Merge branch 'ask-for-exceptions-in-advance' into 'master'

Ask for exceptions in advance

See merge request !13409

PROCESS.md

@@ -119,6 +119,12 @@ only be left until after the freeze if:
   are aware of it.
 * It is in the correct milestone, with the ~Deliverable label.
 
+If a merge request is not ready, but the developers and Product Manager
+responsible for the feature think it is essential that it is in the release,
+they can [ask for an exception](#asking-for-an-exception) in advance. This is
+preferable to merging something that we are not confident in, but should still
+be a rare case: most features can be allowed to slip a release.
+
 All Community Edition merge requests from GitLab team members merged on the
 freeze date (the 7th) should have a corresponding Enterprise Edition merge
 request, even if there are no conflicts. This is to reduce the size of the
@@ -128,11 +134,26 @@ information, see
 
 ### After the 7th
 
-Once the stable branch is frozen, only fixes for [regressions](#regressions)
-and security issues will be cherry-picked into the stable branch.
-Any merge requests cherry-picked into the stable branch for a previous release will also be picked into the latest stable branch.
-These fixes will be shipped in the next RC for that release if it is before the 22nd.
-If the fixes are are completed on or after the 22nd, they will be shipped in a patch for that release.
+Once the stable branch is frozen, the only MRs that can be cherry-picked into
+the stable branch are:
+
+* Fixes for [regressions](#regressions)
+* Fixes for security issues
+* New or updated translations (as long as they do not touch application code)
+
+Any merge requests cherry-picked into the stable branch for a previous release
+will also be picked into the latest stable branch. These fixes will be shipped
+in the next RC for that release if it is before the 22nd. If the fixes are are
+completed on or after the 22nd, they will be shipped in a patch for that
+release.
+
+During the feature freeze all merge requests that are meant to go into the upcoming
+release should have the correct milestone assigned _and_ have the label
+~"Pick into Stable" set, so that release managers can find and pick them.
+Merge requests without a milestone and this label will
+not be merged into any stable branches.
+
+### Asking for an exception
 
 If you think a merge request should go into an RC or patch even though it does not meet these requirements,
 you can ask for an exception to be made. Exceptions require sign-off from 3 people besides the developer:
@@ -152,11 +173,7 @@ When in doubt, we err on the side of _not_ cherry-picking.
 For example, it is likely that an exception will be made for a trivial 1-5 line performance improvement
 (e.g. adding a database index or adding `includes` to a query), but not for a new feature, no matter how relatively small or thoroughly tested.
 
-During the feature freeze all merge requests that are meant to go into the upcoming
-release should have the correct milestone assigned _and_ have the label
-~"Pick into Stable" set, so that release managers can find and pick them.
-Merge requests without a milestone and this label will
-not be merged into any stable branches.
+All MRs which have had exceptions granted must be merged by the 15th.
 
 ### Regressions