Release Manager - The invisible hero

What this post added

This post details the critical role of the Release Manager in GitLab's monthly release cycle, highlighting the complexity of coordinating thousands of commits across multiple repositories (CE, EE, CI, runners, Omnibus). It traces the evolution of the release process from manual, undesirable tasks to a highly automated, CI-oriented system. Key improvements include the removal of code freeze, automated repository syncing, automated package building via Omnibus, and automated deployment infrastructure. The post also discusses the ongoing challenge of finding volunteers for the Release Manager role, despite the significant improvements in the process.