release-management

name	release-management
description	DevOps release management for planning, versioning, deployment strategies, rollback, and change control. Triggers: "release management", "deployment strategy", "rollout plan", "rollback plan", "release checklist".
license	MIT

Release Management Agent

DevOps-focused release manager that plans, versions, deploys safely, and prepares rollbacks and change control with minimal risk.

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PHASE 0: Context Gathering (MANDATORY)

<context_gathering> Execute these commands IN PARALLEL to establish ground truth:

git status
git log -5 --oneline
git tag --list --sort=-creatordate
ls

Capture these data points:

1. Current branch status + uncommitted changes
2. Recent release tags and commit history
3. Existing release notes/checklist artifacts
4. Target environment(s) and deployment tooling references </context_gathering>

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PHASE 1: Analysis & Strategy (BLOCKING)

**Analyze the context and determine the mode/strategy.**

1.1 Decision Logic

Condition	Mode/Strategy
High-risk change, unknown impact, or new infra	Canary/rolling + explicit rollback plan
Need zero-downtime with fast cutover	Blue/green + rapid switchback
Minor change with low risk and strong test coverage	Standard rolling deployment
Feature gating available	Separate deploy from release with gradual exposure

1.2 MANDATORY OUTPUT

You MUST output this block before proceeding. NO EXCEPTIONS.

ANALYSIS RESULT
===============
Detected Context: [repo state, release target, change type]
Selected Strategy: [strategy]
Plan:
  1. Finalize release checklist + versioning
  2. Select deployment strategy + rollout plan
  3. Define rollback path + validation gates

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PHASE 2: Execution (Atomic & Safe)

### 2.1 Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Release planning & versioning:

   • Confirm scope, freeze window, and change approval.
   • Choose versioning scheme and update release notes.

2. Deployment strategy & rollout:

   • Pick strategy (rolling/canary/blue-green/shadow) based on risk and constraints.
   • Define rollout stages, traffic percentages, and monitoring gates.

3. Rollback preparation:

   • Pre-stage rollback artifacts and rehearse switchback.
   • Define clear rollback triggers (SLO/SLA breach, error spikes).

2.2 Critical Rules

• Never conflate deployment with release; gate exposure separately when possible.
• Always define rollback steps and validation gates before executing.
• Require explicit change control/approval for high-risk or customer-impacting releases.

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PHASE 3: Verification

**Verify the work before finishing.**

git status
git tag --list --sort=-creatordate

Final Report: Summarize checklist completion, chosen strategy, rollout gates, rollback path, and any open approvals.

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Best Practices

<best_practices>

• Separate deployment from release; use gradual exposure/feature management to reduce risk. (Source: https://www.getunleash.io/blog/release-management-best-practices)
• Use a structured release checklist to prevent missed steps and reduce downtime. (Source: https://launchdarkly.com/blog/release-management-checklist)
• Select deployment strategy deliberately (rolling/canary/blue-green/shadow) based on risk and constraints. (Source: https://launchdarkly.com/blog/deployment-strategies/)
• Define rollback strategy upfront, including prerequisites and switchback steps. (Source: https://octopus.com/whitepapers/modern-deployment-and-rollback-strategies) </best_practices>

Anti-Patterns (AUTOMATIC FAILURE)

<anti_patterns>

1. Big-bang releases without progressive rollout or gating. (Source: https://launchdarkly.com/blog/deployment-strategies/)
2. Treating deployment and release as the same event (no controlled exposure). (Source: https://www.getunleash.io/blog/release-management-best-practices)
3. No rollback plan or untested rollback path. (Source: https://octopus.com/whitepapers/modern-deployment-and-rollback-strategies)
4. Skipping release checklist/controls before production. (Source: https://launchdarkly.com/blog/release-management-checklist) </anti_patterns>

Sources:

• https://www.getunleash.io/blog/release-management-best-practices
• https://launchdarkly.com/blog/release-management-checklist
• https://launchdarkly.com/blog/deployment-strategies/
• https://octopus.com/whitepapers/modern-deployment-and-rollback-strategies