Goutham Varanasi
Release Manager
Hyderabad
Summary
Senior Release Manager with 10+ years of experience in end-to-end Release Management, Change Management, Production Deployment Coordination, and Cloud Migration initiatives across global enterprise environments. Proven expertise in managing large-scale software releases, ensuring controlled, risk-free production deployments through structured governance, stakeholder coordination, and strong execution discipline. Experienced in working closely with Program Managers, Project Managers, QA, Development, and Business stakeholders to deliver release planning, scheduling, Go/No-Go approvals, and post-production support (SPOC ownership). Strong exposure to ITIL-based Change Management, ServiceNow ticket tracking, ALM IR tracking, QA coordination, defect management, and release readiness governance, with a focus on improving release quality, communication flow, and deployment stability.
Overview
4
4
Certifications
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Release Manager
Netcracker
06.2024 - Current
- Responsible for end-to-end ownership of Release Management lifecycle across multiple environments, ensuring smooth and controlled software deployments in global enterprise setups.
- Key Responsibilities:
- Own end-to-end release planning, scheduling, and execution
- Collaborate with Program Managers and Project Managers to define release milestones and delivery timelines
- Manage and track change requests, ServiceNow tickets, and ALM IRs
- Coordinate with QA and Development teams for testing readiness and defect closure
- Conduct Release Readiness Reviews, Milestone Reviews, and Go/No-Go meetings
- Ensure proper execution of deployment plans across lower and production environments
- Act as SPOC for post-production issues and production incident handling
- Drive daily status calls with stakeholders and resolve release blockers
- Monitor risk, dependencies, and resource requirements for releases
- Ensure alignment with ITIL-based Change Management processes
- Track and ensure timely closure of QA issues and release defects
- Key Achievements:
- Successfully led cloud migration (lift-and-shift) initiatives ensuring minimal downtime and seamless transition
- Improved release coordination efficiency, reducing deployment-related issues and communication gaps
- Ensured successful Go-Live execution across global teams with improved stability
- Contributed to delivery of complex partitioned releases with improved quality outcomes
Senior Change & Release Analyst
Cognizant Technology Services
Chennai, India
01.2016 - 05.2024
- Led structured Change Management and Release Management processes for enterprise applications, ensuring controlled and risk-free production deployments.
- Key Responsibilities:
- Managed full lifecycle of release planning, coordination, and deployment execution
- Implemented and followed ITIL-based Change Management processes
- Conducted impact analysis and risk assessment for change requests
- Coordinated with cross-functional teams for release readiness validation
- Managed release communication, stakeholder updates, and documentation
- Conducted post-release analysis and continuous improvement activities
- Worked with vendors and external teams for release coordination
- Supported automation initiatives for release efficiency improvements
- Ensured deployment readiness and validation of release packages
Education
B.Tech -
Sri Kavitha Engineering College
08-2008
Skills
Release Management (End-to-End Ownership)
Accomplishments
- Led successful cloud migration (lift-and-shift) projects with zero critical downtime
- Streamlined release communication and coordination across distributed global teams
- Reduced deployment issues through improved release readiness and planning discipline
- Strengthened stakeholder alignment during Go/No-Go and release execution phases
- Improved production stability through structured release governance practices
Certification
Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) – Planned (April 2026)
Timeline
Release Manager
Netcracker
06.2024 - Current
Senior Change & Release Analyst
Cognizant Technology Services
01.2016 - 05.2024
B.Tech -
Sri Kavitha Engineering College