# baseline-policy > Baseline policy defines the default set of skills that should always be considered for every task. It establishes a foundation of knowledge that's consistently applied across all projects, preventing critical aspects from being overlooked. - Author: GitHub Action - Repository: AmnadTaowsoam/CerebraSkills - Version: 20260130093005 - Stars: 1 - Forks: 0 - Last Updated: 2026-02-07 - Source: https://github.com/AmnadTaowsoam/CerebraSkills - Web: https://mule.run/skillshub/@@AmnadTaowsoam/CerebraSkills~baseline-policy:20260130093005 --- # Baseline Policy ## Overview Baseline policy defines the default set of skills that should always be considered for every task. It establishes a foundation of knowledge that's consistently applied across all projects, preventing critical aspects from being overlooked. ## What Is Baseline Policy Baseline policy is: - **Default skills** to consider for every task - **Foundation knowledge** that's always relevant - **Quality baseline** - minimum standards for all work - **Consistency framework** - ensures uniform approach across projects - **Cognitive load reducer** - don't reinvent the process each time ## Why Baseline Policy Matters | Benefit | Description | |---------|-------------| | **Consistency** - Same approach across all projects | | **Don't forget fundamentals** - Critical skills always considered | | **Reduce cognitive load** - No need to recall everything each time | | **Quality baseline** - Minimum standards for all work | | **Onboarding aid** - New team members know what to consider | | **Continuous improvement** - Baseline evolves with learnings | --- ## Universal Baseline Skills These skills are always relevant, regardless of project type. ### 1. System Thinking Holistic view of the system and its interactions. ``` System Thinking Checklist: [ ] Understand the full system context [ ] Identify all components and their relationships [ ] Consider upstream and downstream dependencies [ ] Think about data flow through the system [ ] Consider edge cases and failure modes [ ] Understand the system's boundaries [ ] Consider non-functional requirements (performance, security) ``` ### 2. Trade-off Analysis Evaluate options and make informed decisions. ``` Trade-off Analysis Checklist: [ ] Identify all viable options [ ] Evaluate each option against criteria [ ] Consider time, cost, quality trade-offs [ ] Document decision rationale [ ] Consider short-term vs long-term impact [ ] Get stakeholder input on trade-offs [ ] Document the decision for future reference ``` ### 3. Risk Assessment Identify and mitigate potential problems. ``` Risk Assessment Checklist: [ ] Identify potential risks [ ] Assess probability and impact [ ] Develop mitigation strategies [ ] Prioritize risks by severity [ ] Document risks in risk register [ ] Monitor risks throughout project [ ] Update risk assessments regularly ``` ### 4. Security Considerations Protect data, users, and systems. ``` Security Checklist: [ ] Identify sensitive data (PII, secrets) [ ] Implement proper authentication and authorization [ ] Validate and sanitize all inputs [ ] Encode outputs to prevent XSS [ ] Use HTTPS only [ ] Implement rate limiting [ ] Log security events [ ] Follow security best practices ``` ### 5. Error Handling Graceful failures and user feedback. ``` Error Handling Checklist: [ ] Identify all possible error conditions [ ] Handle errors gracefully [ ] Provide user-friendly error messages [ ] Log errors for debugging [ ] Implement retry logic where appropriate [ ] Set up error monitoring [ ] Define error escalation procedures [ ] Test error paths ``` --- ## Project Kickoff Baseline Skills to consider at the start of any project. ``` Project Kickoff Baseline: Requirements: [ ] Discovery questions - Understand the problem [ ] Requirement to scope - Define in/out of scope [ ] Acceptance criteria - Define done [ ] Constraints and assumptions - Document limits [ ] Risk and dependencies - Identify risks Planning: [ ] System thinking - Understand full context [ ] Trade-off analysis - Evaluate options [ ] Risk assessment - Identify and mitigate risks [ ] Estimation - Provide realistic estimates ``` --- ## Development Baseline Skills for writing and reviewing