Orchestrator/bahn/project-audit/scope-and-goals.md

Project Portfolio Audit — Scope & Goals

Product Context

pathOS (formerly "Bestellsystem") — a platform for ordering train paths in the German railway system, operated by DB InfraGO. The platform is primarily built on Java/Spring Boot across ~140 GitLab projects (flat structure). Most projects are actively maintained; ~5-10 are organizational or legacy.

Business Owner perspective: This audit serves both the technische Architektur (technical architecture) and the fachliche Architektur (business/domain architecture). Deliverables must work at two levels:

• Management-ready: Abstract, visual, easy to understand (slides/homepage style)
• Deep-dive technical: Detailed architecture docs, code-level findings

Target format: Compact Confluence area or homepage-style documentation. Fallback: structured PowerPoint.

Vision

Create a comprehensive, actionable view of the entire GitLab project portfolio (~140 projects), their architectures, interdependencies, code quality, and problematic areas — culminating in a prioritized roadmap toward the best possible product.

Goals

1. Inventory & Catalog — Build a complete inventory of all GitLab projects with metadata (language, purpose, status, ownership, dependencies).
2. Architectural Analysis — Map out system architecture, service boundaries, data flows, and integration points across all projects.
3. Code Quality Assessment — Identify problematic areas: tech debt, security issues, outdated dependencies, code smells, lack of tests, etc.
4. Knowledge Consolidation — Distill relevant Confluence documentation into structured, usable knowledge tied to the codebase.
5. Actionable Roadmap — Produce a prioritized list of improvements, migrations, and fixes with effort estimates and impact ratings.

Iterative Approach

This project follows an iterative cycle:

Gather Data → Analyze → Condense → Explore Anew → Repeat

Each iteration deepens understanding and refines conclusions.

In Scope

• Technische Architektur — Full technical architecture across all active GitLab projects
• Fachliche Architektur — Business/domain architecture and workflows
• Code Quality & Tech Debt — Problematic areas, outdated patterns, missing tests
• Infrastructure & Ops — CI/CD, deployment, Kubernetes, monitoring
• Team & Organization — HR structure, team topology, ownership mapping
• Confluence Knowledge — Consolidation of relevant documentation (primarily German, mostly in one main space)
• Inter-project Dependencies — How the ~140 projects relate to each other
• Actionable Roadmap — Prioritized improvements with effort estimates

Out of Scope

• Financial and contract details
• Legacy/abandoned projects (~5-10 repos, to be identified and excluded early)
• Non-pathOS related Confluence content

Data Access Strategy

• Primary: Direct read-access to GitLab and Confluence (to be set up)
• Fallback: Exports (with assistance on export process if needed)
• All source documentation is in German

Working Model

• Iterative — First overview ASAP, then progressive deepening
• Task-driven — Before each work package, a prioritized task list is produced
• Time-tracked — Record time per task to improve future estimates
• Dual-audience deliverables — Management-ready overviews + technical deep dives

Success Criteria

• Complete inventory of all active GitLab projects with metadata
• Technische Architektur documented with diagrams (Mermaid/C4)
• Fachliche Architektur documented with domain maps and workflow views
• Problem areas identified, categorized, and severity-rated
• Prioritized roadmap with effort estimates
• All deliverables available in management-ready format (Confluence homepage or slides)