release-and-ops

name	release-and-ops
description	Plans and executes release and operational readiness tasks, including versioning, changelogs, deployment and rollback.
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Release and Operations Skill

Use this skill to prepare a project for release and to ensure operational readiness.

Steps

1. Define release scope. Review the changes since the last release. Summarise new features, bug fixes and breaking changes. Ensure all work is documented in PRODUCT.md and ARCHITECTURE.md where relevant.

2. Versioning. Determine the next version number using semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH). Increment MAJOR for breaking changes, MINOR for new backwards‑compatible functionality and PATCH for bug fixes.

3. Update changelog. Create or update a changelog (e.g. CHANGELOG.md) summarising the changes, contributors and any migration steps. Use standard formats like Keep a Changelog.

4. Validate and test. Run all validation tasks and the full test suite. Perform performance and security checks. Ensure that the build artefacts (e.g. packages, Docker images) are reproducible and meet quality criteria.

5. Deployment preparations. Review deployment scripts or pipelines. Check environment variables, secrets and infrastructure configuration. Prepare rollback procedures and health checks.

6. Communication. Draft release notes for users. Announce any deprecations or important notices. Coordinate with operations or DevOps teams to schedule deployment.

7. Monitor post-release. After deployment, monitor logs, metrics and user feedback. Be prepared to roll back if critical issues arise. Document lessons learned for future releases.

This skill ensures that releases are predictable, transparent and operationally sound.