How to read and interpret labels for TDM - hackforla/tdm-calculator GitHub Wiki
Labels are key to keeping our project organized.
Each label provides a small piece of information that quickly summarizes the content of an issue before itβs even read.
The labels are most used by product managers who need to prioritize and volunteers looking for their next issue to work on.
Understanding the purpose of each label is a responsibility shared by the entire team.
This guide introduces our labeling system, explains how to read labels.
Information about each label can be found below:
-
Name:
the name of a label
- Description: The official description of the label
Click to See All Label Categories
- Role Series β Who the issue is for
- Feature Series β Broad system-level functionality
- P-Feature Series β Specific pages or UI components
- Priority Series β Importance of the task
- Level Series β Technical difficulty
- Size Series β Estimated effort (in points and hours)
- Deck Series β Slide deck the issue appears in (Presentation or staging)
- Missing Series β All missing label indicators
- Ready For Series β Whether an issue is ready for a team lead and/or an action
- Dependency β Whether another issue must be completed first
These labels identify the role responsible for an issue. They're especially useful when you're:
- Searching for tasks in your area of expertise
- Assigning or triaging issues by team
- Reviewing which team members should be involved
Label format: Role: [Team or Responsibility]
Click to see Role series label examples
-
Role: UX/UI Research Lead
β UX research leadership -
Role: UX/UI Research
β User research -
Role: UX/UI Design
β Interface design -
Role: UX Content Writing
β UX writing -
Role: Dev Lead
β Development lead tasks -
Role: Backend/DevOps
β Backend or DevOps engineering -
Role: Frontend
β Frontend development -
Role: Product Management
β Product or project management
These labels describe the broader system or project area the issue involves. They're useful for identifying cross-functional work, infrastructure needs, or global project concerns.
Label format: Feature: [System or Topic]
Click to see Feature series label examples
-
Feature: Accessibility
β Accessibility improvements -
Feature: DevOps
β Infrastructure and CI/CD -
Feature: Wiki
β Documentation updates -
Feature: Recruiting
β Hiring and outreach -
Feature: Analytics
β Metrics and tracking -
Feature: Style Guide
β Visual design standards -
Feature: Code Clean Up
β Refactoring or linting -
Feature: Security Testing
β Vulnerability assessments -
Feature: Team Instructions
β Team workflow guidance -
Feature: Spelling
β Minor typo fixes
These labels refer to specific screens or components in the TDM Calculator. Use them to identify issues related to individual pages or reusable interface elements.
Label format: P-Feature: [Page or Component]
Click to see P-Feature series label examples
-
P-Feature: Header
β Global navigation header -
P-Feature: Footer
β Universal footer -
P-Feature: FAQ Screen
β FAQ page -
P-Feature: My Account
β User profile section -
P-Feature: Registration Page
β Sign-up UI -
P-Feature: Bonus Packages
β Bonus display pages -
P-Feature: Strategy Cost
β Cost estimation tool -
P-Feature: DRO Lookup
β Data lookup utility -
P-Feature: Admin Guide
β Admin documentation
These labels indicate how important or time-sensitive a task is. They help prioritize work based on project goals and delivery timelines.
Label format: Priority: [Level]
Click to see Priority series label examples
-
Priority: Must Have
β Essential for MVP or release -
Priority: Should Have
β Highly recommended -
Priority: Could Have
β Optional, time-permitting -
Priority: Wonβt Have This Time
β Postponed for this cycle
These labels show how complex or difficult a task is, helping volunteers choose work of increasing difficulty (e.g., Level: Good First Issue
when starting on the project, progressing to Level: Medium
, and then Level: Hard
as they gain experience).
Label format: Level: [Difficulty]
Click to see Level series label examples
-
Level: Good First Issue
β Suitable for onboarding -
Level: Easy
β Beginner-friendly -
Level: Medium
β Moderate difficulty -
Level: Hard
β Requires advanced knowledge
These labels estimate how much time or effort a task will take, measured in points and hours. They help you plan your work, manage expectations, and help team leads estimate time to completion for features.
Label format: Size: [Points]
Click to see Size series label examples
-
Size: 0.25 pt
β 1.5 hours -
Size: 0.5 pt
β 2β3 hours -
Size: 1 pt
β 4β6 hours -
Size: 2 pt
β 7β12 hours -
Size: 3 pt
β 13β18 hours -
Size: 5 pt
β 19β30 hours -
Size: 8 pt
β 31β48 hours -
Size: 13+ pt
β Too large; must be split
These labels show which slide deck or presentation an issue appears in, whether for internal review or stakeholder updates. They also indicate if an issue needs to be added to a deck or if its deck placement is yet to be decided.
Label format: Deck: [Stage or Audience]
Click to see Deck series label examples
-
Deck: Staging
β Prepared for internal review -
Deck: Add to Staging
β Needs to be added to staging -
Deck: Stakeholder Presentation
β Stakeholder-ready -
Deck: Staging Not for Stakeholders
β Internal only
These labels help issue creators by flagging when required labels from a particular series have not been added yet. They also notify team leads (design, research, dev, product), who, when the issue is in their area, are sometimes the only ones authorized to add certain labels (e.g., complexity or size).
Label format: Missing: [Label]
Click to see Missing series label examples
-
Missing: Role
β Role assignment not yet added -
Missing: Feature
β Feature label is missing from the issue -
Missing: Priority
β Importance of the issue is missing -
Missing: Level
β Complexity or difficulty level is missing -
Missing: Size
β Time estimate is missing -
Missing: Deck
β Deck label is missing from the issue
These labels indicate when an issue is ready for a particular team or role to take the next step. They can be added by anyone working on or reviewing the issue who believes another role needs to take action.
Label format: Ready For: [Team or Role]
Click to see Ready For series label examples
-
Ready For: Prioritization
β Ready to be added to the prioritized backlog -
Ready For: Product
β Ready for the product team -
Ready For: Dev Lead
β Ready for the development lead -
Ready For: Design Lead
β Ready for design assignment -
Ready For: Developer
β Ready for development -
Ready For: Content Lead
β Ready for content updates -
Ready For: Research Lead
β Ready for UX research
Use this label when an issue is blocked by another unresolved issue.
Label format: Dependency
Click to see Dependency label details
-
Dependency
β Task cannot begin until a related issue is resolved