Enter Project Name Here

Enter Version Number Here

Release Management Plan

<Month and 4-digit year>

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designed to assist the reader in completing the document. Text in paragraphs added after this help text is
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 Revision History
Date Version Description Author

Release Management Plan ii <Month> <Year>

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 Table of Contents
1. Release item information....................................................................1

2. Release schedule................................................................................1

3. Release contact details.......................................................................1

4. Project Charter.....................................................................................2

5. Capital development funded projects...............................................2

6. Target group(s) affected by release...................................................3

7. Release Management Go/No Go Testing and Release Checklist....3

8. Release Schedule................................................................................3

9. Change Management process............................................................4

10. Configuration Management process.................................................4

11. Documentation....................................................................................4

12. General.................................................................................................5

13. Post Release Review (RM Performance Evaluation)........................6

A. Attachment A - Approval Signatures.................................................7

B. Release Management Plan Guidance..............................................10

1. Release item information

Release Name

Business description of
release

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 Technical Scope of Release
Brief technical description of
outcome required

Business Justification
To enable Customer and OI&T
to more accurately identify staff
time (and therefore costs) spent
on significant operational
enhancements and major
development projects.

2. Release schedule
Go live date
and time – if applicable
Release end date
if applicable (Release will be
phased by Field Testing and
Operational Readiness Testing)

3. Release contact details

Release Initiator (sponsor)
Senior Staff member
requesting change or project
sponsor
Release Manager Release
Manager (or RM Office)
Contact no(s) / email
Team responsible for
release
Project/Operational team
name
Program/Project Manager
If Applicable
Contact no(s) / email

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 Project Technical Lead
If it different from above
Contact no(s) / email
Service Line Manager
Department Responsible for
Production Service
Configuration Manager
Department responsible for
Configuration Management
Change Manager
Department responsible for
Change Management

4. Project Charter
Charter document should be completed and approved before this release template is begun.
Template:

Project Charter has been approved by Appropriate Entities (If Applicable).

5. Capital development funded projects

Is this release a: (please tick)

Operational funded initiative?

Capital development funded project? If yes, please provide the approved project name.

Release Management Plan v <Month> <Year>

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 6. Target group(s) affected by release
List target areas and/or groups who will experience any change
Customers of the service

Facilities/Sites/Locations

Core services involved

Refer to Service Line Management

Core components affected (Optional)

Can include server names/groups, applications, databases, network components, service desks, etc

Core projects affected (Optional)

Can include server names/groups, applications, databases, network components, service desks, etc

7. Release Management Go/No Go Testing and Release

Checklist
The Release is Managed using the Release Management Go/No Testing and Release Checklist which is a
roll-up of all individual checklist (including requirements checklists, customer approval checklists,
environment readiness checklist, production/operational readiness checklist, etc.)
Store the Release Management Go/No Go Testing and Release Checklist in the CMDB and supply links.
Template: http://

8. Release Schedule
The Release is Managed using the Release Schedule which is generated from the IMP/IMS. This schedule
includes dependencies, milestones and deliverables for the Release.
Store the RM Schedule in the CMDB and supply links.
Template: http://

Release Management Plan vi <Month> <Year>

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 9. Change Management process
Summarize change management information including:
 list all Change Requests (CR’s) that are a part of this release:

Example:
Process Name: Release Management
 Change Requests:
 CR1802: Description of change request
 CR1820: Description of change request

 all future expected technology / process or environment changes related to this release

 ‘Go Live’ change (if it is a different date to the nominated technology changes)

 all relevant Information about change types, categories, approvers, status, exceptions
and lead times.

10. Configuration Management process

List all Configuration Items (CI’s) that are a part of this release:
Example:
Process Name: Release Management
 Configuration Items:
 CI 2010: Description of configuration item
 CI 2011: Description configuration item

11. Documentation
Has Roles and Responsibilities manual been updated for VA
Service Desk?

Release Management Plan vii <Month> <Year>

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 Yes No

Has information been provided to the VA Service Desk for them to

update their knowledge-bases?
Yes No

For quality outcomes, link a managed and comprehensive issues log.

Template: http://

If the release documentation is kept in a central repository, please provide link.

