Codify new expansion release schedule (#5916)

Co-authored-by: Bassoonian <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Eduardo Quezada <[email protected]>

.github/pull_request_template.md

@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 <!--- Provide a general summary of your changes in the Title above -->
 
 <!--- Before submitting, please make sure your pull request meets the scope guidelines. If unsure, please open a thread in #pr-discussions.-->
-<!--- Scope Guidelines: https://github.com/rh-hideout/pokeemerald-expansion/blob/master/docs/scope.md  -->
+<!--- Scope Guidelines: https://github.com/rh-hideout/pokeemerald-expansion/blob/master/docs/team_procedures/scope.md  -->
 <!--- #pr-discussions:  https://discord.com/channels/419213663107416084/1102784418369785948 -->
 
 ## Description
 <!--- Describe your changes in detail -->
+<!--- If you believe this PR qualifies as a "Big Feature" as defined in docs/team_procedures/schedule.md, please let a Maintainer know! -->
 
 ## Images
 <!-- Please provide with relevant GIFs or images to make it easier for reviewers to accept your PR quicker.-->

docs/SUMMARY.md

@@ -69,4 +69,5 @@
         - [Version 0.9.0](changelogs/0.9.x/0.9.0.md)
 - [Team Procedures]()
     - [How to make an Expansion version](team_procedures/expansion_versions.md)
-    - [Scope Guidelines](scope.md)
+    - [Release Schedule and Process](team_procedures/schedule.md)
+    - [Scope Guidelines](team_procedures/scope.md)

docs/team_procedures/schedule.md

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# Release Schedule and Process
+
+## Version Lifecycle
+
+### Minor Release (90 days to next Minor Release)
+`upcoming` and `master` are synchronized. Minor Release should occur once every three months. Maintainers can vote to do extra Minor Releases for special cases, but this should be considered highly irregular.
+
+### Patch Release (60 / 30 days to the next Minor Release)
+Releases that focus primarily on bugfixes or improvements to the test system. Patch Releases should occur AT LEAST once a month, but can be more frequent than that.
+
+### Big Feature Freeze (30 days to the next Minor Release)
+PRs with the Github label [`type: big feature`](https://github.com/rh-hideout/pokeemerald-expansion/issues?q=sort%3Aupdated-desc+is%3Aopen+label%3A%22type%3A+big+feature%22) will NOT be merged until after the next Minor Release.
+
+### Merge Freeze (14 days to the next Minor Release)
+PRs that DO NOT have the Github labels [`bugfix`](https://github.com/rh-hideout/pokeemerald-expansion/issues?q=sort%3Aupdated-desc+label%3Abugfix) or [`type: cleanup`](https://github.com/rh-hideout/pokeemerald-expansion/issues?q=sort%3Aupdated-desc+label%3A%22type%3A+cleanup%22+) will NOT be merged until after the next Minor Release.
+
+
+### Sample Schedule
+| Major | Minor | Patch | Type               | Goal Date   |
+| ----- | ----- | ----- | ------------------ | ----------- |
+| 2     | 1     | 0     | Minor              | Dec 1 2025  |
+| 2     | 1     | 1     | Patch              | Dec 31 2025 |
+| 2     | 1     | 2     | Patch              | Jan 30 2026 |
+| 2     | 1     | 2     | Big Feature Freeze | Jan 30 2026 |
+| 2     | 1     | 2     | Merge Freeze       | Feb 15 2026 |
+| 2     | 1     | 3     | Patch              | Mar 1 2026  |
+| 2     | 2     | 0     | Minor              | Mar 1 2026  |
+
+---
+
+## What is a "Big Feature"?
+* If the original owner of the PR thinks a feature should be labeled a Big Feature, it is, no questions asked
+* If a reviewer thinks a PR is a Big Feature, then it is
+* If the two disagree, it can be discussed in a PR thread, and can ultimately be resolved with a Maintainer vote. 
+
+### How To Identify a Big Feature
+* **Big diffs**: It's easy for something to go unnoticed in review when it's a tiny part of a massive diff.
+* **High-impact**: High-impact changes are harder to review because they often have consequences that aren't obvious to the reviewer. We catch these consequences from users who use upcoming reporting them.
+* **Subjective**: Subjective changes are more likely to have differences of opinions between senate members.
+* **Pervasive**: The PR touches several different parts of the codebase or is involved in several different parts of the codebase, even if those elements are small.
+
+---
+
+## Release Blocking and Milestones
+When an issue or PR is assigned to a [milestone on Github](https://github.com/rh-hideout/pokeemerald-expansion/milestones) by a Maintainer, that means it is "Blocking". If another Maintainer agrees with this, then that version cannot be released until that issue is resolved or PR is merged.
+
+This designation should be reserved for instances where an existing feature on `upcoming` or `master` is broken and causing problems for users or players.
+
+Blocking issues or PRs can be deferred to future releases but should be discussed with the Maintainers that assigned the designation in the first place.
+
+If a version's milestone does not have any issues or PRs assigned to it, that version should be [released](https://github.com/rh-hideout/pokeemerald-expansion/blob/master/docs/team_procedures/expansion_versions.md) as close to the goal date as possible.