Deployment Process Runbook
Process, roles, and communication for deploying releases to LendOS environments.
See the Release Execution Runbook for detailed technical deployment commands, DAML upgrade procedures, and rollback strategies.
Terminology​
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Release | A tagged, tested artifact (e.g., 2026.4.0). Exists independently of any deployment. Created when an RC is promoted to final. |
| Deployment | A scheduled event where a release is installed into a specific environment (e.g., "Deploy 2026.4.0 to BXCI Production"). Time-bound with assigned people. |
| RC (Release Candidate) | A candidate build (e.g., 2026.4.0-rc.3) that undergoes QA and lead approval before promotion to a final release. |
| Hotfix | A targeted fix released outside the normal sprint cycle. Follows the same process but can deploy anytime, including during business hours. |
Roles​
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| IRC (Incident Response Commander) | Oversees the deployment. Creates the deployment meeting, posts company notifications, coordinates validators, manages go/no-go communication. |
| Deployment Engineer | Executes the technical deployment. Follows the Release Execution Runbook. Confirms environment stability. |
| Lead Approvers | Approve the RC for promotion. All must agree before an RC becomes a release. |
| Validators | Smoke test the environment after deployment. Confirm the release is functioning correctly. |
Lead Approvers​
| Area | Approver |
|---|---|
| Product | Luis Garcia |
| QA | Rafaella Barrocas |
| DAML | Steven Inouye |
| Stream | Bosko Kocev |
| Platform | Jake Edgington |
Communication Surfaces​
| Phase | Where | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Release readiness | #engineering (Teams) | Thread titled "Release 2026.X.0-rc.N" |
| Go/no-go & promotion | Same #engineering thread | Lead approvals posted as replies |
| Deployment coordination | Team Appa calendar meeting | Meeting chat for live coordination. Auto-records. |
| Company notification | #general (Teams) | Short post from IRC before deployment begins |
| Post-deployment issues | #production-support (Teams) | Existing flow → GitHub issues |
Deployment Lifecycle​
1. Release Readiness​
1.1 RC cut → Platform team posts in #engineering: new thread titled "Release 2026.X.0-rc.N" with:
- What's in the RC (features, fixes)
- Release notes
- Known issues
1.2 If the RC has issues and a new RC is cut → new thread: "Release 2026.X.0-rc.N+1". Previous thread is abandoned.
1.3 QA regression against RC → QA lead posts results in the RC thread.
2. Release Promotion​
2.1 Each lead approver posts their approval in the RC thread. All five must approve:
- Product (Luis)
- QA (Rafaella)
- DAML (Steven)
- Stream (Bosko)
- Platform (Jake)
2.2 Once all leads approve, Platform team promotes the RC to a final release (e.g., rc.3 → 2026.4.0). Platform team posts in the thread:
2026.X.0-rc.N promoted to 2026.X.0. Release notes: [link]
3. Deployment Scheduling​
3.1 IRC creates a Team Appa calendar meeting: "Deploy 2026.X.0 to [environment]"
- Add all participants (deployment engineer, validators, IRC)
- Enable recording (Meeting Options → Record after creation)
3.2 IRC posts a company notification in #general:
- What release is being deployed
- Time window
- Environment affected (avoid making changes during the window)
3.3 Confirm on-call coverage. Override if scheduled on-call engineers are unavailable.
4. Deployment Window​
4.1 IRC and deployment engineer join the Team Appa meeting first. Platform team follows the Release Execution Runbook. Estimated time: ~90 minutes. All coordination happens in the meeting chat.
4.2 When Platform signals ready (~90 min or earlier), IRC pulls validators into the meeting.
4.3 Platform team confirms environment is stable.
4.4 Validators smoke test the environment.
4.5 Platform team posts in the #engineering release thread:
2026.X.0 live in [environment].
5. Post-Deployment​
Bugs or issues discovered after deployment are reported in #production-support and tracked via GitHub issues.
Hotfixes​
Hotfixes follow the same lifecycle above. The only difference is that hotfix deployments can happen anytime, including during business hours. The RC promotion process (lead approvals) still applies.
Related Documentation​
- Release Execution Runbook — Technical deployment commands, DAML upgrades, rollback procedures
- Incident Response — If a deployment causes an incident
Last Updated: 2026-03-20