--- schema_version: "1" id: 7e2b4cb35e846400ab1861158a7941ac03b03e3971f020efe8df81ae6f4d8200 title: Manage Releases for IT Services collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/service/264-0-0/it_srvcs_rel_manage_rel.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.it_srvcs_rel_manage_rel.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 286555b5bac009f3dad71244dee1ba1b61d36d92d3bacc5e8dc5764422bea29f description: Plan, build, test, and deploy approved IT changes, such as software updates and hardware upgrades, in a controlled way. Each release can include infrastructure components, applications, documentation, and training materials. products: - Service Cloud - Agentforce IT Service release: "264" --- # Manage Releases for IT Services Plan, build, test, and deploy approved IT changes, such as software updates and hardware upgrades, in a controlled way. Each release can include infrastructure components, applications, documentation, and training materials. ### Required Editions
Available in: Lightning Experience
Available in: Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited Editions with Agentforce IT Service.
## Create a Release Create release records to deploy new features, fixes, and changes with minimal disruption. Predefined release types-major, minor, upgrade, patch, emergency, and others-standardize the release process and communicate impact clearly across teams. 1. From the App Launcher, find and select **Agentic IT Service Desk**. 2. In the Quick Find box, find and select **Releases**. 3. Click **New**. 4. Enter the required fields. 5. If necessary, specify the requester's name in the Requested By field. 6. Save your changes. After saving the record, view or update fields in the Details section. The record also appears as an event on the IT Service Calendar. See [IT Service Calendar](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.it_srvcs_calendar.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Manage IT change requests, releases, business moratoriums, maintenance windows, and holidays in a single, color-coded calendar. The IT Service Calendar automatically creates events for new change requests and releases to help teams plan efficiently and avoid scheduling conflicts."). ## Associate Records with a Release Link incidents, problems, change requests, or other releases to a release record. This improves visibility, traceability, and coordination during the release process. Associating records with a release provides these key benefits: - For incidents: Track which incidents were resolved as part of a release, understand release impact by identifying affected users or services, and maintain audit trails for compliance and reporting. - For problems: Show how releases address the root cause of problems and improve service quality by addressing known errors through releases. - For change requests: Coordinate the deployment of approved changes, manage dependencies across related changes, and improve visibility of what’s modified through linked configuration items. 1. Open a release record. 2. Click **Associations**. 3. Add associations: 1. Click **Add**. 2. From the Record Type dropdown, select **Incident**, **Problem**, **Change Request**, or **Release**. 3. From the Relationship Type dropdown, select **Linked to Release** or **Source of Release**. 4. Search for the records you want to associate. 5. Select the checkboxes next to the records. 6. Save your changes. 4. To remove associated records, from the Associations tab, select the record type and the records you want to remove, and then click **Remove**. 5. To resolve associated records, from the Associations tab, select the record type and the records you want to resolve, and then click **Resolve**. ## Associate Cases with Releases Associate cases with a release to give release managers more context about related support work. Your admin must add the **Cases** related list to the release page layout. For the steps to add a related list, see [Customize Related Lists](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.customizing_related_lists.htm&type=5&language=en_US). 1. Open a release record, and then click the **Related** tab. 2. In the **Cases** related list, click **Add**. 3. Search for a case by name or number, select the case, and then click **Save**. 4. To remove an association, select the case, click **Remove**, and then confirm the removal. Only the association is removed. The case record isn't deleted. ## Create an Action Plan for a Release Track and manage release tasks more easily by associating an action plan template with a release record. The generated plan outlines the tasks for each stage, helping your release team stay aligned. ![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-service-it_service-264-0-0-production-enus/0a574a10-4c7a-4681-aacf-0767f8beaad4/images/icon_note.png) Note Before you associate an action plan with a release, create an action plan template. When a new release record is created, the release owner attaches the appropriate action plan template to the release record. This automatically adds the required tasks. 1. From the App Launcher, find and select **Releases**. 2. Open the release record you want to associate with an action plan template. 3. Click **Tasks**. 4. In the Action Plans section, click **New Plan**. 5. Enter a name for the action plan. 6. Select an action plan template. 7. Set the Start Date. 8. In the Target Record field, verify that the release record is selected. 9. Set an appropriate status for the action plan, such as Not Started, In Progress, Canceled, or Completed. 10. Click **Next**. 11. Review the list of tasks generated by the template. 12. Save your changes. ![Example](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-service-it_service-264-0-0-production-enus/0a574a10-4c7a-4681-aacf-0767f8beaad4/images/icon_example.png) Example For example, a release manager creates action plan templates to standardize release activities. The first template is for major releases and includes these tasks: Planning, Development Work, Quality Assurance, and Documentation and Release Notes. The second template is for emergency releases and includes these tasks: Trigger Emergency Release Process, Obtain Formal Approval, Deploy Emergency Release, and Post-Implementation Review. When a new release record is created, the release owner attaches the appropriate template to automatically add the required tasks. ## Assign a Group as Release Owner Assign an existing release group from the lookup field in the release record as the release owner. Assign groups only if the filter is set to Group. To create a group, see [Public and Personal Groups](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.user_groups.htm&type=5&language=en_US). 1. From the App Launcher, find and select **Agentic IT Service Manager**. 2. In the Quick Find box, find and select **Releases**. 3. Click **New**. 4. Fill out the mandatory fields. 5. From the Release Owner dropdown, select **Group**. 6. Enter the name of a release group and select it from the results. 7. Save your changes. ## Clone a Release Create a copy of an existing release record to reuse its details for a similar release. Use the clone feature to quickly create a new release with the same configuration as an existing one. You can clone any release, regardless of its status. When a release is cloned: - The status is set to New. - Date-related fields are cleared. - Associations aren't copied. - All other fields are cloned without any changes. 1. Open the release record you want to clone. 2. Click **Clone**. 3. Modify the required fields such as the name, the start date, and the end date. 4. Update other fields as needed. 5. Save your changes. ## Close a Release A release manager can close a release after all tasks, incidents, problems, and changes linked to the release are completed or resolved. Use the closing summary to capture key outcomes and lessons learned. 1. Open the release record you want to close. 2. Click **Close Release**. 3. Enter a closing summary. 4. Click **Close**.