Add/Edit Release Template
Introduction
Create release templates in Release & Verify using the ‘Templates’ feature. The ‘Templates’ feature enables you to set up Release Templates privately, then reveal them to the other users once the setup is complete.
Benefits of creating a template:
- Templates increase flexibility and provide consistency across the project.
- They can be improved regularly to meet technological and instructional requirements as well as your needs. You can easily track them and update them.
- They are easy to use: Having access to a library of templates gives you the flexibility of being able to choose from diverse set options, without needing to configure anything.
- Creating a release from a template saves time.
- Using a template to add a release minimizes the risk of errors.
You can create a release template from scratch or duplicate an existing one to create a new one. This article provides an overview of information to create a release template and make it available to other users.
The steps to create Enterprise, Project, and Independent Release Template are similar with minor differences. To know how these templates differ from each other, see Enterprise vs Project vs Independent Release Template.
Pre-requisite
To be able to create a Release Template, you must have ‘Manage Release Templates’ permission in conjunction with other Release permissions in user permission.
Navigation
Release > Manager
Add/Edit Release Template
To create a Release template from scratch:
- Navigate to the ‘Release Manager’ page.
- Click the Templates toggle button.
- Click
. - Click the release template that you want to create from the drop down. A pop up displays. To edit an existing template, search and select the template from the grid and click to open.
- Fill in the fields in the sections as follows:
‘Information’ section
| Fields | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | Mandatory; Enter the Release ID. |
| Name | Mandatory; Enter the Release name. This field can be pre-populated in templates to keep naming conventions consistent. For example, if the 'Name' must contain the year and month, type (YY).(MM). |
| Description | Free text; Enter a description for the release. |
‘Details’ Section
| Fields | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Select a release type from the drop down. You can customize Release Type using Release Type Customization. |
| Scheduler Color | Auto populates based on the release type selected. You can change the color from the drop-down. |
| Portfolio Association | Mandatory; Select a portfolio association. To manage a portfolio association, see Organization Structure |
| Status | Mandatory field and visible only while editing. Select a status from the drop-down. To manage release status, see Release Status Customization. |
| Risk Level | Mandatory; Select from the drop-down. To manage Risk Levels, see Release Risk Level Customization. |
| Location | Enter a location. |
| Release Dependency | Select a release dependency, if any. This field is editable only in Project and Independent Release. The Enterprise Releases, that are not in an 'End State', will appear to choose from. When editing this field, the 'Phase/Gates Migration' pop-up appears for you to select how the Phases and Gates and their associated Activities and Criteria need to be handled. See 'Phase/Gates Migration' options for more details. |
‘People’ section
Select an Owner from the drop-down. You can choose any user or user group as an owner. The selected owner will be added automatically under the Stakeholders tab as an ‘Accountable Stakeholder’. If you select another Owner, the previous owner will still be an Accountable Stakeholder.
‘Linked Releases’ section
You cannot edit this section in a template.
‘Date’ section
- Created On and Last Updated fields display only while editing a template. They show the Release’s created and updated date and are not editable.
- Select an Implementation Date (Mandatory field.) Selecting an Implementation Date will also select Release Packages that correspond to that date if Release Packages have been enabled in Release Package Customization.
- If your Release Status is not in the end state, and it has an Implementation Date less than now or at least one Phase with the End Date less than now (or no Phases present at all, then validate by Implementation Date only), it will show a warning saying: Your implementation date has passed, please revise phases and gates or mark Project as completed. At the same time, if Release Grid User Settings indicates to Highlight Release as Late based on Release Implementation Date, then Phases End Date validation will be ignored for this warning. Also, if your Project or Independent Release is a ‘child’ under an Enterprise Release and has some of the shared Phases with Ignore checkbox, these Phases will be ignored in the validation too.
‘Additional Information’ section
Fill in the fields in this section. This section contains custom fields and tabs, which administrators have added using Release Custom Fields Customization. These fields will vary between each Release & Verify installation. Consult your administrator for the procedure for filling in these fields.
The permission to see a custom field tab is set in Release Custom Fields Customization.
‘Attachments’ section
You can attach URLs and/or Files. To add a new attachment:
- Click
. - Select Add URL or Add File.
- In the case of a URL, the ‘Add URL’ pop-up displays. Enter the URL in the field and click
. In the case of a File, select an attachment file and click Open.
