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Release Readiness

This playbook defines the minimum bar before releasing a Forward Deployment project change.

Use this for any release that affects:

  • Production.
  • Client-visible behavior.
  • Data.
  • Authentication or authorization.
  • Infrastructure.
  • External integrations.
  • AI output behavior.
Responsibility Owner
Release scope Deployment Strategist, AI-PM if assigned, or FDE for technical-only releases
Technical readiness FDE
High-risk approval Project Technical DRI
Client communication Deployment Strategist
Deployment execution Assigned deployment owner

Before release, confirm:

  • Included tasks are listed in the Notion Release Log.
  • Excluded or deferred items are clear.
  • Acceptance criteria are met.
  • Required tests have passed.
  • CI is green.
  • Migration impact is understood.
  • Secrets and environment variables are configured.
  • Monitoring or health checks exist for the changed path.
  • Rollback path is documented.
  • Deployment owner is assigned.
  • Client communication owner is assigned if client impact is expected.

Use go only when:

  • The scope is understood.
  • The deployment owner is available.
  • Rollback path is known.
  • No unresolved high-risk blocker exists.

Use no-go when:

  • Acceptance is unclear.
  • CI or required tests fail.
  • Required credentials or secrets are missing.
  • Rollback path is unknown for a high-risk change.
  • The Project Technical DRI has not reviewed a high-risk release.

Attach or link the following in Notion:

  • GitHub PRs.
  • CI run.
  • Deployment workflow.
  • Manual test notes, if any.
  • Monitoring dashboard or health check.
  • Rollback instructions.