Explore challenges and processes around v4.0.0

[vanitabarrett]

What

In addition to scoping the v4.0.0 work, we also need to consider the processes, ways of working and other activities we may need to do to successfully release v4.0.0. This may be work we need to do upfront before we start any of the other v4.0.0 work (for example: decide how developers work on Github using feature or support branches), or it may be things we can do later (for example: user research with release notes, retros following the release).

Why

Breaking releases are often more challenging than feature and fix releases, both for our team and for our users. We want to make the whole process go as smoothly as possible.

Who needs to know about this

The whole team

Done when

• @kellylee-gds to run sessions to explore the challenges of v4.0.0
• Decided what tasks we need to do for v4.0.0
• Created cards for tasks and attached them to the v4.0.0 milestone
• Epic card updated

[kellylee-gds]

Outcomes of 4.0 challenges and processes exploration:

Principles

• Nothing more added to scope of 4.0 (except a high priority issue)
• Each card must have done when’s
• On each card include which users are affected, the change that’s been made, changes users will have to make, impact of users not making those changes
• Write the release notes as we go along
• We will review the 4.0 epic at each backlog gardening
• Utilise contribution catch up to check progress
• Theme the work and have specific team members own a theme to reduce context switching

Actions

• Draft a high level summary of what’s included in 4.0 to communicate to users ahead of the release
• Create a pre-release survey to help us understand how teams interpret a breaking release, how teams manage a breaking release, who's on older versions of Frontend and why
• Document our principles for breaking release (including semantic versioning)
• Test first few entries on the release notes with users to get early feedback
• Design a 4.0 sticker
• Create v3 branch of Design System on Netlify
• Host older versions of Frontend docs on Netlify
• Do a pre-release, testing release notes with users
• Create a support doc with anticipated questions and template responses
• Blog about 4.0 and accordion work
• Host a 4.0 launch party (includes a show & tell / Q&A)
• Set up tracking analytics on docs
• Create a GitHub issue to gather feedback following the release
• Hold a retro
• Add a week's support buffer post-release