yknothing Release Management
Turn a technically ready build into a deliberately coordinated release.
Context
Release management decides whether the current candidate should ship now, under what constraints, and with which communication and ownership model.
See context and anti-pattern notes.
Inputs
I/O contract notes define required inputs and authority.
Process
Step 1: Decide the Release Scope
Confirm what is in, what is out, which findings are accepted, and which conditions would block the release. If a delivery-decision-record exists, anchor the release scope to that recorded branch or PR outcome instead of reconstructing the completion state from memory. Do not carry unresolved scope ambiguity into the deployment window.
Step 2: Make the Go/No-Go Explicit
Summarize readiness across quality, security, performance, and operations. If the release is conditional, name the conditions in plain language instead of relying on implied tribal knowledge.
Step 3: Set Window, Owners, and Communication
Define:
- release window
- responsible owner
- approvers and escalation contacts
- stakeholder communication moments before, during, and after release
- evidence required to declare success or abort
Step 4: Hand Off a Concrete Release Plan
Produce a release plan that downstream deployment planning can execute. The plan should say what will ship, when, who coordinates, which checks gate expansion, and what happens if the release is paused.
Outputs
Produce only declared outputs at their documented quality boundary.
Quality Gate
- Release scope and known exclusions are explicit
- Go/no-go decision is documented with rationale
- Owners, approvers, and escalation path are named
- Communication moments and success criteria are defined
- The plan is concrete enough for deployment strategy to execute