Release Pipeline Intake (Onboarding)
A checklist with 7 steps: Inventory every client repository, branch, and deploy target before touching a pipeline.
By InnovaAI ResearchPublished
What are the steps?
Release Pipeline Intake (Onboarding)
- 01
Inventory every client repository, branch, and deploy target before touching a pipeline
Record Git host, default branch, hosting target, and who holds credentials for each environment. A pipeline built on an incomplete inventory will fail on the first client-specific edge case.
- 02
Map the current manual release path end to end, including the human steps nobody documented
Walk through one real deploy with the engineer who does it. Note FTP uploads, database migrations run by hand, and cache clears that live only in someone's memory.
- 03
Classify each client by compliance and cloud constraint before choosing a deployment pattern
A regulated client may require single-region hosting with audit logs, while a multi-cloud client needs provider-agnostic tooling. DeployHQ, Railway, and xCloud each fit different points on that spectrum, so the constraint decides the shortlist.
- 04
Set the rollback contract in writing with the client's technical contact
Define what a rollback restores (code, schema, assets), who can trigger it, and the target time to previous known-good state. One-click rollback exists in several platforms, but the contract is what makes it usable under pressure.
- 05
Separate secrets from pipeline configuration on day one
Store credentials in the platform's secret store or a vault, never in the repository or build script. Rotate any key that was previously pasted into a config file during the manual era.
- 06
Define the definition of done for a release and get client sign-off
Agree on which checks must pass (build, tests, smoke test on staging) before production deploy. Ambiguity here becomes a disputed invoice later.
- 07
Run one supervised release through the new pipeline before cutting over
Keep the manual path available as a fallback for the first two production deploys. Document the cutover date and retire the old path explicitly rather than letting it linger.