backoutcriteria

Backout criteria are predefined conditions that, if met, require aborting or reverting a change, deployment, or operation to a known-good state. They are part of a backout or rollback plan used to manage risk during the introduction of new software, configurations, or processes. These criteria set objective thresholds for system health, performance, safety, security, or business impact and designate who has authority to trigger a rollback and how quickly it should be executed.

Backout criteria typically apply to software releases, infrastructure changes, data migrations, and other releases or experiments where failure could disrupt operations. They are intended to provide clear, measurable signals that a change is no longer acceptable, enabling timely and controlled recovery. Criteria commonly address metrics such as service availability, error rates, latency, data integrity, successful completion of automated tests, regulatory or compliance constraints, and safety or security concerns. They may also consider operational factors like rollback readiness, the ability to restore backups, and the availability of personnel to enact the plan.

The process around backout criteria involves planning and documenting the thresholds before deployment, monitoring relevant metrics during rollout, and executing the backout plan if any criterion is breached. Typical steps include initiating a rollback to the previous version or configuration, restoring data from backups, validating system state after rollback, and notifying stakeholders. Afterward, teams investigate root causes, implement fixes, and update the rollback plan to prevent recurrence.

In practice, backout criteria contribute to governance, risk management, and change control by providing a disciplined mechanism to protect systems and data while introducing changes.