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Frontend: Add a retry button to a downstream pipeline on the pipeline graph

Release notes

Previously, in order to retry a downstream pipeline, you would have to navigate to a pipeline to click the retry button, this is challenging when there are multiple downstream pipelines. Users then have to navigate into each individual pipeline and click the retry action, in this release we've improved the user experience by allowing you to retry the downstream pipeline directly from the pipeline graph without the need to navigate to each pipeline individually.

Problem to solve

In order to retry a downstream pipeline user needs to navigate into the downstream pipeline and click the retry button, this is challenging when there are multiple downstream pipelines that need to be retried. Users then have to navigate into each individual pipeline and click the retry action.

JTBD

When troubleshooting multiple downstream pipelines I want to quickly retry them from one place so I can get the pipeline back to green.

UX DoD

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UX Definition of Done

1️⃣ VALIDATION TRACK

Problem Validation Phase

  • Problem is well understood and has been validated
  • JTBD is well understood and has been validated
  • [-] PM has communicated the opportunity canvas to stable counterparts and group stakeholders, including the Product Designer and Product Design Manager

Design Phase

  • Document the JTBD and UX goal in the issue/epic description
  • [-] Explore multiple different approaches as a team
  • Discuss the technical implications with Engineering
    • Identify any potential cross-team dependencies and include the DRIs in the discussions
  • [-] Identify a small set of options to validate (Low risk MVC, validation not necessary)
    • [-] Document the user story(ies) for the MVC
    • [-] Consider edge cases for each user story
    • [-] Create prototypes or mockups for each user story
  • [-] Pajamas component lifecyle
    • [-] Identify component design or pattern update/creation
    • [-] Discuss the technical implications with Engineering
    • [-] Pajamas issue is created (within the scope of the MVC)
  • Update issues/epic descriptions
  • Proposed solution(s) identified and documented in the issue/epic description

Solution Validation Phase

  • [-] Validate the solution to increase confidence in the proposed solution
  • [-] Document the solution validation learnings
  • [-] Product Designer has communicated the solution validation learnings to stable counterparts and group stakeholders, including the Product Design Manager
  • [-] Update the MVC proposal with relevant insights from the solution validation
    • [-] Discuss the technical implications with Engineering
    • [-] Update issue/epic description to contain or link to the findings

Proposal

Allow users to retry a downstream pipeline from the pipeline graph.

  • Add a retry button to the downstream pipeline (DSP) card on the pipeline graph, so users wont need to leave the graph in order to retry a downstream pipeline.
  • The retry button will look exactly the same as a retry button on jobs. It'll be placed in the top-right corner of the DSP card, with 8px padding on top and right between the button and the edges of the card.
  • When the DSP has no failed or canceled jobs, the button won't show up (just like the retry button on the DSP pipeline page)
  • Permissions should be the same as a permissions to retry the DSP from the pipeline page. If user has no permissions to retry, button won't show up.
  • When user clicks to retry the DSP, the pipeline will update its status just like it does when you retry it from the pipeline page.

Further details

  • When a DSP is successful, the retry button won't show
  • When you click retry, the button becomes a "cancel" button which will cancel the pipeline retry if you press it
  • The Cancel button will persist as long as the pipeline is running
  • If the pipeline is successful, the button disappears from the DSP card, and if it fails then the "Cancel" button becomes "Retry" again

Intended users

Implementation plan

Iteration Description Link
1 DESIGN/DISCUSSION https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/ci-cd/pipeline-authoring/-/issues/53
2 Frontend: Add a retry button to a downstream pipeline on the pipeline graph #354974 (closed) 👈 you are here
3 Backend: Differentiate trigger jobs from regular jobs in the UI #355751 (closed)
4 Design: Differentiate trigger jobs in the UI #340194 (closed)
5 Frontend: Differentiate trigger jobs from regular jobs in the pipeline graph #356330 (closed)
6 Technical spike - expose unexpected behavior when recreating a downstream pipeline #355508 (closed)
7 Backend issue to recreate downstream pipeline
8 Frontend issue to recreate downstream pipeline

Feature Usage Metrics

Should we track the clicks here to see how much this retry feature is used?

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Edited by Dov Hershkovitch