Release Management Intelligence Tool
Operational intelligence for Release Managers, Service Managers, Technical POs, Delivery Leads and anyone responsible for coordinating software delivery across complex environments.
A professional, local-first release planning and governance tool. Not a replacement for ServiceNow or Jira. A force multiplier that helps you think clearly, move faster and leave a clear audit trail.
🔗 Launch the tool | Watch the demo | View the showcase
What it does
The tool covers the full release lifecycle, from first planning to formal PIR sign-off:
| Stage | Capability |
|---|
| Planning | Release type, delivery models, scope register, golden thread, risk register, deployment runbook and release dependencies |
| Gates | 8 quality gates auto-generated by release type with entry/exit checklists, evidence sign-off and delivery-model-specific guidance |
| Defects | Enriched triage with type, severity, priority, source, team, component and environment found. Custom severity scales and Go/No-Go readiness included |
| Environments | DEV to PROD promotion pipeline with health status and config drift warnings |
| Go/No-Go | 5-step structured wizard producing a formal, timestamped decision record with audit trail |
| Hypercare | Post-deployment countdown timer, monitoring checklist, rollback trigger criteria and All Clear sign-off |
| Reporting | Five audience-tailored outputs: Executive, Account Executive, Release Manager, Team and PIR Document |
| Integration | 12 tool integrations, live webhook simulation, JS API (window.RMTool) and URL parameters |
| Calendar | Blackout periods covering change freeze, financial reporting, maintenance, bank holidays and offshore unavailability |
| Governance | Separate Retrospective, Scope Review and PIR tabs with configurable PIR name (AAR, Post Mortem etc.) |
Key features
- Release Readiness Score — 0 to 100 score per release, calculated live from gates, defects, environments and sign-offs
- Deterministic AI — 17 pattern rules fire as you type across payment, regulatory, authentication, database, mobile, security and GDPR keywords. No external API and no data leaves the browser
- Golden Thread — trace every release from portfolio epic (Jira Align, SAFe) through to production deployment
- Release Templates — save any release as a reusable template and load it again in one click
- Risk Register — Likelihood x Impact scoring (1 to 25) with colour-coded severity. Feeds into the Go/No-Go wizard and PIR automatically
- Deployment Runbook Builder — step-by-step instructions with type (Pre-deploy/Deploy/Verify/Rollback), owners and paste-ready output
- Blackout Calendar — 6 blackout types including offshore team unavailability. UK 2026 to 2027 bank holidays pre-loaded
- Custom Labels and Badges — rename delivery models (e.g. Legacy/JSP to Mainframe) or add SAP, Salesforce and Oracle. Custom severity scales supported
- 6 Practice Scenarios — pre-loaded with realistic scope items, tracking references, risks, runbooks and PIR data
Framework alignment
| Framework | Scope |
|---|
| ITIL 4 (current edition) | Release Management practice, gate criteria, change types, PIR and CAB. Source: axelos.com |
| DORA Metrics (Four Keys) | Deployment frequency, lead time for changes, change failure rate and MTTR tracked on the dashboard. Source: dora.dev |
| EU DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) | Regulation (EU) 2022/2554, in force January 2025. Article 9 ICT change management obligations surface as regulatory flags in AI rules and gate guidance. Source: EUR-Lex (Official Journal) |
| SAFe 6.0 | Jira Align and Portfolio Epic support in golden thread and tracking references. Source: scaledagileframework.com |
| FCA PS21/3 | Operational resilience awareness in gate guidance. Source: fca.org.uk |
| UK GDPR / ICO | GDPR keyword detection in AI rules and 72-hour notification awareness. Source: ico.org.uk |
Practice definitions are held in the updateable content layer (rm-content-v1.json). As ITIL evolves, guidance updates automatically with no app changes required.
