Software Release procedure
Planning for a new release starts approximately 2 weeks before the release date. There are a series of steps that must be followed to ensure content is up-to-date post release, and customers are kept informed.
In this article:
- Release planning spreadsheet
- Finding the release content
- Searching existing articles
- Creating release notes
- API changes
- Release Champion training
- EDM - API changes
- EDM - Release update
- Updating Back Office banner
- Updating Road Map
Release planning spreadsheet
Each release, a new version of the "Release Planning" spreadsheet is created to prepare and manage the content updates required. This not only includes actions required for the release (communications to customers etc), but also as manage a list of the articles to be modified in the KB.
This spreadsheet contains planning for:
- Any links to feature briefs (for new feature releases)
- Marking EDM planning
- Release notes planning
- Other content updates - zendesk macros, onboarding console, forms etc)
At the bottom is a dedicated section used for listing specific changes and the documents they affect:
- Zendesk
- Training Videos
- Onboarding Console
- Documents stored on the REX media server
- Zoho forms
- Training Academy documentation
- Shopify Overview document
- Shopify Data Info Pack
Updating the Release spreadsheet
Note: Each field in the spreadsheet is covered in detail below
- Navigate to the Release Comms documents folder
- The release spreadsheets will be in the main section
- If the version file doesn't already exist, make a copy of an existing version and save it to the same location
- Fill out the Dev Team Internal Resources section based on any content they can provide you with (typically this is left empty)
- Fill out the Marketing section based on EDMs anticipated to be sent
Note: There are reminders to add links for Sales IQ for the marketing team, and also the various mailing lists to be used in Mailchimp
- Fill out the Content Manager section to anticipate the date the release notes draft will need to be completed and the date/time the Back Office banner should be activated
- Complete the Support - Release Champion Training section by scheduling in training with the release champion (typically Alan)
- Use the final Documentation section to plan for the release notes and any other additional articles that need to be updated based on the release
Full details on each of the fields can be found below:
| Section | Field | Description |
| Dev Team | Feature brief URL | Used to link to any feature briefs if there are new features available - useful when planning your content on new features |
| VSTS url | This URL remains the same for each release - it's a shortcut to finding the Customer Notes view for each release (used to find out what's included in the release) |
| VSTS work items updated? | Used as a reminder to check with Koen if the correct items have all been updated to be in the view |
| Customer Release Notes updated? | A reminder to check with Koen if Ashik has finished entering his notes on the Customer Release Notes fields |
| Test database URL | A shortcut to the database used for documentation. This database is on the release candidate server. Once the RC has been released (Koen to confirm) you will be able to use this database to prepare documentation, review the features and take screenshots. |
| Marketing | Release notes (draft) | A link to the release notes draft, and the dates the draft is anticipated to be ready for review and finalised |
| Back Office Banner | If the back office banner will be required, and the scheduled date to be display |
| Support - Release Champion Training | Additional Training | A reminder to book in training with development for the release |
| Review | A reminder to book in a meeting with the release champion (typically Al) the week prior to the release |
| Post Live Tasks | If there's any post-live tasks to be completed with the Release Champion (rare) |
| Documentation | Resources | A link to the release notes url |
| | Other release notes? | A link to the Knowledge Base updates (will need to be updated to reflect any updates to articles from the release) |
| | Review current KB articles and list updates | Should be updated to reflect current status of the KB updates e.g. In Progress, or Complete (once the release is done and the articles have been updated) |
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