Two Doors, One Gate: Governance Beyond EDD
Onboarding rules and developer friction often look like the same problem. They are not.
When you scale to forty developers, you cannot use the same training methods for everyone. Some developers are experts with AI agents. Others are new. If you write one set of rules for everyone, you fail.
Experienced developers will ignore the rules. New developers will struggle with them.
You must separate your approach into two distinct layers:
Awareness tools These tools change what a person knows. Examples include AI review comments or linting warnings. They act like a receptionist. They notice things and suggest actions. They only work if the person listens.
Governance tools These tools change what a person can do. Examples include branch protection and merge gates. They act like a turnstile. They do not negotiate. They stop the process if requirements are not met.
The mistake is using a receptionist when you need a turnstile. An AI suggestion that a developer ignores is not governance. It is just noise.
To fix this, use two separate layers:
The Governance Layer This layer is small and universal. It applies to everyone regardless of skill. It includes rules like no direct pushes to protected branches and mandatory reviews. It is not about trust. It is about protecting the codebase from the high risk of agent-driven changes.
The Scaffolding Layer This layer is personal and flexible. It includes steps like explicit planning and verbose reasoning. New developers use this heavily to build judgment. Experienced developers can turn this down as they grow. This is not a reward for seniority. It is a tool that becomes unnecessary as skill increases.
You should also look at the risk of the change itself. A senior developer touching a complex, highly coupled file creates more risk than a junior developer touching a simple utility function. The system should respond to the code, not just the person.
Finally, focus on ownership. An AI agent might write the code, but the developer owns the result. If a developer cannot explain why a change was made during a review, the change should not merge.
Stop labeling people with tiers. Instead, provide tools that allow them to manage their own risk.
Source: https://dev.to/karlheinz_reichel_7ee08d/two-doors-one-gate-navigating-governance-beyond-edd-5clj
Optional learning community: https://t.me/GyaanSetuAi