Release record · 02 of 03 · Anatomy
Six questions, one file
The record is shaped around the questions I expect people to ask about a release. The people on the left are my guess, not research, which is what the third diagram is about.
Six questions, one file
Two columns. Left, who I think asks about a release, a guess rather than research: the release owner writing notes and picking a build; a reviewer asked to sign off; an auditor, months later; whoever merges the release PR; the person on call after it ships; and the next team planning the next release. Right, what the record answers for each: what changed (the scope PRs, the issues they close and the incoming PRs); is it ready (the readiness checks, the candidate builds and the version); how was it proven (the release gates, the commit proof, the check ride and the change request), highlighted because it is frozen into the record so it outlives the pipeline runs it came from; who decided (the owner, the release mode, and the sign-off and who signed); how did it go (the outcome, any rollback and why, and the bake), also highlighted; and what did we learn (after-release notes: how it was checked, and follow-ups). All of it is one YAML file in the app's gitops repo, for example releases/flight-api@1.8.0-4f9c2ab.yaml.
WHO ASKS · MY GUESS WHAT THE RECORD ANSWERS ONE FILE · RELEASES/FLIGHT-API@1.8.0-4F9C2AB.YAML The release owner writing notes, picking a build What changed? scope PRs · closed issues · incoming PRs A reviewer asked to sign off Is it ready? readiness checks · candidates · version An auditor months later How was it proven? gates · commit proof · check ride · change Whoever merges at the release PR Who decided? owner · mode · sign-off and who signed The person on call after it ships How did it go? outcome · rollback and why · bake The next team planning the next one What did we learn? after release: checks · follow-ups release · guardrails · testEvidence · changeRequest · humanContext · outcome the draft, mode and sign-off live under release; the outcome is added once it is final Six questions people ask about a release, kept where they can still be answered later. LEGEND Who I think asks What the record holds Frozen, so it outlives its source
What changed and whether it is ready are answered while the release is still a draft, from data Tower already reads.
Pipeline runs get pruned and tracking state is swept. The evidence a release shipped with is copied into the record when it is sealed.
The outcome and the after-release notes arrive later, as pull requests to the same file, so the story stays in one place.