For projects only, it is recommended that all created documents are recorded in the CMDB
directories:

12. General
Security
Has the IT Security team signed off on testing and release plan?
Yes No N/A

Licenses and Contracts

Have license agreement been discussed and approved?
Has vendor / contract maintenance been agreed with Contracts
Management?
Yes No N/A

Disaster Recovery
Has the Disaster recovery plan (DR) been created or updated?
Provide links to the current or updated plans.
Yes No N/A

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 Backups / Data Archive
Have appropriate data backup systems been scheduled and over
an appropriate timeframe? Provide links to the current or updated
plans.
Yes No N/A

Decommissioning
Have plans been developed for decommissioning replaced service?
Summarize decommissioning plans
Yes No N/A

Other Policies
Records management: Is the Release compliant with records management policies?

13. Post Release Review (RM Performance Evaluation)

Will a post implementation review (PIR) be carried out? (for PM,
Sponsor, Stakeholder, team member)
Template: http://
Yes No N/A

Release Management Plan ix <Month> <Year>

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A. Attachment A - Approval Signatures
This section is used to document the approval of the Release Management Plan during the Formal
Review. The review should be conducted face to face where signatures can be obtained ‘live’ during the
review. If unable to conduct a face-to-face meeting then it should be held via LiveMeeting and
concurrence captured during the meeting. The Scribe should add /es/name by each position cited.
Example provided below.

//es// Kelli Montali________________________________________

Signed: Date:
Kelli Montali
Director, Process Management Service

NOTE: Delete the entire section above prior to final submission.

REVIEW DATE: <date>

SCRIBE: <name>

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Program/Project Manager >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Business Subject Matter Experts Representative >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Software Engineering Representative >

 __________________________________________________________
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 Signed: Date:
< Software Development Manager >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Information Protection Representative >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Section 508 Compliance Representative >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Enterprise Infrastructure Engineering (EIE) Representative >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Field Operations and Development (FOD) Representative >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Independent Verification and Validation Representative >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Operational Readiness Testing Representative >
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  __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Release Management Representative >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Product Support Representative >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Implementation Manager >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Planner >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Training Manager >

 __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< Contracting Officer >

Release Management Plan xii <Month> <Year>

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  __________________________________________________________
Signed: Date:
< General Counsel >

Release Management Plan xiii <Month> <Year>

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B. Release Management Plan Guidance
B.1. When is a Release Management Plan used?
This template must be used whenever a service is changed or a new service is introduced. Please contact
the Release Manager or refer to the Release Management Process Framework for any clarification.

B.2. Why use this template?

Using this template will produce a reliable and efficient release delivery for successful introduction of the
new or changed service(s). It will ensure that users can maximize benefits of the change as well as
improve the VA approach for consistent and effective service delivery. The template must be followed to
develop a quality release plan for any changes that have an impact on end user services (primarily via
production environments) in the VA community.
This Release Management Plan becomes an important, ongoing tracking (and management) document
with connections to all appropriate document references linked with the release. The plan has several
milestones to achieve.
1. All completed Release criteria at time of release.

2. All completed Release criteria at time of approval to proceed through each phase of the Release
Management process.

3. Signature confirming scope and Release contents (following draft completion)

B.3. Who must complete a Release Management Plan?

This template is to be used by the person(s) responsible for the release. This is the Release Manager or a
person delegated by the appropriate Release Management Offices. In the case of a project transitioning
into service, the Project Manager must complete this template to ensure that all elements are considered
before the project is passed to the service owner for production service.

B.4. How to use this template

The person responsible for the release must complete each section of the template. Ensure documented
evidence is incorporated, including hyperlinks (preferred), procedures and/or actions to be completed.
Please summarize any important information so that the Release Approval Board can read the Release
Management Plan and be confident that all aspects of the release have been considered before release
approval.
If the entry is not applicable, then enter ‘Not applicable’ to indicate that the entry has been considered.
If assistance is required to complete of the release plan, please contact the appropriate Release
Management entity within your organization.

Release Management Plan xiv <Month> <Year>

Template Version 1.2 (remove prior to publication)

 Template Revision History
Date Version Description Author
July 2009 1.0 Initial OED ProPath release OED Process
Management Service
December 1.1 Removed “This Page Intentionally Left OED Process
2009 Blank” pages. Management Service
January 2010 1.2 Revised Attachment A and updated OED Process
TOC to reflect changes Management Service
February 2010 1.3 Updated all references to the Release OED Process
Management Go/No Go Testing and Management Service
Release Checklist to be consistent.
Also updated alpha, beta and national
testing terminology to Field Testing
and Operational Readiness Testing.

Release Management Plan 1 <Month> <Year>

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