Merge pull request #491 from github/lildude/enhance-release-procedure

Docs: Add pre and post release actions

Author: lildude

RELEASING.md

@@ -8,24 +8,28 @@ There is no need to align Backup Utilities patch releases with GitHub Enterprise
 
 When making a `.0` release, you will need to specify the minimum supported version of GitHub Enterprise Server that that release supports.
 
-## Automatic Process from chatops (internal to GitHub only) - Coming :soon:
+## Pre-release Actions
 
-### Feature release:
+Prior to making a release,
 
-`.ghe backup-utils-release 2.13.0 2.11.0`
+1. Go through the list of open pull requests and merge any that are ready for merging.
+2. Go through the list of closed pull requests since the last release and ensure those that should be included in the release notes:
+  - have a "bug", "enhancement" or "feature" label,
+  - have a title that clearly describes the changes in that pull request. Reword if necessary.
+3. Perform a dry run (add `--dry-run` to one of the commands below) and verify the version strings are going to be changed and verify the release notes.
 
-### Patch release:
+## Automatic Process from chatops (internal to GitHub only)
 
-`.ghe backup-utils-release 2.13.1`
+Coming :soon:
 
 ## Automatic Process from CLI
 
 1. Install the Debian `devscripts` package:
   `sudo apt-get install devscripts`
 2. Run...
-  - Feature release:  
+  - Feature release:
   `GH_AUTHOR="Bob Smith <[email protected]>" GH_RELEASE_TOKEN=your-amazing-secure-token script/release 2.13.0 2.11.0`
-  - Patch release:  
+  - Patch release:
   `GH_AUTHOR="Bob Smith <[email protected]>" GH_RELEASE_TOKEN=your-amazing-secure-token script/release 2.13.1`
 
 ## Manual Process
@@ -45,3 +49,13 @@ In the event you can't perform the automatic process, or a problem is encountere
 8. Draft a new release at https://github.com/github/backup-utils/releases, including the release notes and attaching the tarball and deb packages.
   The dist tarball you should upload has the revision in the file name, i.e. something like `github-backup-utils-v2.13.0.tar.gz`
 9. Push the head of the release to the 'stable' branch.
+
+## Post-release Actions
+
+Immediately after making a release using one of the methods above, verify the release has succeeded by checking:
+
+- latest release at https://github.com/github/backup-utils/releases is correct,
+- release at https://github.com/github/backup-utils/releases is linked to the vX.Y.Z tag,
+- release has the notes you expect to see,
+- asset download links for the latest release at https://github.com/github/backup-utils/releases all download the correct version of Backup Utilities,
+- the stable branch is inline with master - https://github.com/github/backup-utils/compare/stable...master.