Hands-on: Git & branches for BAs

Git seems mysterious to BAs. It isn't. It's a "save-as with history" system for code files. As a BA, you need a minimum of 5 commands to contribute to specs, READMEs, or doc verification — without interrupting a dev for every comma.

Core concepts

• Repo (repository) = a project folder with full history of every change.
• Commit = a "save" with a message. Each commit has a unique ID.
• Branch = an independent work branch. Changes on your branch don't affect main.
• Merge = bringing changes from one branch into another.
• Pull Request (PR) = a review request for a merge — where the team comments and approves.

   main:    ●───●───●───────────●───►
                     \         /
   feature:           ●───●───●  (PR + review + merge)
                      "add specs"

The 5 commands

# 1. Clone — descarci repo-ul local (o dată per proiect)
git clone https://github.com/firma/proiect.git

# 2. Pull — aduci ultimele modificări de pe server
git pull

# 3. Branch nou — îți creezi spațiu de lucru separat
git checkout -b andrei/update-specs-login

# 4. Commit — salvezi modificările cu un mesaj
git add .
git commit -m "Update login specs with MFA flow"

# 5. Push — trimiți modificările pe server
git push -u origin andrei/update-specs-login

Pull Request — where discussion happens

After git push, go to GitHub/GitLab. You'll see an "Open Pull Request" button. Write a title, description, assign a reviewer (usually a dev). The reviewer can comment line by line, request changes, or approve.

• A good PR: short clear title, description with "why" (not just "what"), screenshot if UI.
• A small PR > a big PR. Easier to review, fewer bugs.
• Respond to comments — even with "done" or "intentional, see X".

What NEVER to do