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Standardized Update Rollout Checklist

Introduction

This document outlines a standardized procedure for testing, deploying, and monitoring software updates across various environments. By following this checklist, we aim to ensure that all updates are rolled out efficiently, consistently, and safely.

Checklist

Phase 1: Planning

  • [ ] Issue Creation:

  • File a GitHub issue detailing the purpose of the update, specific versions we plan to update, and the specific benefits we aim to achieve.

  • [ ] Identify Update Requirements:

  • Determine which components need updates and the reasons (security updates, feature enhancements, bug fixes).

  • [ ] Review Update Documentation:

  • Study the release notes and documentation of the updates to understand the changes, new features, new dependencies, breaking changes, and potential impacts.

  • [ ] Stakeholder Communication:

  • Inform relevant stakeholders about the planned update and gather any initial feedback or concerns.

  • [ ] Schedule Rollout:

  • Choose an appropriate time for the update rollout that minimizes impact on users.

Phase 2: Testing

  • [ ] Environment Setup:

  • Set up testing environments that closely mirror production systems.

  • [ ] Apply Updates:

  • Deploy the updates in the testing environment.

  • [ ] Automated Testing:

  • Run automated regression and new feature tests to ensure nothing breaks with the new updates.

  • [ ] Manual Testing:

  • Conduct thorough manual testing to check for issues not covered by automated tests.

  • [ ] Performance Benchmarking:

  • Compare performance metrics before and after the update to ensure no degradation.

  • [ ] Security Assessment:

  • Perform security audits on the updated components to ensure no new vulnerabilities are introduced.

Phase 3: Pre-Deployment

  • [ ] Final Review Meeting:

  • Conduct a meeting with relevant stakeholders to review and decide whether to proceed with the deployment to production.

  • [ ] Backup Production Data:

  • Ensure that all relevant production data is backed up and restore points are created.

  • [ ] Rollback Plan:

  • Prepare detailed rollback procedures in case the update needs to be reversed. (Utilize Kubernetes’ capabilities for a seamless rollback, which can be executed with minimal to no downtime.)

  • [ ] Stakeholder Announcement:

  • Ensure all stakeholders are informed about the upcoming update and its implications. Issue a notification via Telegram and email detailing the scope of the update, deployment start time, and expected downtime duration if applicable, before the actual deployment to ensure sufficient preparation time.

Phase 4: Deployment

  • [ ] Phased Rollout:

  • If applicable, roll out the update incrementally (canary release, blue-green deployments).

  • [ ] Monitoring:

  • Closely monitor the system for any immediate issues during and after the deployment.

  • [ ] Stakeholder Update:

  • Keep stakeholders updated on the deployment status and any critical issues.

Phase 5: Post-Deployment

  • [ ] Post-Deployment Testing and Monitoring:

  • Conduct additional testing to ensure the system operates as expected in the production environment. Closely monitor the system after deployment for any unforeseen issues.

  • [ ] Performance Monitoring:

  • Monitor system performance over time to catch any delayed effects of the update.

  • [ ] Issue Log:

  • Document any issues encountered during deployment and how they were resolved.

  • [ ] Feedback Loop:

  • Gather feedback from users and stakeholders to assess the impact of the update.

Conclusion

This checklist serves as a framework to guide the update process for software and infrastructure within Kaizen. By adhering to these steps, we ensure that updates are implemented smoothly, securely, and with minimal disruption.