Beyond the Frame

Release notes contain information about new features, enhancements, improvements, bug fixes, and other important details related to a software release.

To create effective release notes, it is crucial to:

• Determine whether the release notes are for internal use or will be published online.
• Define the level of technical detail needed.
• Specify if some notes need additional resources, such as user guides or supplementary materials.

In my previous role, I was responsible for creating release notes for internal use. The release cycles occurred every two weeks, with on average 30-40 Jiras for each cycle. My responsibility was also to safeguard sensitive information.

The release notes were important for our company’s teams. They helped us communicate and keep a record of what we did each year. Using the Jira system, we could easily connect different entries to see the full picture whenever necessary.

As I am not permitted to showcase the actual release notes I created, the following example provides a glimpse of their potential organization in general.

Release Notes in a tabular format

My Example

I used a different format for the release notes compared to the one above. Because the company was involved in several critical sectors, the notes were organized into sections based on area. Within these sections, the order of notes was determined by Jira project and number. Other important information was displayed in the rest of the columns. Below is a simplified example of one possible sector. This structure made it easy for each team to find relevant updates.

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