Add some more notes to the release workflow (#1121)

* Added some more notes to the release workflow

docs/source/development-guide/release-workflow.rst

@@ -3,21 +3,31 @@
 Release Workflow
 ----------------
 
-This page describes how to make releases of the software within the ``imap_processing`` and ``sds-data-manager``
-repositories, and the steps needed to push said software to the production environment and update the data products.
+This page describes how to make releases of the software within the ``imap_processing``, ``sds-data-manager``, and
+``imap-data-access`` repositories, and the steps needed to push said software to the production environment and update
+the data products.
 
 Software Releases
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
 This project uses a workflow in which releases are made off of a 'version branch' (e.g. ``v0.1.x``), as depicted in the
 diagram shown in the :ref:`git & GitHub Workflow <git-and-github-workflow>` page. This includes both 'nominal releases'
 (i.e. new features to be released to the public) and 'patches' (i.e. bug fixes to the version branch). These workflows
-are described below. It is assumed that steps (1) through (4) in the
-:ref:`git & GitHub Workflow <git-and-github-workflow>` are already completed.
+are described below. It is assumed that steps (1) through (4) in the :ref:`git & GitHub Workflow <git-and-github-workflow>`
+are already completed.
 
-*Note: We use the ``imap_processing`` repository as an example here, but this can be applied to ``sds-data-manager`` as
-well.*
+The three repositories are expected to be released at different cadences:
 
+* The ``imap_processing`` repository is released on a monthly cadence (typically the last day of the month, but can
+  vary depending on the availability of developers time to make the release.
+* The ``sds_data_manager`` repository is released on a as-needed basis, typically when enough changes have been made
+  since the last release to justify a new release.
+* The ``imap-data-access`` repository is released whenever a new feature or bug fix is implemented, since this
+  repository acts as a dependency of ``imap_processing`` and is used by external users.
+
+
+Note: We use the ``imap_processing`` repository as an example in these instructions, but this can be applied to the
+other repositories as well.
 
 .. _nominal-releases:
 
@@ -27,16 +37,18 @@ Nominal releases
 #. Make sure the ``dev`` branch is up-to-date with any changes you want included in the release (i.e. merge in any
    feature branches using the nominal :ref:`git & GitHub Workflow <git-and-github-workflow>`).
 #. Create a new version branch off of ``dev``.  The name of the branch should match the version number to be used for
-   the release, which should follow the :ref:`software versioning <versioning>` conventions. The patch number should be
-   marked with a ``x``, and the name should be prepended with ``v`` (e.g. ``v0.1.x``).
+   the release, which should follow the :ref:`software versioning <versioning>` conventions. The name should be
+   prepended with ``v`` (e.g. ``v0.1.0``).
 #. Make any release-specific commits to the new version branch using the nominal ``git add``/``git commit`` cycle. This
    may include commits that add release notes, or update version numbers in various configurations.
 #. Push the version branch to the main ``IMAP-Science-Operations-Center`` ``imap_processing`` repo (i.e. ``upstream``).
-#. Create a `new release <https://github.com/IMAP-Science-Operations-Center/imap_processing/releases>`_, using the
-   version branch as the ``Target`` branch. Assign a new tag with the specific version number, including the patch
-   number (e.g. ``v0.1.0``).
-#. In GitHub, create a pull request that merges the version branch into ``dev``. Proceed with the nominal review & merge
-   process described in steps (10) and (11) in the :ref:`git & GitHub Workflow <git-and-github-workflow>` section.
+#. If there have been release-specific commits, In GitHub, create a pull request that merges the version branch into
+   ``dev``. Proceed with the nominal review & merge process described in steps (10) and (11) in the :ref:`git & GitHub
+   Workflow <git-and-github-workflow>` section.
+#. Create a `new release <https://github.com/IMAP-Science-Operations-Center/imap_processing/releases>`_. Under "Choose a
+   tag", create a new tag with the same name as the version branch (e.g. ``v0.1.0``). For "Release title", also use the
+   name of the version branch (e.g. ``v0.1.0``). In the description box, include appropriate highlights and release
+   notes (you can use a previous release for an example of how this should be formatted).
 
 
 Patches