code. ``` Development Baseline: Code Quality: [ ] Linting - Code style enforcement [ ] Type checking - Catch type errors early [ ] Code review - Peer review before merge [ ] Testing - Unit, integration, E2E tests [ ] Documentation - Code comments, README Git Workflow: [ ] Branching strategy - Feature branches, main branch [ ] Commit conventions - Meaningful commit messages [ ] Pull requests - Code review process [ ] Merge strategy - Squash, rebase, or merge commit [ ] CI/CD - Automated testing and deployment Error Handling: [ ] Try-catch blocks - Handle exceptions [ ] Error logging - Log errors for debugging [ ] User feedback - Show user-friendly messages [ ] Graceful degradation - System continues working Security: [ ] Input validation - Prevent injection attacks [ ] Output encoding - Prevent XSS [ ] Authentication - Verify user identity [ ] Authorization - Check permissions [ ] Secrets management - No hardcoded secrets ``` --- ## API Development Baseline Skills specific to building APIs. ``` API Development Baseline: API Design: [ ] REST conventions - Follow REST principles [ ] Resource naming - Use nouns, not verbs [ ] HTTP methods - GET, POST, PUT, DELETE appropriately [ ] Status codes - Use correct HTTP status codes [ ] Versioning - Plan for API versioning [ ] Pagination - Handle large result sets Documentation: [ ] OpenAPI/Swagger - API specification [ ] Endpoint documentation - Describe each endpoint [ ] Request/response examples - Show usage [ ] Error documentation - Document error responses [ ] Authentication docs - How to authenticate Error Handling: [ ] Consistent error format - Standard error response [ ] HTTP status codes - Use appropriate codes [ ] Error messages - Helpful, not exposing internals [ ] Error logging - Log errors for debugging Security: [ ] Authentication - JWT, OAuth, API keys [ ] Rate limiting - Prevent abuse [ ] Input validation - Validate all inputs [ ] CORS - Configure properly [ ] HTTPS - Encrypt all traffic Performance: [ ] Caching - Cache expensive operations [ ] Database optimization - Efficient queries [ ] Pagination - Limit response size [ ] Compression - Compress responses ``` --- ## Data Handling Baseline Skills for working with data. ``` Data Handling Baseline: Data Validation: [ ] Input sanitization - Clean user input [ ] Schema validation - Validate data structure [ ] Business rules - Enforce business logic [ ] Type checking - Verify data types PII Detection: [ ] Identify PII - Personal identifiable information [ ] Classify data - Public, internal, confidential [ ] Encrypt sensitive data - Encrypt at rest and in transit [ ] Access control - Restrict access to sensitive data Logging Redaction: [ ] No secrets in logs - Redact passwords, tokens [ ] No PII in logs - Redact personal information [ ] Log masking - Mask sensitive data [ ] Log retention - Define retention policy Backup Strategy: [ ] Regular backups - Automated backup schedule [ ] Backup testing - Test restore regularly [ ] Offsite backups - Store backups in different location [ ] Backup encryption - Encrypt backups Data Retention: [ ] Define retention policy - How long to keep data [ ] Automated deletion - Delete expired data [ ] Data archival - Archive old data [ ] Compliance - Follow legal requirements ``` --- ## Deployment Baseline Skills for deploying applications. ``` Deployment Baseline: CI/CD Pipeline: [ ] Automated testing - Run tests on every commit [ ] Automated deployment - Deploy on merge to main [ ] Environment promotion - Dev → Staging → Production [ ] Rollback capability - Quick rollback if needed Environment Variables: [ ] No hardcoded secrets - Use environment variables [ ] Secret management - Use secret manager [ ] Environment-specific configs - Different configs per environment [ ] Config validation - Validate config at startup Health Checks: [ ] Health endpoint - /health endpoint [ ] Dependency checks - Check database, external services [ ] Metrics - Track key metrics [ ] Monitoring - Set up monitoring and alerting Rollback Plan: [ ] Document rollback procedure - How to rollback [ ] Test rollback - Practice rollback [ ] Data migration rollback - Handle data changes [ ] Quick rollback - Automate where possible Deployment Checklist: [ ] All tests