Standing Ceremonies

Standing Ceremonies are the DevOps Release Convoy™ ceremonies that operate independently of any particular convoy phase. While Planning Ceremonies, Execution Ceremonies, and Reflection Ceremonies are tied to specific moments in the convoy lifecycle, Standing Ceremonies run continuously — some on fixed schedules, others on an as-needed basis — providing the governance structures and accountability mechanisms that hold the convoy together from start to finish.

The Standing Ceremonies

• Change Adjudication Convening — Operates on a fixed biweekly cadence, independent of Convoy phase, serving as the standing gate through which all changes must pass before inclusion in any fleet. The biweekly schedule ensures that no change ever waits more than two weeks for a hearing, and no change ever bypasses deliberation.

• Tribunal — Maintains organizational health through accountability. The Tribunal convenes whenever sufficient evidence of process non-compliance, delivery shortfall, or attitude misalignment has been accumulated. Its timing is independent of the convoy cycle, ensuring that accountability is never delayed by the schedule.

• Rota Fortunae — Provides periodic restructuring to ensure that no organizational structure becomes too comfortable. The Rota Fortunae operates on its own cadence, independent of convoy phases, reflecting the SADMF principle that the wheel of organizational fortune must turn continuously to prevent stagnation.

• Captains’ Mast — Addresses priority challenges and escalations that cannot wait for a scheduled ceremony. Captains’ Mast may be convened at any point during the convoy cycle when a Feature Captain requires immediate arbitration.

Relationship to Phase Ceremonies

Standing Ceremonies complement but do not replace the phase-specific ceremonies. Practitioners should consult the appropriate phase ceremony pages for the ceremonies that govern each stage of the convoy lifecycle:

• Planning Ceremonies — Captains’ Meeting, Convoy Alignment, Provisioning, Press Gang
• Execution Ceremonies — Coding, Code Inspection, Testing, System Integration Testing, Scrum of Scrum of Scrums, Post-Standup Standup, Post-Standup Standup Review, Manifest Approval
• Reflection Ceremonies — Dry Dock, Harbor Review