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Partner Playbook – Factory Projects

This document shows partners how to run Factory-based projects for customers. It is written for partners delivering Factory-based solutions and ConnectSoft team members supporting partners.

Factory-based projects follow ConnectSoft's proven engagement process, adapted for partner delivery. This playbook provides step-by-step guidance for successful Factory project delivery.

Note

Partners follow the same Factory project process as ConnectSoft, with additional quality gates and review requirements. This ensures consistent, high-quality delivery.

When to Use the Factory

Use Factory When:

  • Building New Microservices - Creating new microservices from scratch
  • Standard SaaS Patterns - Following standard SaaS patterns (multi-tenant, event-driven)
  • Consistency Required - Need consistent architecture and patterns
  • Speed Matters - Need fast delivery with quality

Don't Use Factory When:

  • One-Off Custom Code - Simple, one-off scripts or utilities
  • Non-Standard Patterns - Highly custom patterns not supported by templates
  • Legacy Integration - Integrating with legacy systems requiring custom approaches

Project Lifecycle Overview

Phase 1: Discovery and Design

Activities: - Customer discovery and requirements gathering - Architecture design and bounded context definition - ADR creation for key decisions - Factory run planning

Deliverables: - Requirements document - Architecture design - ADRs for key decisions - Factory run plan

See: Example Engagement - Phase 1 for discovery process.

See: Example Engagement - Phase 2 for solution design.

Phase 2: Factory Runs

Activities: - Execute Factory runs for each microservice - Review generated code - Customize and extend generated code - Integrate with platforms

Deliverables: - Generated microservices - Customized code - Platform integrations - Tests and pipelines

See: Example Engagement - Phase 4 for delivery process.

See: Getting Started with Factory for Factory usage.

Phase 3: Testing and Deployment

Activities: - Run tests and validate quality - Deploy to dev/staging environments - Integration testing - Performance testing

Deliverables: - Test results - Deployed services - Integration test results - Performance test results

See: Pre-Production Readiness Checklist for production readiness.

Phase 4: Production Deployment

Activities: - Production deployment - Monitoring setup - Customer handover - Documentation delivery

Deliverables: - Production deployment - Monitoring dashboards - Handover documentation - Customer training

Roles and Responsibilities

Phase ConnectSoft Partner Customer
Discovery & Design Architecture review, ADR approval Requirements gathering, architecture design Requirements, decisions
Factory Runs Factory access, support Factory run execution, code review Feedback, approval
Testing & Deployment Quality review, approval Test execution, deployment UAT, signoff
Production Deployment Final approval Deployment execution Go-live approval

Checklists per Phase

Phase 1: Discovery & Design

  • Customer requirements documented
  • Bounded contexts defined
  • Architecture design completed
  • ADRs created for key decisions
  • Factory run plan created
  • ConnectSoft architecture review completed
  • Customer approval obtained

See: Factory Project Kickoff Checklist for detailed checklist.

Phase 2: Factory Runs

  • Factory access configured
  • First Factory run executed
  • Generated code reviewed
  • Code customized and extended
  • Platform integrations completed
  • Tests added and passing
  • CI/CD pipelines configured
  • ConnectSoft code review completed

See: Getting Started with Factory for Factory usage.

Phase 3: Testing & Deployment

  • All tests passing
  • Code coverage thresholds met
  • Integration tests completed
  • Deployed to dev environment
  • Deployed to staging environment
  • UAT completed
  • Performance testing completed
  • ConnectSoft quality review completed

See: Testing Strategy for testing guidance.

Phase 4: Production Deployment

  • Production environment configured
  • Monitoring and alerting set up
  • Security review completed
  • Production deployment executed
  • Smoke tests passed
  • Customer handover completed
  • Documentation delivered

See: Pre-Production Readiness Checklist for production readiness.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Pitfall 1: Skipping Architecture Review

Problem: Starting Factory runs without architecture review

Solution: - Always get ConnectSoft architecture review before Factory runs - Create ADRs for key decisions - Review architecture with customer

See: Factory Project Kickoff Checklist for review requirements.

Pitfall 2: Not Customizing Generated Code

Problem: Using Factory-generated code without customization

Solution: - Always review and customize generated code - Add domain-specific logic - Extend templates as needed - Don't treat Factory as black box

Pitfall 3: Ignoring Quality Standards

Problem: Not meeting quality standards (tests, documentation, observability)

Solution: - Follow quality standards from day one - Include tests with every Factory run - Add observability hooks - Document as you go

See: Delivery Standards and Quality Control for quality standards.

Pitfall 4: Not Integrating Platforms

Problem: Building custom solutions instead of using platforms

Solution: - Use Identity Platform for authentication - Use Audit Platform for audit logging - Use Config Platform for configuration - Integrate platforms early

See: Partner Playbook - Platform Adoption for platform integration.

Pitfall 5: Poor Communication

Problem: Not communicating progress and issues

Solution: - Regular status updates - Early escalation of issues - Clear communication with customer - Document decisions and changes

Warning

Top 5 Pitfalls: 1. Skipping Architecture Review - Always review architecture before Factory runs 2. Not Customizing Code - Factory generates structure, you add domain logic 3. Ignoring Quality Standards - Quality standards are non-negotiable 4. Not Integrating Platforms - Use platforms, don't rebuild 5. Poor Communication - Regular communication prevents issues