Release and Planning Scheduling

Owned by jimastata
Last updated: Oct 24, 2023 by Bill Mahoney
2 min read

Approved with the consent of the TSC 11/19/21

EdgeX Foundry's typical release cadence is twice annually; once in the spring (~ May) and once in the fall (~November).  Larger or major releases may take longer and, at the TSC's discretion, be released at other times of the year.

Rules of the EdgeX Release Schedule

  • EdgeX will hold a planning meeting right after a release to determine the scope and objectives of the next release.  (Note:  Prior to the Kamakura release, the planning was held before or during the release freeze period. This was deemed detrimental to the project and shifted to after the release.)
  • Releases are normally scheduled for a Wednesday in order to optimize availability of personnel and allow for time to prepare the release artifacts and make them available without encountering the weekend.
  • A freeze period shall be held prior to the release.  During the freeze period, all new development is stopped so that testing can occur without interference of new code entries.  During the freeze period only bug fixes or document updates can be accomplished without TSC consent.
    • For a minor release, the freeze period is set to start 2 weeks before the release.
    • For a major or LTS release, the freeze period is set to start 3 weeks before the release.
    • The TSC can adjust the freeze period as needed based on circumstances of a release
  • A project architect's "Pre-wire" meeting is held the Thursday before the freeze start date.  The pre-wire meeting allows the project's architects to review and narrow all possible issues, architectural concerns, and scope for the next release.  The pre-wire meeting is not where the final scope is set, but it helps establish the list of possible scope and determines what work is considered out of scope for the next release.
  • The "Planning" meeting is held the week following the release.  During the planning meeting, anyone with interest in the project can participate and help set the issues, architectural direction and scope of work for the upcoming release.
    • The Planning meeting is held over the course of an entire week when it is done virtually.  Meetings are held for 3-4 hours each day with the Friday session reserved for training and "unconference" presentations.
    • The Planning meeting is held over 3 days (Tuesday-Thursday) when it is done face-to-face.  Meetings are held for 8 hours each day with the last 1/2 day reserved for training and "unconference" presentations.

Below are example calendars for both minor and major/LTS release cycles.  Dates shift based on the actual release date selection, but the other events in relation to the release date should stay in relative position.  The examples below assume a week long virtual planning meeting.