Docs Decommission

Service Decommission Documentation Generator

When to Use This Skill

Generate a comprehensive decommission checklist for ${1:-[SERVICE_NAME]} to be created at deployment time when all context is fresh.

Your Task

Create a detailed decommission documentation file that includes:

1. Service Overview

• Document the service name, purpose, and deployment date
• List all environments (dev, staging, production)
• Note key stakeholders and team contacts
• Record repository and deployment locations

2. Infrastructure Resources Checklist

Create a checklist covering:

• [ ] Cloud resources (compute instances, containers, serverless functions)
• [ ] Storage resources (databases, object storage, file systems, volumes)
• [ ] Network resources (load balancers, DNS records, CDN configurations)
• [ ] Security resources (SSL certificates, API keys, service accounts, IAM roles)
• [ ] Monitoring and alerting (dashboards, alert rules, log aggregations)
• [ ] CI/CD pipelines and automation jobs
• [ ] Scheduled tasks and cron jobs

3. Data Management Checklist

• [ ] Identify all data stores and their locations
• [ ] Create data backup procedures and retention policies
• [ ] Document data migration or archival requirements
• [ ] Plan for data deletion in compliance with policies
• [ ] Verify backup completion and integrity
• [ ] Document legal/compliance data retention requirements

4. Access and Security Checklist

• [ ] Revoke service accounts and API credentials
• [ ] Remove IAM roles and permissions
• [ ] Rotate any shared secrets or keys
• [ ] Update security groups and firewall rules
• [ ] Remove OAuth applications and integrations
• [ ] Audit and remove user access
• [ ] Update password vaults and secret managers

5. DNS and Networking Checklist

• [ ] Document all DNS records (A, CNAME, TXT, MX, etc.)
• [ ] Plan DNS record removal or updates
• [ ] Update load balancer configurations
• [ ] Remove or update CDN configurations
• [ ] Document any hardcoded URLs or endpoints
• [ ] Notify dependent services of endpoint changes

6. Integration and Dependencies Checklist

• [ ] Identify all upstream services (services this one depends on)
• [ ] Identify all downstream services (services depending on this one)
• [ ] Document API contracts and integration points
• [ ] Notify dependent teams of decommission timeline
• [ ] Plan migration path for dependent services
• [ ] Update service discovery and registries

7. Monitoring and Observability Cleanup

• [ ] Remove monitoring dashboards
• [ ] Delete alert rules and notification channels
• [ ] Clean up log aggregation and retention
• [ ] Remove tracing and APM configurations
• [ ] Archive historical metrics if needed
• [ ] Update status pages and documentation

8. Documentation and Knowledge Transfer

• [ ] Archive technical documentation
• [ ] Update architecture diagrams
• [ ] Remove or archive runbooks and SOPs
• [ ] Update team wikis and knowledge bases
• [ ] Document lessons learned
• [ ] Archive incident reports and postmortems

9. Financial and Administrative

• [ ] Cancel subscriptions and recurring charges
• [ ] Remove cost allocation tags
• [ ] Update budget and capacity planning
• [ ] Archive invoices and billing records
• [ ] Transfer domain registrations if needed

10. Final Verification

• [ ] Verify all resources are deleted or archived
• [ ] Confirm no unexpected charges appear
• [ ] Validate dependent services are functioning
• [ ] Complete decommission sign-off with stakeholders
• [ ] Archive this decommission documentation

Output Format

Create a markdown file named DECOMMISSION-${1:-[SERVICE_NAME]}.md with:

• Clear section headers
• Checkboxes for each action item
• Specific resource identifiers (not generic placeholders)
• Timeline and responsible parties for each major section
• Links to relevant documentation and tools
• Emergency rollback procedures

Important Notes

• This documentation should be created at deployment time when context is fresh
• Include actual resource identifiers, not examples
• Keep it updated as the service evolves
• Store it in the service repository for easy access
• Review and update quarterly or after major changes