Candidate and promise
What is being released, which business outcomes are included, and what remains outside.
06 · Releases
Releases
Bring coverage, defects, evidence, operational readiness, and accepted exposure into one explicit decision.
One coherent record
Assemble the release argument.
Journey confidence
Priority execution, passes, failures, blocks, retests, and any untested exposure.
Defect position
Open material defects, treatment, workarounds, residual risk, and owner.
Business readiness
People, process, support, training, access, communications, monitoring, and rollback.
Name the verdict
Use language that carries consequence.
A
Approved
The accepted outcomes are proven and remaining exposure is explicitly within tolerance.
C
Conditionally approved
Proceed subject to bounded controls with owners, due dates, triggers, and escalation.
R
Refused
Essential outcomes, controls, or evidence are insufficient for responsible release.
D
Decision deferred
A named missing fact prevents a verdict; its owner and decision time are fixed.
Conditional approval
A condition needs a control.
State the exposure
Describe the specific user, operation, control, data, or financial consequence.
Define the safeguard
Name the workaround, monitoring, restriction, staffing, communication, or rollback control.
Assign ownership
Give one role authority and accountability to operate the control.
Set the limit
Record due date, expiry, measurable trigger, and escalation route.
Release standard
The decision record should make the chosen exposure as visible as the delivered capability.