BobbinQuick answer
Before a release, check four things: scope (release notes, flags, known issues), build (CI green on the exact commit, version bumped), data and config (migrations tested with a rollback, config set in production) and people (QA owner, support briefed, on-call, a go/no-go owner). Then smoke-test the core journeys. Both checklists are below.
R1 Pre-release checklist (release candidate)
When: When the release branch or candidate build is cut, before QA starts. Owner: Release owner · Time: 20–30 min
# R1 Pre-release checklist (release candidate)
When: When the release branch or candidate build is cut, before QA starts.
Owner: Release owner · Time: 20–30 min
Release: ______ Date: ______ Signed off by: ______
## Scope
- [ ] Release notes draft lists every change merged since the last release
- [ ] Every change links an issue or PR
- [ ] Features not ready are behind a flag that is OFF in production
- [ ] Known issues list written (with severity) and accepted by the product owner
## Build
- [ ] Candidate build is from the release branch/tag, not a local machine
- [ ] All CI checks green on that exact commit
- [ ] Version number and build number bumped
- [ ] Dependencies changed this release reviewed (licences, security advisories)
## Data and config
- [ ] Database migrations run on a copy of production data without errors
- [ ] Each migration has a rollback, or the rollback plan is written down
- [ ] New config / environment variables set in staging AND production
- [ ] Secrets rotated or added via the secret store, never in code
## People
- [ ] QA owner and time box agreed
- [ ] Support told what is changing and given the release notes
- [ ] Release time chosen outside peak hours, with someone on call for 2 hours after
- [ ] Go / no-go decision maker namedR2 Smoke test: web app
When: On staging before release, and again on production right after deploy. Owner: QA or on-call engineer · Time: 15 min
# R2 Smoke test: web app
When: On staging before release, and again on production right after deploy.
Owner: QA or on-call engineer · Time: 15 min
Release: ______ Date: ______ Signed off by: ______
## Account
- [ ] Sign up with a new email
- [ ] Log in and log out
- [ ] Password reset email arrives and the link works once
- [ ] Session survives a page refresh
## Core job
- [ ] Create the main object (project, document, order…)
- [ ] Edit it and see the change after a refresh
- [ ] Delete it, and confirm it is gone (or in trash)
- [ ] Search or filter finds it
- [ ] Share or invite flow works with a second account
## Money
- [ ] Checkout or upgrade with a test card succeeds
- [ ] Failed card shows a clear error
- [ ] Receipt or invoice email arrives
- [ ] Plan limits apply after the change
## Health
- [ ] No errors in the browser console on the main screens
- [ ] No new errors in error tracking since deploy
- [ ] Response times on dashboards within normal range
- [ ] Emails, webhooks and background jobs are processingThe other seven
The kit also covers: Smoke test: mobile app, API / backend release, Hotfix release, Post-release verification (first hour), Rollback decision and runbook, Cross-browser and device pass, Accessibility quick check. The post-release verification checklist (R6) is free on the QA kit page.
Record the video part
When a smoke test fails, record it right away while the state is fresh. Bobbin is a free Chrome extension that records your screen, a window or a tab with your microphone and an optional webcam bubble. No account, no watermark, no time limit, and nothing is uploaded: the file stays on your computer.
- Click the Bobbin icon in Chrome's toolbar and choose Record screen, window or tab.
- Pick your microphone and turn on the camera if you want the webcam bubble.
- Press Start recording, choose what to share in Chrome's picker, and wait for the 3-second countdown.
- Pause with Alt+Shift+P, stop with Alt+Shift+S, then press Download to save the file.
To keep other tabs and notifications out of it, share just the Chrome tab (the webcam bubble appears only in screen and window recordings). Bobbin saves MP4 where your browser supports it (Chrome 126 or newer), WebM otherwise, and tells you which it used.
File size: our 60-minute 1080p test came to about 246 MB (roughly 4 MB a minute) on a simple synthetic screen; busy real screens can be larger, so a 1–2 minute clip is usually small enough to attach.
From The Bug Report & QA Kit
This is 2 of 9 release checklists (126 checks). The full kit: 10 bug templates for GitHub, Jira, Linear and Markdown, 9 release checklists (126 checks), the severity guide, 8 bug-video scripts and trackers.
See the QA kit ($15, one-time) PDF + ZIP · 7-day refund · more free samples on the page