Operations Release Checklist

Release Readiness Checklist Prompt

A go/no-go checklist for a release — config, secrets, migrations, comms, rollback, and monitoring all confirmed ready before you ship, ending in a clear GO or NO-GO.

Overview

Operational readiness is different from 'the code passes review.' This prompt builds a pre-release go/no-go checklist across the operational dimensions a code review never touches — config and secrets per environment, migration ordering, feature flags, rollback readiness, monitoring, and stakeholder comms — and forces a single GO / NO-GO decision with the blockers named.

Why This Works

  • A forced GO/NO-GO prevents the 'probably fine' release
  • Operational checks (config, secrets, comms) are exactly what code review misses
  • A named blocker list turns a NO-GO into a finite to-do

Best for

  • Teams without a formal release-readiness process
  • Releases with real users and SLAs
  • Cross-team launches that need an explicit go/no-go

Not for

  • Reviewing code for production-readiness — use the Production Readiness Review (a code review)
  • Writing the deploy steps — use the Deployment Runbook Prompt

Use cases

  • Running a structured go/no-go before a release
  • Catching the operational gap a code review skips
  • Giving a release a documented readiness sign-off

Tip: Save time by exploring related resources and tools that integrate with this workflow.

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