- Published
- 8 October 2026
- Last reviewed
- 8 October 2026
Identify what will change
List the release version, affected service and intended behaviour. Confirm who can approve the change and who will perform it. Distinguish a practice plan from instructions to deploy to a live service.
The fictional example changes enquiry form validation. The plan needs to account for the application code and relevant configuration, including any effect on existing stored records.
Prepare checks and recovery options
Record the pre-release checks, dependencies and information needed to recover. Restoring older code may not be enough if data or configuration has changed. Ask the implementation team to confirm what recovery means for this particular release.
Keep the relevant backup or recovery reference in an authorised record. Do not write sensitive locations or secrets in a public practice file. State any step that cannot simply be reversed and the review required before proceeding.
Observe behaviour after release
Define the checks that will confirm the intended result and reveal important problems. Identify who will monitor them and for how long. Agree what condition should prompt a pause, escalation or recovery decision.
Google’s SRE Workbook discusses canary releases as one approach to reducing exposure while examining a change. This introductory template does not require canary deployment for every service or implement it automatically.
Record the decision and handover
Name the decision maker and the communication route for a problem. Record whether the change is accepted, paused or recovered, with the supporting evidence. Make ongoing ownership clear after the release window ends.
Download the PDF or Word template and plan the fictional change. Walk through a normal outcome and a failure requiring a decision. Review the actual service’s recovery design before using a plan operationally.
Source and practice note
Google’s SRE Workbook provides release-evaluation context. The release and recovery template is original RDE practice material. Examples and exercises are original RDE material using fictional situations.
Cover image: AI-generated illustrative scene created specifically for this resource.
Download and complete the exercise
Download the editable Word document
Printable PDF and editable Word document. Version 2.0, 8 October 2026. Personal and internal organisational adaptation permitted with Jefferson Otonbara Imgbi author credit retained.