CI/CD Pipeline Change PR Template

CI/CD Pipeline Change PR Template

Changes to CI/CD pipelines affect every developer on the team and every deployment to production. Pipeline misconfigurations can break builds, slow down development, or cause deployment failures. This template ensures pipeline changes are reviewed with appropriate rigor.

Template Structure

## Description
<!-- What pipeline changes are being made? -->

## Type of Change
- [ ] New pipeline / workflow
- [ ] Modified existing pipeline
- [ ] New build step
- [ ] Deployment configuration change
- [ ] Environment variable change
- [ ] Secret management change
- [ ] Cache configuration change

## Pipeline Affected
<!-- Which pipeline file(s) are being modified? -->
<!-- e.g., .github/workflows/ci.yml, .gitlab-ci.yml, Jenkinsfile -->

## Checklist
- [ ] Pipeline runs successfully on this branch
- [ ] Build time impact assessed
- [ ] No secrets hardcoded in pipeline files
- [ ] Environment variables documented
- [ ] Rollback procedure documented
- [ ] Affected team members notified

## Environment Changes
<!-- List any new or modified environment variables, secrets, or service connections. -->

## Rollback Procedure
<!-- How can this change be rolled back if it causes issues? -->

## Testing
<!-- How was this pipeline change tested? -->
<!-- Did you run it on a feature branch first? -->

## Related Issues
<!-- Closes #(issue number) -->

Why a Dedicated CI/CD Template?

CI/CD changes are infrastructure-as-code. They deserve the same review rigor as production application code, but with different concerns — build time, secret management, environment isolation, and rollback safety.

Build Time Impact

Pipeline changes can significantly affect build times. Adding a new step, changing cache configuration, or upgrading runner images all impact developer productivity. The checklist prompts contributors to assess this impact.

Secret Management

The explicit "no secrets hardcoded" checklist item exists because CI/CD pipeline files are one of the most common places where secrets accidentally get committed. Environment variables should be configured through the CI platform's secret management, never in the pipeline file itself.

Rollback Procedure

Every CI/CD change should have a rollback plan. If a pipeline change breaks the build for the entire team, being able to quickly revert is critical.