • FR-038:R05 – RW and UKW reference each other so that the relationship “RW Step 7 = Scoped UKW” is discoverable from both sides.

Non-Functional Requirements​

  • FR-038:NF01 – Predictability: RW Step 7 must remain predictable and auditable; any agentic decisions within Step 7 must be documented in Kanban/FR/Task docs.
  • FR-038:NF02 – Separation of concerns: RW retains responsibility for atomic versioning/changelogs/CI; UKW remains the single Kanban intelligence engine.
  • FR-038:NF03 – Portability: Wording remains framework-level and project-agnostic; adopting projects may customise how UKW interprets “scoped” without changing the core contract.

Scope Analysis​

Problem Domain: Release Workflow, Update Kanban Workflow, Kanban governance
Affected Areas:

  • RW agent execution guide (Step 7 specification and naming).
  • UKW workflow documentation (invocation contexts and behaviour).
  • Kanban governance policy (light references to RW/UKW responsibilities).

Estimated Complexity: Medium (policy and documentation alignment across RW, UKW, and Kanban governance).

Acceptance Criteria​

  • RW Step 7 documentation explicitly names the step as Scoped Kanban Sync (UKW Mode) (or equivalent) and describes it as a scoped UKW run.
  • UKW documentation defines and explains invocation_context options, including rw_step_7 with well-scoped behaviour.
  • RW and UKW docs both reference each other as part of the Step 7/UKW relationship.
  • Kanban governance policy (or board guide) briefly notes that per-release Kanban sync is handled by RW Step 7 via UKW, and board-wide sync is handled by standalone UKW.
  • No breaking changes to existing RW/UKW scripts are introduced purely by the documentation alignment; implementation work can follow in a separate task.

Dependencies​

Blocks:

  • Clear, unified understanding of RW Step 7 as an agentic Kanban sync step.
  • Safe, scoped reuse of UKW from within RW.

Blocked By:

  • None (this FR is documentation/specification first; implementation tasks can be created later).

Related Work:

  • FR-040: RW Update Kanban Board on Task Completion.
  • FR-037: Kanban Policy – Task Prioritisation and Queue/Stack.
  • UKW Workflow Docs: Update Kanban Workflow specification.
  • RW Execution Guide: Release Workflow agent execution documentation.

Release History​

  • v0.5.1.38+1 (E5:S01:T38): Documentation alignment delivered — RW Step 7 named Scoped Kanban Sync (UKW Mode); UKW invocation_context (rw_step_7 vs standalone); cross-links; Kanban governance §1.1 and board guide note. YAML orchestrator / explicit workflow flags remain out of scope (optional follow-up under Epic 6 / workflow framework).