Open Stack

We are getting close to the end of the cycle. Please review some important
deadlines and information as we approach feature freeze and the cycle ending
activities.

Development Focus
-----------------

Teams should be focused on implementing planned work. Work should be wrapping
up on client libraries to meet the client lib deadline Thursday, the 7th. This
is also Feature Freeze, so please review anything to determine if should still
be targeted for Stein or will need to be deferred to Train.


General Information
-------------------

The final client library release is on Thursday the 7th. Releases will only be
allowed for critical fixes in libraries after this point as we stabilize
requirements and give time for any unforeseen impacts from lib changes to
trickle through.

If release critical library or client library releases are needed for Stein
past the freeze dates, you must request a Feature Freeze Exception (FFE) from
the requirements team before we can do a new release to avoid having something
released in Rocky that is not actually usable. This is done by posting to the
openstack-discuss mailing list with a subject line similar to:
    
    [$PROJECT][requirements] FFE requested for $PROJECT_LIB

Include justification/reasoning for why a FFE is needed for this lib. If/when
the requirements team OKs the post-freeze update, we can then process a new
release. Including a link to the FFE in the release request is not required,
but would be helpful in making sure we are clear to do a new release.

When requesting these library releases, you should also include the stable
branching request with the review (as an example, see the "branches" section
here:

http://git.openstack.org/cgit/openstack/releases/tree/deliverables/pike/os-brick.yaml#n2)

Cycle-trailing projects are reminded that all reviews to the requirements
project will have a procedural -2 unless it recieves a FFE until stable/stein
is branched.

This is a good point to start to think about communicating your project's
updates for Stein. There are two venues for this that should be kept in mind:

1. The Prelude section of reno release notes is rendered as the top level
   overview for the release. Any important overall messaging for Stein changes
   can be added there to make sure the consumers of your release notes see
   them.

2. Through the releases repo, teams should be adding cycle-highlights to their
   deliverables. This is the direct input into marketing that helps shape what
   is communicated in press releases and other release activity at the end of
   the cycle. These are not per-deliverable, but rolled up per-team. So any
   significant work your team has done that would be good for marketing, please
   include these by the RC1 deadline.

Upcoming Deadlines & Dates
--------------------------

Stein-3 milestone: March 7
RC1 deadline: March 21

-- 
Sean McGinnis (smcginnis)