project-lifecycle_skill

Overview

This skill provides a standardized project lifecycle for NinjaTrader strategy development, covering versioning, branching, backups, and documentation sync. It enforces a repeatable workflow to start new features, manage transitions between development/staging/production, and keep changelogs and READMEs current. The goal is safer deployments, faster rollbacks, and consistent project hygiene.

How this skill works

The skill inspects repository state, enforces pre-flight checks, and prescribes concrete steps: create timestamped backups, update CHANGELOG.md, copy version files without breaking UI class names, and update strategy metadata. It specifies branch naming, git flow, and staged testing (development → staging → production) with monitoring and rollback actions. It also defines regular maintenance tasks and scaling preparation for multi-account deployment.

When to use it

• When starting a new feature, minor/major version, or patch
• Before creating a feature, hotfix, or version branch
• After significant code changes that affect behavior or parameters
• When preparing a version for staging or live deployment
• When syncing documentation, order management spreadsheets, or skills

Best practices

• Always run the pre-flight checklist: stable tests, commits, changelog and README updated
• Create timestamped backups of strategy files before editing
• Keep public class names stable for NinjaTrader UI compatibility when copying files
• Commit frequently with descriptive messages and use clear branch names
• Test progressively: local compile → sim account → funded sim → live

Example use cases

• Start V7.0 → V7.1 feature: backup, update changelog, copy file, update metadata, test on sim
• Create hotfix branch for a live trading bug, deploy fix to sim then to production after validation
• Add a new strategy parameter: update Order_Management.xlsx, README, and CHANGELOG
• Roll back a failing live release by disabling new strategy and re-enabling previous version
• Scale from 1 to 20 accounts with phased rollout and monitoring for race conditions