passing [ ] Security scan clean [ ] Performance tests passed [ ] Staging environment tested [ ] Rollback plan documented [ ] Stakeholders notified [ ] Monitoring configured ``` --- ## AI/ML Project Baseline Skills specific to AI and machine learning projects. ``` AI/ML Project Baseline: Evaluation Framework: [ ] Define metrics - Accuracy, precision, recall, F1 [ ] Define baseline - Compare against baseline [ ] Define success criteria - What defines success [ ] Define evaluation dataset - Separate from training Ground Truth Dataset: [ ] Collect ground truth - Labeled data for testing [ ] Validate ground truth - Ensure quality [ ] Maintain ground truth - Keep up to date [ ] Version ground truth - Track changes Safety Guardrails: [ ] Content filtering - Filter harmful content [ ] Rate limiting - Prevent abuse [ ] Input validation - Validate model inputs [ ] Output validation - Validate model outputs [ ] Human review - Human in the loop for critical decisions Monitoring: [ ] Model performance - Track metrics over time [ ] Data drift - Monitor input data changes [ ] Prediction drift - Monitor output changes [ ] Error tracking - Track model errors Cost Tracking: [ ] Token usage - Track LLM token usage [ ] API costs - Track API call costs [ ] Compute costs - Track compute resources [ ] Cost optimization - Optimize for cost ``` --- ## Frontend Baseline Skills for frontend development. ``` Frontend Baseline: Accessibility: [ ] WCAG compliance - Follow WCAG 2.1 guidelines [ ] Keyboard navigation - All features accessible via keyboard [ ] Screen reader support - ARIA labels, semantic HTML [ ] Color contrast - 4.5:1 minimum contrast ratio [ ] Alt text - Alt text for images Responsive Design: [ ] Mobile-first - Design for mobile first [ ] Breakpoints - Define breakpoints [ ] Fluid layouts - Use flexible layouts [ ] Touch targets - Minimum 44x44 pixels [ ] Orientation - Support portrait and landscape Performance: [ ] Load time - Page load < 3 seconds [ ] Bundle size - Optimize bundle size [ ] Lazy loading - Lazy load images, components [ ] Caching - Cache static assets [ ] Code splitting - Split code by route Browser Compatibility: [ ] Target browsers - Define supported browsers [ ] Polyfills - Add polyfills for older browsers [ ] Progressive enhancement - Core features work everywhere [ ] Graceful degradation - Enhanced features where supported Error States: [ ] Loading states - Show loading indicators [ ] Empty states - Show helpful empty states [ ] Error states - Show user-friendly errors [ ] Offline support - Handle offline state ``` --- ## Security Baseline Security skills for all projects. ``` Security Baseline: Authentication: [ ] Who are you - Verify user identity [ ] Password hashing - Hash passwords (bcrypt, argon2) [ ] Session management - Secure session handling [ ] MFA - Multi-factor authentication for sensitive operations Authorization: [ ] What can you do - Check permissions [ ] Role-based access - RBAC implementation [ ] Principle of least privilege - Minimum necessary access [ ] Access control lists - Define allowed operations Input Validation: [ ] Validate all inputs - Never trust user input [ ] Sanitize inputs - Remove dangerous characters [ ] Type checking - Verify input types [ ] Length limits - Enforce maximum lengths Output Encoding: [ ] Encode outputs - Prevent XSS attacks [ ] Context-aware encoding - HTML, JavaScript, URL encoding [ ] Content Security Policy - CSP headers [ ] XSS prevention - Framework protections HTTPS Only: [ ] TLS/SSL - Encrypt all traffic [ ] HSTS - HTTP Strict Transport Security [ ] Certificate management - Valid certificates [ ] Secure headers - Security headers Logging and Monitoring: [ ] Security events - Log authentication, authorization failures [ ] Intrusion detection - Detect suspicious activity [ ] Audit logs - Track sensitive operations [ ] Alerting - Alert on security events ``` --- ## Compliance Baseline Compliance skills when applicable. ``` Compliance Baseline: GDPR (Data Privacy): [ ] Right to be forgotten - Delete user data on request [ ] Data portability - Export user data [ ] Consent management - Get and manage consent [ ] Data breach notification - Notify within 72 hours [ ] Privacy policy - Clear privacy policy SOC2 (Security): [ ] Access controls - Manage access [ ] Change management - Track changes [ ] Incident response - Handle security incidents [ ] Risk assessment - Assess and mitigate risks [ ] Audit logging - Log all actions Accessibility (WCAG): [ ] WCAG 2.1 AA - Follow guidelines [ ] Keyboard accessibility - All features keyboard accessible [ ] Screen reader support - ARIA labels [ ] Color contrast - 4.5:1 minimum [ ] Alt text - Descriptive alt text Industry-Specific: [ ] HIPAA - Healthcare data protection [ ] PCI-DSS - Payment card security [ ] SOX - Financial reporting controls [ ] ISO 27001 - Information security management ``` --- ## Domain-Specific Baselines Add domain-specific skills to the universal baseline. ### E-Commerce ``` E-Commerce Baseline: Payment Security: [ ] PCI-DSS compliance - Follow payment security standards [ ] Tokenization - Never store card numbers [ ] 3D Secure - Implement 3D Secure [ ] Fraud detection - Detect fraudulent transactions Cart Handling: [ ] Session persistence - Cart persists across sessions [ ] Inventory management - Check inventory [ ] Price validation - Validate prices on server [ ] Tax calculation - Calculate taxes correctly Order Processing: [ ] Order confirmation - Send confirmation [ ] Order tracking - Track order status [ ] Refund handling - Handle refunds [ ] Order cancellation - Allow cancellation ``` ### Healthcare ``` Healthcare Baseline: HIPAA Compliance: [ ] PHI protection - Protect protected health information [ ] Access controls - Restrict access to PHI [ ] Audit logging - Log all PHI access [ ] Data encryption - Encrypt PHI at rest and in transit [ ] Business associate agreements - BAAs with vendors Clinical Safety: [ ] Validation - Validate clinical data [ ] Alerts - Alert on critical values [ ] Documentation - Document all clinical interactions [ ] Backup - Regular backups of patient data ``` ### Finance ``` Finance Baseline: PCI-DSS: [ ] Card data protection - Never store full card numbers [ ] Encryption - Encrypt card data [ ] Access controls - Restrict access to card data [ ] Audit logging - Log all card data access Transaction Auditing: [ ] Transaction logging - Log all transactions [ ] Reconciliation - Reconcile transactions [ ] Fraud detection - Detect fraudulent transactions [ ] Compliance reporting - Generate compliance reports ``` --- ## Customizing Baseline Adapt the baseline to your organization. ### Customization Process ``` 1. Start with Universal Baseline - System thinking - Trade-off analysis - Risk assessment - Security considerations - Error handling 2. Add Domain-Specific Skills - E-commerce: Payment security, cart handling - Healthcare: HIPAA compliance, clinical safety - Finance: PCI-DSS, transaction auditing 3. Add Organization-Specific Standards - Coding standards - Git workflow - Deployment process - Documentation standards 4. Document and Share - Write baseline policy document - Share with team - Train new team members - Review and update regularly ``` ### Example: Organization Baseline ``` Organization Baseline: Acme Corp Universal: [ ] System thinking [ ] Trade-off analysis [ ] Risk assessment [ ] Security considerations [ ] Error handling Development: [ ] TypeScript - Use TypeScript for all new code [ ] ESLint/Prettier - Code formatting [ ] Jest - Unit testing [ ] Cypress - E2E testing [ ] Conventional commits - Commit message format Git Workflow: [ ] Git Flow - Branching strategy [ ] Pull requests - Required for all changes [ ] Code review - At least one approval [ ] CI/CD - GitHub Actions Deployment: [ ] AWS - Cloud provider [ ] Terraform - Infrastructure as code [ ] Docker - Containerization [ ] Kubernetes - Orchestration Documentation: [ ] README - Required for all projects [ ] API docs - OpenAPI/Swagger [ ] Changelog - Document changes [ ] Architecture docs - High-level design ``` --- ## Baseline Enforcement Ensure baseline is followed. ### Checklist Enforcement ``` Manual Review Checklist: Before Code Review: [ ] Code follows style guidelines [ ] Tests written and passing [ ] Documentation updated [ ] Error handling implemented [ ] Security considerations addressed [ ] Performance considerations addressed Before Deployment: [ ] All tests passing [ ] Code reviewed and approved [ ] Security