Release trains are a collection of application releases. Most release trains are planned around a specific time frame, such as a month or fiscal quarter, but some solve a specific problem, such as improved security or database performance. Release Manager provides several types of release trains: major, minor, patch, and emergency.
Each release train item provides easy access to critical data points, such as schedules and milestones, application release status, stage gate criteria, approvals, and turnovers.
At each phase, release participants and stakeholders can view the status of each release train.
Schedule and Scope
- Release manager
- Approval board
A release manager submits a release train and specifies a train name and purpose, the type of train (major, minor, patch, or emergency), the primary release manager, start and end dates for the train, and end-dates for each of the phases.
The release manager sets train approval requirements during this phase. For details, refer to Release Approvals.
- Adds application releases to the release train and requests that application releases be added to a train. This task can be shared with product owners.
- Reserves environments for the train. For example, the release manager may reserve development, testing, and production environments for a train.
- Adds exit criteria to each stage gate. For details, refer to Exit Criteria for Stage Gates.
- Associates environments with stage gates. For example, a QA environment may be associated with QA exit criteria.
Once these activities are completed, the release manager sends the train to the construction phase. The release train cannot proceed if scoping exit criteria is not met, however.
Construction
- Release Manager
- Approval board
Release trains are sent to development during the construction phase. In this phase, all application releases are typically under development. Most of the work during this phase is managed through the Application Releases process app. For details, About Application Releases.
When development is complete for all application releases on a train, the train is sent to the release manager for development approval. If construction exit criteria has not been met or if the release manager rejects the train, it is returned to the product owner.
After approval, the train progresses to the verification stage.
Verification
- Release Manager
- Approval board
During verification, the release manager verifies that the QA exit criteria has been met, and then sends the release train for executive approval.
After executive approval, the train is deployed to production.
Deployment
- Release Manager
- Release Engineers
During this final phase, the release manager determines that the train is ready for deployment and deploys the train. Release engineers can also perform this task.
Once deployment sucessfully completes, the train is closed.
Other Actions
At various points during the process, a release manager can:
- Cancel the train.
- Add application releases.
- "Fast track" the train to bypass scoping, scheduling, and construction.
- Update train status (green, amber, or red).
- Create turnovers once a train has passed the scoping/planning phase.
- Copy a release train. For details, refer to Creating Release Train Templates.