Release Notes
By: Dan Stewart
February 25, 2023
After the feature is released,
I write release notes and post them to a Google Site.
I also email them to certain
distribution groups and individual stakeholders. Release notes describe the feature and
the business value it brings.
Why Release Notes
Release notes are like a press release for your product. They inform stakeholders on new features, enhancements, and bug fixes.
Elements of Release Notes
- Version - I like to format the product version with a name and a date in a Product-YYYY.MM.DD format. For example "StewShack-2023.02.25". This format can be sorted, and indicates how frequently we are releasing. You can add another number if you are releasing multiple times a day.
- What's New - This is the part that will require the most information. Describe the new feature, screenshots, and even a video might be needed.
- Enhancements - This section might be just a description. Sometimes I add a screenshot with a "before" and "after".
- Bug Fix - Usually a simple description is enough.
Elements of a Release Notes Item Description
I start with "what" then "why". "Who", "where", "when", and "how" can be added if the "what" and "why" are not obvious.
Here's an example.
StewShack 2023.02.25
What's New
- Added a page on release notes. This page provides information on how I write release notes. Product owners will get valuable information along with links to further information from other sources.
Enhancements
- The StewShack website is now hosted on Github pages using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The previous site used Markdown and a static site generator. It was great, but the time it took to maintain the infrastructure was too high. With this change we hope to have more time to release articles.
Bug Fixes
- A typo was fixed on the home page.
Distribution
The release notes should be published on a website so that links can be made to it from several places. It should not require a login to see them. Marketing might want to create a press release. The release notes might go viral on social media. Even email could be used to certain stakeholders.