scan clean [ ] Performance tests passed [ ] Documentation complete [ ] Rollback plan documented ``` ### Automated Checks ``` Automated Enforcement: Pre-commit: [ ] Linter passes [ ] Type checker passes [ ] Tests pass [ ] No secrets in code Pre-merge: [ ] All tests pass [ ] Code coverage threshold met [ ] Security scan passes [ ] Performance benchmarks met Pre-deployment: [ ] Integration tests pass [ ] E2E tests pass [ ] Security audit passes [ ] Performance tests pass [ ] Documentation generated ``` ### Code Review Checklist ``` Code Review Baseline Checklist: Functionality: [ ] Code implements requirements [ ] Edge cases handled [ ] Error handling implemented [ ] Tests cover functionality Code Quality: [ ] Code is readable [ ] Code is maintainable [ ] Code follows style guidelines [ ] No code duplication Security: [ ] No hardcoded secrets [ ] Input validation implemented [ ] Output encoding implemented [ ] Authorization checked Performance: [ ] Efficient algorithms [ ] No N+1 queries [ ] Caching where appropriate [ ] Database indexes used Documentation: [ ] Code is self-documenting [ ] Complex logic commented [ ] README updated [ ] API docs updated ``` ### Project Templates ``` Project Template Structure: /template-project /src /components /services /utils /tests /unit /integration /e2e /docs /architecture /api .eslintrc.js .prettierrc.js tsconfig.json jest.config.js cypress.config.js Dockerfile docker-compose.yml terraform/ .github/ workflows/ ci.yml cd.yml README.md CONTRIBUTING.md ``` --- ## Baseline Evolution Baseline should evolve over time. ### Review Schedule ``` Quarterly Review: - Review baseline effectiveness - Add new learnings - Remove outdated items - Get team input Annual Review: - Comprehensive baseline review - Major updates if needed - Align with industry best practices - Update documentation Triggered Review: - After major incident - After technology change - After team feedback - After audit findings ``` ### Update Process ``` 1. Identify Need for Change - Incident revealed gap - New best practice - Team feedback - Technology change 2. Propose Change - Document proposed change - Explain rationale - Get team input 3. Review and Approve - Team review - Management approval - Document decision 4. Implement Change - Update baseline documentation - Update checklists - Update templates - Train team 5. Monitor Effectiveness - Track adoption - Gather feedback - Adjust as needed ``` ### Learning from Incidents ``` Incident Review Process: 1. Document Incident - What happened? - Why did it happen? - What was the impact? 2. Identify Root Cause - Was baseline missing something? - Was baseline not followed? - Was baseline insufficient? 3. Update Baseline - Add missing skill - Strengthen existing skill - Add new checklist item 4. Communicate Change - Share with team - Explain why change needed - Provide training if needed ``` --- ## Baseline Documentation Document the baseline clearly. ### Baseline Policy Document ```markdown # Baseline Policy: [Organization Name] **Version:** 1.0 **Last Updated:** [Date] **Owner:** [Name] ## Purpose [Brief description of baseline policy purpose] ## Universal Baseline Skills ### System Thinking [Description and requirements] ### Trade-off Analysis [Description and requirements] ### Risk Assessment [Description and requirements] ### Security Considerations [Description and requirements] ### Error Handling [Description and requirements] ## Domain-Specific Baselines ### E-Commerce [Description and requirements] ### Healthcare [Description and requirements] ### Finance [Description and requirements] ## Organization-Specific Standards ### Development [Description and requirements] ### Git Workflow [Description and requirements] ### Deployment [Description and requirements] ### Documentation [Description and requirements] ## Enforcement ### Checklists [Link to checklists] ### Automated Checks [Description of automated checks] ### Code Review [Code review process] ## Evolution ### Review Schedule [Review schedule] ### Update Process [Update process] ## Appendices ### Checklists [Full checklists] ### Templates [Link to templates] ### Related Skills [Links to related skills] ``` --- ## Real-World Baseline Examples ### Example 1: Web App