The selected URL or file display in the ‘Attachment’ section.
- To view an attachment, click
next to the attachment. - To delete an attachment, click X next to the attachment.
- To download a file attachment, click
next to the attachment.
Phases and Gates Tab
This feature enables you to add phases and gates to the release. Phases are periods in a release where activities need to be completed, eg design, development, testing, deployment, etc. Whereas, Gates are milestone points in time where a criterion or approval needs to be met for the release to remain on schedule. For instructions to add and manage Phases and Gates, see Manage Phases and Gates.
NOTE
If you update the Independent/Project Release with a new Enterprise Release via API, it will not remove previously inherited Phases/Gates as well as won’t inherit anything from the new Enterprise Release
Release Manifest tab
The Release Manifest tab is available in Enterprise Release only. This tab allows you to add Project and Independent Child Releases to the Enterprise Release. For more information, see Manage Release Manifest.
Systems tab
This tab allows you to add the Systems that are impacted by or receive a regression risk from this Release. For more details to add and manage Systems in this tab, see Manage Impact Systems.
Stakeholders tab
Add and manage stakeholders for the Release in the ‘Stakeholders’ tab. For details, see Manage Stakeholder.
Activities tab
This tab displays the Activities/Criteria linked to the Release. To add and manage Activities/Criteria, see Manage Release Activities.
After making all the required entries, click 
on the Release Template pop-up.
The template is now added and will be available on the Templates grid.
What’s Next
The next step after creating a template is to add an Enterprise Release Schedule using this template.
Edit Release Template
To edit an existing Release Template, search the template on the Releases grid (with the Templates toggle button on). For search and filter options, see Search and Filter Options on Release Manager. Click on the Release ID or Release Name to open and edit the template. For details, see the above sections.
More Information
Enterprise vs Project vs Independent Release
| Enterprise Release | Project/Independent Release | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | An Enterprise Release is used to group multiple project releases under one Release (for example, a release that affects systems across multiple portfolios that have dependencies). | Project Releases are intended to be dependent on the Enterprise Release, although they can also stand alone and Independent Releases are used to represent independent, normally low impact, releases that have no dependencies. |
| Icon |  |
Project Release:  Independent Release:  |
| Relation | Acts as a ‘Parent’ Release to the Project and Independent Release | Acts as a ‘Child’ Release if linked to the Enterprise Release. Also known as ‘Non-Enterprise Release’. |
| Release Manifest tab | The Release Manifest tab allows you to add Project and Independent Releases to the Enterprise Release. | Release Manifest tab is not available. |
| Changes tab | Changes cannot be assigned to Enterprise Releases. | You assign changes to Project/Independent Release which, in turn, can be linked to the Enterprise Release. |
| Child Push | Child Push feature creates a duplicate of the selected Phase/Gates and associated Activities/Criteria in the Child Release | You cannot push Phases/Gates from Project/Independent Release to Enterprise Release. |
| Ignore Child | ‘Ignore Child’ feature, when checked, ignores the duplicated Phase/Gate in the Child Release. | You cannot control the Enterprise Release Phase/Gate from the Child Release. |
| Phase/Gate name | You can centrally change the Phase/Gate name, that is pushed to the Child Release, from here. | You cannot update the Phase/Gate name that is pushed from Enterprise to Child Release. |
| Environment Bookings | There is no limitation in booking the Environments. | Only those Environments whose system is linked to the respective Child Release is available for booking. |
| Release Framework | Mutilple Release Framework options available for Activities:
|
Standard Framework for Activities. |
View Audit History
View ‘Audit History’ of a Release Template to access the history of the events and updates associated with this template. To view the ‘Audit History’, click
at the top-right corner of the Release pop-up. For more information, see Audit History.
Copy URL
You can share a template’s URL by clicking 
at the top right corner of the pop-up. Then paste the URL into another application or document to be shared. For further information, see Copy URL.
Add to Favourites
You can add a template to your Favourites. For this, click on 
in the header of the pop-up. For more details, see Favourites.
Make Release Templates Visible to all Users
To make Release Templates visible to all the users:
- Go to Settings
> Customization > Releases. - Click Release Setup.
- Select Enable Create release from templates.
- Click
.
Your Release Templates will now be visible to all the users