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Releasing Software
A release is a repeatable plan that is used to drive deployments.
Tasks
A task represents a business-meaningful activity that is associated with a software deployment. Each task is defined on a separate row in a deployment plan. During a deployment, you run tasks defined in the deployment plan to complete the deployment.

Releasing Software
A release is a repeatable plan that is used to drive deployments.
- Managing a release
  Use the release details page to view details about a specific release.
- Managing releases
  Release management is the process of planning, scheduling, and controlling software deliveries.
- Creating releases
- Archiving releases
  You can archive a release to remove it from the list of releases.
- Events and tags
  An event represents a release-related activity that you manage with the calendar. A tag is a label that you can add to a release or an event. You can use tags to filter the Activities list on the Releases page. Tags do not appear on the calendar.
- Restoring archived releases, plans, and templates
  You can restore archived releases, deployment plans, and templates.
- Deployment plans
  A deployment plan is a container for tasks. Tasks define the activities that your team runs to complete a software deployment.
- Running deployments
  Complete deployments by resolving the tasks in a deployment plan.
- Tasks
  A task represents a business-meaningful activity that is associated with a software deployment. Each task is defined on a separate row in a deployment plan. During a deployment, you run tasks defined in the deployment plan to complete the deployment.
  - Managing tasks
    A list of associated tasks can be viewed from a deployment plan page. The list of tasks include details about the task. You use action icons to change the task's status during a deployment, such as start or skip a task.
  - Creating tasks
    By default, new tasks are inserted at the bottom of the deployment plan. After a task is created, you can move it, or copy it and paste it into another deployment plan. You can also create dependencies with other tasks.
  - Managing task dependencies
    You can make a task a prerequisite for other tasks. If a task is a prerequisite, dependent tasks cannot start, even if they are otherwise eligible, until the prerequisite task is resolved.
  - Creating task groups
    You can combine two or more tasks into a task group. When you create a group, you define the whether the group task are executed sequentially or in parallel.
  - Managing task groups
    You can combine two or more tasks into a task group. When you create a group, you define the whether the group task are executed sequentially or in parallel.
  - Managing task tags
    Tags are organizing elements that you can add to tasks. You can filter deployment plans by tag. For example, during a deployment to a production environment, you might disable tasks with the `DEV_only` tag, which is intended to be used only in development environments.
  - Creating run another plan tasks
    A run another plan task runs a deployment for another deployment plan.
  - Creating delay tasks
    Delayed-type tasks represent milestones or critical events during a deployment. With delayed tasks, you can ensure that important tasks start at the expected time. Typically, delayed tasks are prerequisites for other important tasks.
  - Creating email tasks
    An email task sends an email message when the task runs. You specify the email's recipients and message when you create the task. Email tasks are auto tasks and run as soon as they are eligible.
  - Creating header/note tasks
    Header tasks represent organization elements that you can add to deployment plans. If you create a task group, you might identify the group with a header task. Header tasks can have dependencies like any other task.
  - Creating Jenkins (Legacy) tasks
    A Jenkins (Legacy) task runs a job in your integrated Jenkins instance.
  - Creating manual tasks
    Manual tasks represent some activity that is associated with a software release. Manual tasks have a start point, end point, and a measurable duration.
  - Creating run shell script tasks
    Shell script tasks are used to execute a sequence of commands.
  - Creating ServiceNow task
    A ServiceNow™ task can create and update ServiceNow change requests and the change tasks within the change request. You can also create a ServiceNow - Wait Change Request task which will wait for the specified value to appear in a specific field of a change request in ServiceNow.
  - Creating IBM DevOps Deploy (Legacy) tasks
    Use IBM DevOps Deploy (Legacy) tasks to run IBM DevOps Deploy applications.
  - Creating Ansible tasks
    Create an Ansible® task.
  - Creating wait for approval tasks
    A Wait for approval task pauses a deployment until a designated user provides approval. Email notifications are sent to users when the task starts.
- Properties
  A deployment plan can contain user-defined properties. Properties values can be defined at design- or run-time.

Tasks

A task represents a business-meaningful activity that is associated with a software deployment. Each task is defined on a separate row in a deployment plan. During a deployment, you run tasks defined in the deployment plan to complete the deployment.

Most tasks have a starting and ending point, and a measurable duration. A task can have other attributes depending on its type. A task can be of one of following types:

Ansible: Automation tool used for configuration management, application deployment, intraservice orchestration, and provisioning tasks.
Delayed: Represents a critical event that happens at a specific time.
Email: Sends an email message.
Header/Note: an organizational element. For example, you might use a header task to identify a task group.
Jenkins®: Runs a Jenkins® job or pipeline.
Manual: Represents any activity that is associated with a software deployment, such as taking a server offline or updating a database. Users assigned manual tasks can be sent email notifications when their tasks start or fail.
Run a Shell Script: Shell script tasks are used to execute a sequence of commands. The shell is the command line interface (CLI) for the operating system (OS) used to interpret the sequence of commands communicating with the software interface.
Run another plan: Runs deployments for other deployment plans participating in the same release event. This is an experimental task type.
ServiceNow™: Creates and manages ServiceNow tickets.
HCL DevOps Deploy (Deploy) (requires Deploy integration): Use this task to run an Deploy application process.
Deploy Status (requires Deploy integration): Use this task to add a status to all component versions contained within an Deploy snapshot.
Wait for approval: Pauses a deployment until the designated users approve the task.

You can add tasks to deployment plans by one of the following methods:

Create a new task
Import from CSV files that are created by Deploy or another application
Copy tasks from other deployment plans

Additionally, tasks are auto-created when you add an application to a pipeline.