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At the delivery of every version of software we have to write a release note. For example, here are some of the terms I add when I write a release note:

  • Release Date
  • Bug Solved

Is that enough, or is there anything else?

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This looks like a duplicate of programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/… – user34768 Oct 5 '12 at 8:32
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don't forget features added – ratchet freak Oct 5 '12 at 8:33

2 Answers

up vote 15 down vote accepted

I think followings will give a way to good practices

// Date Related

  • Release Date

// Feature related

  • Features Added
  • Featured Removed
  • Features Changed

// Bug related

  • Solved Bugs
  • Unsolved Bugs

// Dependency related

  • List of dependency

// Testing related

  • Unit Test results
  • Acceptance Test results

// Version controlling related

  • Tag Note
  • Revision Number

EDIT: I like @jk's comment

Also some times worth highlighting things the end user may want to change in their configurations or workflow.

EDIT: I like @Henrik's comment

Most end users don't care about the test result. They expect it to have high quality no matter what the release note says.

EDIT: Also like @ddyer's answer

The most important thing about release notes is to be aware that every additional sentence loses another 10% of the readers. So you must strictly prioritize what your current users need to know about the release.

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its also some times worth highlighting things the end user may want to change in their configurations or workflow – jk. Oct 5 '12 at 8:47
@jk. Yes, You are right. I have edited my answer as your good comment. – Mahbubur R Aaman Oct 5 '12 at 8:51
+1 for great answer. :) – CoolProgrammer Oct 5 '12 at 8:59
Most end users don't care about the test result. They expect it to have high quality no matter what the release note says. – Henrik Oct 6 '12 at 9:10
@Henrik release notes may be useful for people other than end users though – jk. Oct 9 '12 at 19:56
up vote 2 down vote

The most important thing about release notes is to be aware that every additional sentence loses another 10% of the readers. So you must strictly prioritize what your current users need to know about the release.

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each line might lose 10% of casual, uninterested (or lazy) readers. Those readers are the ones your release notes are not written for. The ones who care about what you've done will read them all and thank you for each relevant line - you only have to be careful about including fluff that really needs to go into the documentation proper. – gbjbaanb Oct 5 '12 at 17:21

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