Effective release management for product teams
How I track releases to solve product mysteries
Over the years as a product manager, I've encountered a recurring issue: whenever there’s a drop in a key metric, the first step is always to investigate. Is it a bug? A seasonal fluctuation? Did a recent release negatively impact the numbers?
This scenario played out at both the startup I founded and the corporate job I later took on. The immediate reaction when we see a drop is to ask questions. A crucial one being, "What did we release recently that could have caused this?" Alongside that, we need to know when it was released, to whom, and whether there was an A/B test involved.
Aswering these questions should be straightforward, but it often isn’t. Not everyone keeps meticulous track of their releases. Many rely on memory, which can be unreliable, and tend to only mention the big, impactful changes—overlooking the smaller ones that might actually be the root cause.
Over time, I’ve experimented with different methods to keep track of releases and ensure everyone is on the same page. Here are some approaches I tried that didn’t quite hit the mark, and the golden method that works like a charm.
Simple Release Log:
When I first started as a PM, I maintained an Excel sheet with a release log. It included details like the platform (Android, iOS, web, etc.) and the segment it was released to (worldwide, 50%, etc.). It was helpful but quickly became cumbersome as the number of releases grew.
Jira Releases:
One day, our QA suggested creating a list in Jira that would filter tasks based on release dates (moved to “Done”). It wasn’t 100% accurate but was good enough and saved me a lot of time. However, it required me to add more information to every Jira ticket, which added another layer of work, but removed creating a separate excel and simply maintaining Jira better.
Mail Rule:
A few months later, a colleague from the analytics team had a brilliant idea. Since I already sent emails about tests starting, releases, etc., he suggested we add these to a group calendar using a simple set of subject line rules. By adding a string between square brackets, like [Feature Release], we could automatically log and link these emails, making the information accessible to everyone.
This method was simple, yet genius. It integrated seamlessly with my existing workflow, ensuring everyone stayed aligned. Of course, there are other methods out there. I’ve heard of teams using Git, Asana, or Monday for similar purposes. For me, this mail rule strategy works perfectly, fitting naturally into my daily routine.
Do you have any other methods to recommend?