Integration
Connect from any system that can construct a URL, run JavaScript or send JSON:
- 12 tracking tools including Jira, Jira Align, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow, GitHub, Linear, Shortcut, Rally, Monday.com and Confluence
- Live simulation — click a scenario (Jira Release Created, ServiceNow CHG Approved or CI/CD Pipeline Complete) to see real-format JSON payloads processed by the tool in real time
- JS API —
window.RMTool.loadRelease({...}), .exportState(), .getBlockers(), .isGoReady()
- URL parameters —
?release=Name&type=major&date=2026-09-15&dm=cloud,api,mobile
- Paste and Import — paste any JSON release payload or use Import/Export to back up and restore your full state
Delivery model coverage
Cloud · API / Microservices · Mobile (iOS/Android) · Desktop (Windows/Mac) · Legacy/JSP/Mainframe · DI2 (Desktop Integration) · CWA (Citrix Workspace App) · Pilot / Canary
All names, icons and categories are fully customisable in Settings. Add SAP, Salesforce, Oracle or any model your organisation uses.
Accessibility and quality
- WCAG 2.1 AA compliant with solid-background badges and a minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio across all modes
- Dark, Light and High Contrast colour modes, persisted per user
- Text scale from 85% to 145% via the accessibility panel (Alt+A)
- Keyboard navigation with full keyboard support, focus-visible outlines and Alt+T / Alt+A shortcuts
- Mobile responsive with 44px touch targets, 16px minimum inputs and a print stylesheet
- Reduced motion support via
@media (prefers-reduced-motion)
Getting started
Three ways to use it:
| Option | How | Best for |
|---|
| Online | Open in browser | Most users. Always the latest version, auto-updates silently |
| Desktop app (PWA) | Visit in Chrome or Edge, click ⊞ in address bar, then Install | Offline use. Works without internet after first install |
| Local download | Download HTML then run python -m http.server 3031 | Corporate or air-gapped environments |
📖 Full setup guide
Once open, the welcome screen gives you four options:
- Take the guided tour (13 steps, around 3 minutes)
- Load a practice scenario (6 realistic, fully pre-loaded)
- Create your first release
- Browse the reference library
When using online or PWA, the service worker automatically loads the latest version every time you open the tool. No action needed.
File structure
release-management-intelligence/
├── rm-tool-v1.html ← Main application (single file, no build step)
├── rm-content-v1.json ← Versioned content layer (ITIL 4, DORA Metrics, EU DORA, glossary)
├── rm-manifest.json ← PWA manifest (installable, icons, shortcuts)
├── rm-sw.js ← Service worker (cache-busting, ensures latest version)
├── rm-showcase.html ← Product showcase and landing page
├── rm-demo-v1.html ← 10-scene animated demo (~87 seconds)
├── index.html ← Redirect to main tool
├── LICENSE ← Permitted use, regulatory notice, no-liability clause
├── README.md ← This file
└── HOW-TO-RUN-LOCALLY.md ← Setup guide for users
The filename rm-tool-v1.html never changes. v1 means Generation 1. The internal version (the TOOL_VERSION constant) increments with each feature set so you can track progress without ever renaming the file.
Technical approach
Single file, zero dependencies
The entire application is a single .html file. No npm, no webpack, no Docker. Download it, open it in a browser and it works, including offline after first install.
Content layer
Framework guidance, ITIL practice definitions, AI rule overrides and regulatory notices live in a separate JSON file fetched on load and cached locally. When ITIL guidance or EU DORA obligations change, the JSON updates independently with no app change required.
Data architecture
Everything stays in your browser via localStorage. Nothing is ever transmitted to any server. Export JSON to back up and import to restore on any device.
Service worker
Clears all caches on activate so every load fetches fresh HTML from the network. No stale guidance, no old versions persisting for users.
Deterministic pattern recognition
The AI rules engine is rules-based, not generative. 17 keyword rules fire as you type with no API call, no external dependency and no data leaving the browser. In release management, explainable intelligence matters: every flag has a specific cause and can be dismissed by the user.
PWA support
Installable as a desktop or mobile app via Chrome or Edge. The manifest includes direct shortcuts to Planning, Go/No-Go and Reporting views.
