New release process

Owned by Raj Sehmi
Last updated: Sept 27, 2023 by Olle Dahl (Unlicensed)
2 min read

Development Phase:

  • Continuous Integration (CI) systems automatically build and test the code with each commit to detect integration issues early.

Staging Environment:

  • After a feature is fully developed and tested in isolation, it is merged into the staging branch.

  • The staging branch represents a stable and tested version of the software that is close to what will be released.

Integration and System Testing:

  • The integrated code in the staging branch undergoes extensive integration testing in a dedicated test environment.

  • System tests are conducted to verify that the software works as expected when all components are combined.

Release Candidate:

  • Once all tests pass successfully, a release candidate is prepared from the staging branch.

  • The release candidate is thoroughly tested to identify any last-minute issues or bugs.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT):

  • In this phase, selected users or stakeholders conduct UAT on the release candidate.

  • Feedback is collected, and any critical issues discovered are addressed.

Production Release:

  • If the UAT feedback is positive and all issues are resolved, the release candidate is marked as the final production version.

  • The software is deployed to the production environment, making it available to end-users.

Monitoring and Feedback:

  • After the release, the team monitors the software's performance and user feedback.

  • Any post-release issues or bugs are promptly addressed with hotfixes.

Versioning and Rollbacks:

  • Use semantic versioning (e.g., MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH) to track releases and indicate backward compatibility.

  • In case of severe issues, have a rollback plan in place to revert to the previous stable version.

Documentation and Communication:

  • Update the documentation, release notes, and user guides to reflect the changes in the new version.

  • Communicate the release details to end-users and stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition.

Post-Release Analysis:

  • Conduct a post-mortem analysis to evaluate the release process and identify areas for improvement.

  • Use feedback and insights to enhance the release process for future updates.