Deployment Rollback Template

Jan 19, 2026 | by OpenStatus | [deployment]

Use this template when a deployment causes issues and requires rolling back to a previous version. Communicates the issue, mitigation, and resolution clearly.

When to Use This Template

• Deployment causes service errors
• New release breaking existing functionality
• Configuration changes causing issues
• Need to roll back to previous version

Template Messages

Investigating

We encountered an issue during a scheduled deployment and have initiated a rollback to restore service stability.

We apologize for the disruption and are working to complete the rollback as quickly as possible.

Identified

The deployment issue has been identified. We are completing the rollback to the previous stable version.

Monitoring

The rollback has been completed successfully. We are monitoring system stability to ensure all services are functioning normally.

Resolved

All services have been restored to normal operation. The deployment issue has been resolved and we will investigate the root cause.

Real-World Examples

Vercel: "Elevated error rates across new deployments"

Context: Build system changes affecting deployments Duration: ~32 minutes Impact: New deployments and builds failing

Communication approach:

• Clear about what was affected ("new deployments")
• Specific about the problem ("elevated error rates")
• Quick resolution time communicated

GitHub: "Configuration error during a model update"

Context: Copilot model deployment issue Duration: ~1.5 hours Impact: 18% error rate on average, spiking to 100%

What worked:

• Transparent about the cause ("configuration error")
• Quantified impact (error rates)
• Showed progression: investigation → rollback → recovery monitoring
• Committed to improvement

Sample update progression:

1. "We're investigating reports of Copilot failures"
2. "Configuration error identified during model update. Rolling back."
3. "Rollback complete. Monitoring for full recovery."
4. "Fully resolved. Error rates back to normal. RCA in progress."

Best Practices

During Rollback

Do:

• ✅ Announce the rollback immediately
• ✅ Set expectations on timeline if known
• ✅ Acknowledge the user impact
• ✅ Monitor closely during rollback

Don't:

• ❌ Wait until rollback is complete to communicate
• ❌ Over-promise on fix timing
• ❌ Skip the post-incident analysis

After Resolution

Always include:

1. Confirmation that rollback succeeded
2. Current system status
3. Next steps (investigation, new deployment plan)
4. Preventative measures (if ready to share)

Communication Patterns

For User-Facing Services

We've rolled back a deployment that was causing issues with [feature].
Service is now restored. We're investigating to prevent this in the future.

For API Services

A recent deployment caused elevated error rates in our API.
We've rolled back to the previous version and error rates
have returned to normal. All endpoints are functioning correctly.

For Internal Tools

Deployment to production caused issues with [system]. Rolled back
to previous version. Services restored. Post-mortem scheduled for
tomorrow to identify root cause and improve deployment process.

Preventative Context

After resolution, consider adding context about prevention:

"We're improving our deployment process to catch issues like this before they reach production. This includes enhanced pre-deployment testing and gradual rollout procedures."

Timing Guidance

• 0-5 minutes: Initial notification of issue and rollback decision
• 5-20 minutes: Rollback in progress updates
• 20-30 minutes: Rollback complete, monitoring
• 30-60 minutes: Confirmed resolution
• 24 hours later: Root cause analysis summary (optional)

Related Templates

• Use API Service Disruption if rollback affects external integrations
• Use Database Performance if rollback impacts database operations
• Use Security Incident if deployment exposed security issues