About this project
This tool was designed and built as a demonstration of applied AI collaboration, senior release management domain expertise and product thinking. It was built iteratively with Claude (Anthropic) across an extended development process covering architecture, implementation, testing and refinement.
Domain expertise demonstrated
- Release lifecycle management from first planning to PIR sign-off
- Quality gates, change approval processes and ECAB workflow
- ITIL 4 Release Management practice aligned to current guidance
- EU DORA Article 9 ICT change management obligations
- FCA PS21/3 operational resilience in a release context
- Defect triage, environment promotion and Go/No-Go decision frameworks
- Risk register methodology with Likelihood x Impact scoring
- Integration patterns across Jira, ServiceNow, Azure DevOps and GitHub
- Governance reporting for Executive, Board and Ops audiences
Technical and AI literacy demonstrated
- Architecting and building a production-quality single-file application
- Iterative product development with AI collaboration
- Deterministic pattern recognition appropriate for a compliance context
- Autonomous content delivery via versioned JSON and service worker cache strategy
- Designing for time-pressured users across delivery and operations roles
- Progressive disclosure, accessibility and mobile-first responsive layout
- PWA implementation including manifest, service worker and install prompts
License
© 2026 James Holford. All rights reserved.
Personal and organisational use permitted. Commercial redistribution or resale requires written permission.
Regulatory and framework guidance notice: Content relating to ITIL 4, EU DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act), FCA, UK GDPR, SAFe and DORA Metrics is informational only and not legal or compliance advice. Always verify requirements with authoritative sources and engage your compliance team or legal counsel before acting on any guidance shown in this tool.
Data notice: Local-first. No data is transmitted to any server by this tool. Everything stays in your browser.
See LICENSE for full terms.
Related tools
ITSM Workflow Intelligence Tool — also by James Holford.
Structured incident, change and problem management. P1 Fast Track, standalone Change Request, PIR and retrospective with full ServiceNow and Jira output. ITIL 4, FCA and EU DORA aligned.
The two tools are designed to work alongside each other. Use ITSM for incidents and operational events; use this tool for release planning and governance. During Hypercare, the RM tool provides a direct link to open the ITSM tool with release context pre-filled.
Author
James Holford — Senior Service Delivery & Technology Operations Leader
Built using AI-assisted development as part of active professional upskilling in modern tooling and product development.
Backup and restore points
Everything the tool saves lives in your browser only. Clearing the browser's data, a private window, or a full disk can lose it, so the tool now has:
- Export backup - one plain JSON file with all your data and settings (not encrypted: it contains whatever you typed, so keep it where you keep other work data).
- Import backup - the file is checked first (right tool, readable, only this tool's own items), a preview shows what would change, a restore point of your current data is saved, and only then is anything replaced.
- Restore points - copies kept in the browser's IndexedDB: saved automatically before an import, a restore or a destructive action, or by you. Automatic ones are kept for 12 months (and always the newest 20) by default; you can choose 6 months, 12, 24 or "until I delete them". Ones you save yourself, or mark Keep, are never removed automatically, and you are told whenever any are removed. Any restore point can be downloaded as an ordinary backup file first. Restoring one also saves a restore point first, so a restore can itself be undone.
- Archive prompt - a copy inside the browser is not a record. The panel and the reminder say to file the backup where your organisation keeps records (for example Confluence, SharePoint or a shared drive), and Copy a readable summary puts a Markdown summary on the clipboard for pasting into a wiki page (it is a summary, not a backup).
- Reminders - a calm banner when there is work in the browser and no backup for 30 days (choose 14 / 30 / 60 / 90 days / 6 months; "remind me later" waits 14 days), or when the browser is not keeping anything at all.
Not included in a backup: the downloaded guidance cache, "what's new" / first-run flags, and the optional AI audit log. Where: RM - Settings, Data; ITSM - Sessions, Backup and restore points.
Code:
workspace-backup/ (shared module, identical in both repositories and hash-locked; per-tool adapter.js); tests node workspace-backup/tests/backup_run.js plus the real-browser test in ci/browser-tests.js.