Development Baseline ``` Web App Development Baseline Universal: [ ] System thinking - Understand full context [ ] Trade-off analysis - Evaluate options [ ] Risk assessment - Identify risks [ ] Security - Input validation, output encoding [ ] Error handling - Graceful failures Frontend: [ ] React - Use React 18 [ ] TypeScript - Use TypeScript [ ] Tailwind CSS - Use Tailwind [ ] Accessibility - WCAG 2.1 AA [ ] Performance - Load time < 3 seconds Backend: [ ] Node.js - Use Node.js 18 [ ] Fastify - Use Fastify framework [ ] PostgreSQL - Use PostgreSQL [ ] REST API - Follow REST conventions [ ] OpenAPI - Document with OpenAPI DevOps: [ ] AWS - Use AWS [ ] Docker - Containerize [ ] GitHub Actions - CI/CD [ ] Terraform - Infrastructure as code Testing: [ ] Jest - Unit tests [ ] Cypress - E2E tests [ ] Coverage - > 80% coverage Documentation: [ ] README - Required [ ] API docs - OpenAPI/Swagger [ ] Changelog - Document changes ``` ### Example 2: API Service Baseline ``` API Service Baseline Universal: [ ] System thinking - Understand dependencies [ ] Trade-off analysis - Evaluate options [ ] Risk assessment - Identify risks [ ] Security - Authentication, authorization [ ] Error handling - Consistent error responses API Design: [ ] REST - Follow REST principles [ ] OpenAPI - Document with OpenAPI 3.0 [ ] Versioning - Use URL versioning (/v1/) [ ] Pagination - Cursor-based pagination [ ] Rate limiting - 1000 req/min per IP Security: [ ] JWT - JWT authentication [ ] RBAC - Role-based access control [ ] Input validation - Validate all inputs [ ] Output encoding - Prevent XSS [ ] HTTPS - TLS 1.3 only Performance: [ ] Caching - Redis caching [ ] Database optimization - Efficient queries [ ] Compression - Gzip compression [ ] CDN - CloudFront CDN Monitoring: [ ] Metrics - Prometheus metrics [ ] Logging - Structured logging [ ] Tracing - Distributed tracing [ ] Alerting - Alert on errors Documentation: [ ] API docs - Auto-generated from OpenAPI [ ] Examples - Request/response examples [ ] Error docs - Document all errors ``` ### Example 3: AI Application Baseline ``` AI Application Baseline Universal: [ ] System thinking - Understand full context [ ] Trade-off analysis - Evaluate options [ ] Risk assessment - Identify risks [ ] Security - Protect data and models [ ] Error handling - Graceful failures AI/ML Specific: [ ] Evaluation framework - Define metrics [ ] Ground truth dataset - Labeled test data [ ] Safety guardrails - Content filtering [ ] Monitoring - Track model performance [ ] Cost tracking - Track token usage Data: [ ] Data validation - Validate inputs [ ] Data sanitization - Clean inputs [ ] PII detection - Detect and protect PII [ ] Data retention - Define retention policy Security: [ ] API security - Rate limiting, authentication [ ] Model security - Protect model endpoints [ ] Data security - Encrypt data [ ] Access control - Restrict access Monitoring: [ ] Model metrics - Track accuracy, latency [ ] Data drift - Monitor input data [ ] Prediction drift - Monitor outputs [ ] Error tracking - Track errors Documentation: [ ] Model documentation - Model card [ ] API documentation - OpenAPI [ ] Evaluation report - Metrics and results [ ] Usage guide - How to use the model ``` --- ## Templates ### Baseline Checklist Template ```markdown # Baseline Checklist: [Project Type] **Version:** 1.0 **Last Updated:** [Date] ## Universal Baseline ### System Thinking [ ] Understand full system context [ ] Identify all components [ ] Consider dependencies [ ] Think about data flow [ ] Consider edge cases ### Trade-off Analysis [ ] Identify all options [ ] Evaluate against criteria [ ] Consider time/cost/quality [ ] Document rationale ### Risk Assessment [ ] Identify potential risks [ ] Assess probability and impact [ ] Develop mitigations [ ] Document in risk register ### Security [ ] Identify sensitive data [ ] Implement authentication [ ] Validate inputs [ ] Encode outputs [ ] Use HTTPS ### Error Handling [ ] Identify error conditions [ ] Handle gracefully [ ] Provide user feedback [ ] Log errors ## Domain-Specific ### [Domain 1] [ ] [Requirement 1] [ ] [Requirement 2] ### [Domain 2] [ ] [Requirement 1] [ ] [Requirement 2] ## Organization-Specific ### [Standard 1] [ ] [Requirement 1] [ ] [Requirement 2] ### [Standard 2] [ ] [Requirement 1] [ ] [Requirement 2] ``` ### Baseline Enforcement Checklist ```markdown # Baseline Enforcement Checklist **Project:** [Project Name] **Reviewer:** [Name] **Date:** [Date] ## Code Quality [ ] Code follows style guidelines [ ] Code is self-documenting [ ] No code duplication [ ] Complex logic commented ## Testing [ ] Unit tests written [ ] Integration tests written [ ] E2E tests written [ ] All tests passing [ ] Coverage threshold met ## Security [ ] No hardcoded secrets [ ] Input validation implemented [ ] Output encoding implemented [ ] Authentication implemented [ ] Authorization implemented ## Performance [ ] Efficient algorithms [ ] No N+1 queries [ ] Caching implemented where appropriate [ ] Database indexes used ## Documentation [ ] README updated [ ] API docs updated (if API) [ ] Changelog updated [ ] Architecture docs updated (if needed) ## Deployment [ ] CI/CD pipeline passing [ ] Security scan clean [ ] Performance tests passed [ ] Rollback plan documented ## Approval Code Reviewer: _________________ Date: _______ Tech Lead: _____________________ Date: _______ ``` ### Baseline Policy Document Template ```markdown # Baseline Policy: [Organization Name] **Version:** 1.0 **Last Updated:** [Date] **Owner:** [Name] **Next Review:** [Date] ## Purpose This document defines the baseline skills and standards that should be considered for all projects at [Organization Name]. ## Universal Baseline Skills ### 1. System Thinking [Description] **Checklist:** - [ ] [Item 1] - [ ] [Item 2] **Related Skills:** - [Link to related skill] ### 2. Trade-off Analysis [Description] **Checklist:** - [ ] [Item 1] - [ ] [Item 2] **Related Skills:** - [Link to related skill] ### 3. Risk Assessment [Description] **Checklist:** - [ ] [Item 1] - [ ] [Item 2] **Related Skills:** - [Link to related skill] ### 4. Security Considerations [Description] **Checklist:** - [ ] [Item 1] - [ ] [Item 2] **Related Skills:** - [Link to related skill] ### 5. Error Handling [Description] **Checklist:** - [ ] [Item 1] - [ ] [Item 2] **Related Skills:** - [Link to related skill] ## Domain-Specific Baselines ### [Domain 1] [Description] **Checklist:** - [ ] [Item 1] - [ ] [Item 2] **Related Skills:** - [Link to related skill] ### [Domain 2] [Description] **Checklist:** - [ ] [Item 1] - [ ] [Item 2] **Related Skills:** - [Link to related skill] ## Organization-Specific Standards ### [Standard 1] [Description] **Checklist:** - [ ] [Item 1] - [ ] [Item 2] ### [Standard 2] [Description] **Checklist:** - [ ] [Item 1] - [ ] [Item 2] ## Enforcement ### Manual Review [Description of manual review process] ### Automated Checks [Description of automated checks] ### Code Review [Description of code review process] ## Evolution ### Review Schedule - Quarterly: [Date] - Annual: [Date] ### Update Process [Description of update process] ### Change Log | Version | Date | Changes | |---------|------|---------| | 1.0 | [Date] | Initial version | ## Appendices ### Full Checklists [Link to full checklists] ### Templates [Link to templates] ### Related Skills [Links to related skills] ``` --- ## Best Practices 1. **Start simple** - Begin with universal baseline, expand over time 2. **Get buy-in** - Involve team in defining baseline 3. **Document clearly** - Make baseline easy to understand 4. **Enforce consistently** - Apply baseline to all projects 5. **Review regularly** - Update baseline based on learnings 6. **Train team** - Ensure everyone understands baseline 7. **Use templates** - Provide project templates with baseline built-in 8. **Automate where possible** - Use automated checks to enforce baseline 9. **Learn from incidents** - Update baseline after incidents 10. **Balance flexibility** - Allow exceptions when justified --- ## Related Skills - [Discovery Questions](../56-requirements-intake/discovery-questions/SKILL.md) - Part of project kickoff baseline - [Requirement to Scope](../56-requirements-intake/requirement-to-scope/SKILL.md) - Part of project kickoff baseline - [Acceptance Criteria](../56-requirements-intake/acceptance-criteria/SKILL.md) - Part of project kickoff baseline - [Routing Rules](../routing-rules/SKILL.md) - Use baseline as foundation for routing