Phase 8: Ship
Deploy to production and launch.
Purpose
Get the software into users' hands:
- Deploy safely
- Monitor health
- Communicate launch
Activities
Deployment
- Prepare release
- Deploy to production
- Verify deployment
Monitoring
- Set up alerts
- Watch metrics
- Prepare rollback
Communication
- Write release notes
- Notify stakeholders
- Update documentation
Outputs
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
| Production Deployment | Live system |
| Release Notes | What's new |
| Monitoring Dashboard | Health metrics |
Deployment Checklist
Pre-Deploy
- All tests passing
- Database migrations ready
- Environment variables set
- Rollback plan documented
Deploy
- Deploy to staging first
- Smoke test staging
- Deploy to production
- Smoke test production
Post-Deploy
- Monitor error rates
- Watch performance metrics
- Verify critical flows
- Be ready to rollback
Release Notes Template
# Release v1.0.0
## What's New
- Feature A: [Description]
- Feature B: [Description]
## Improvements
- Improved X performance
- Enhanced Y experience
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed issue with Z
## Breaking Changes
- [If any]
## Migration Guide
- [If needed]
Monitoring Essentials
Key Metrics
- Error rate
- Response time
- Throughput
- CPU/Memory usage
Alerts
- Error rate > threshold
- Response time > SLA
- Service down
Exit Criteria
Ready to move to Learn when:
- Deployed to production
- Monitoring in place
- Release notes published
- No critical issues
Tips
- Deploy frequently, in small batches
- Have a rollback plan
- Monitor closely after deploy
- Celebrate wins
Playbook
Next Phase
Phase 9: Learn - Gather feedback and iterate.