The simplest kit, and often the most cost-effective: a checklist run before every release, by someone who didn’t build the feature. It prevents most silly accidents from day one, without any tooling.
What’s in the kit
- The checks before you start (right version, automated tests green).
- The critical journeys, to adapt to your product.
- The version’s new features and their error cases.
- Display and compatibility on desktop and phone.
- Data and security.
- A section for products that use AI: off-topic questions, hijacking attempts, actions without confirmation.
- The rollback plan and the go / no-go decision.
How to use it
First adapt the “Critical journeys” section to your product, then keep the checklist short: if it runs longer than a page, nobody will go through it. Every bug that reaches production despite the checklist deserves a new line.
