Load testing before major releases

Severity: Recommended

Performance regressions should be caught before they reach production. Load testing before significant releases validates that new code doesn't break under realistic traffic.

Check automatically:

1. Look for release process documentation:

# Look for release process mentioning load tests
grep -riE "release.*load|load.*test.*release|pre-release|launch.*checklist" docs/ README.md CLAUDE.md CONTRIBUTING.md --include="*.md" 2>/dev/null

# Check CI for manual load test triggers or release gates
grep -riE "load.*test|performance.*test|stress.*test" .github/workflows/ .circleci/ .gitlab-ci.yml --include="*.yml" --include="*.yaml" 2>/dev/null

# Look for release checklists
find . -maxdepth 3 -name "*release*" -name "*.md" 2>/dev/null | grep -v node_modules

# Check for staging/pre-prod load test evidence
ls -la reports/ results/ loadtest-results/ 2>/dev/null

Ask user:

• "Do you run load tests before major releases?"
• "What triggers a 'must load test' vs. 'skip it' decision?"
• "When was the last time you load tested before a release?"

When to load test before release:

• New database queries or schema changes
• Changed caching strategy
• Infrastructure changes (new regions, instance types)
• Expected traffic increase (launch, marketing campaign)
• Major refactoring of hot paths

Cross-reference with:

• LST-001 (need a tool to run tests)
• LST-002 (baselines to compare against)
• LST-004 (smoke tests catch basics, full tests before releases)
• Section 10 (deployment process) - load testing as release gate

Pass criteria:

• Documented process for when load testing is required
• Evidence of recent load tests before releases
• Clear criteria for what constitutes "major"

Fail criteria:

• No process ("we just ship and hope")
• Process exists but never followed
• Only load test after production issues

Notes: Not every release needs a full load test. The key is having criteria and following them. Small bug fixes don't need load testing; new features affecting hot paths do.

Evidence to capture:

• Location of release process documentation
• Criteria for when load testing is required
• Date of last pre-release load test

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