Updates for the release process (#3376)

Updated the release checklist

---------

Co-authored-by: Oleg Bespalov <oleg.bespalov@grafana.com>
Co-authored-by: Théo Crevon <oleiade@users.noreply.github.com>

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/release.md

@@ -13,33 +13,34 @@ labels: ["release"]
 
 ### At the beginning of the cycle
 
-- [ ] Create a new `release-notes-v0.4x.0` branch and add a new release notes file using the available [template](/grafana/k6/tree/master/release%20notes/template.md) to the [repository's `release notes` folder](/grafana/k6/tree/master/release%20notes).
+- [ ] Obtain the Release coordinator's contact from the `@k6-browser` team and co-assign the issue to them.
+- [ ] Create a new `release-notes-v0.4x.0` long-lived branch and add a new release notes file using the available [template](/grafana/k6/tree/master/release%20notes/template.md) to the [repository's `release notes` folder](/grafana/k6/tree/master/release%20notes).
 - [ ] Go through the potential [dependencies updates](Dependencies.md) and create a dedicated PR if any of them is relevant to this release.
+- [ ] Create a new `release-v0.4x.0` long-lived branch on the [k6-docs](https://github.com/grafana/k6-docs) repository. Try to keep it synchronized with `main` throughout the development cycle to prevent it from becoming outdated and to avoid numerous conflicts.
+- [ ] Create a new `release-v0.4x.0` long-lived branch on the [grafana/k6-DefinitelyTyped](https://github.com/grafana/k6-DefinitelyTyped) fork repository.
 
 ### Release Preparation
 
 #### ~ 1 week before the release date.
 
-- [ ] Ensure all PRs in the k6-docs repository, related to new or modified functionalities introduced by the new version have been created.
+- [ ] Ensure all PRs in the `k6-docs` repository, related to new or modified functionalities introduced by the new version have been created and merged to the release branch.
 - [ ] Ensure all PRs in the k6 repository, part of the current [milestone](https://github.com/grafana/k6/milestones), have been merged.
 - [ ] Open a PR with the release notes for the new version, and ask teams who might have contributed to the release (@k6-browser, @k6-chaos, @devrel teams, etc.) to contribute their notes and review the existing ones.
 - [ ] Share the release notes PR with the k6 open-source teams. Request contributions from all affected teams (browser, chaos, devrel, docs, etc.) and any other stakeholders involved in the new release.
 - [ ] Open a separate PR for bumping [the k6 Go project's version](https://github.com/grafana/k6/blob/9fa50b2d1f259cdccff5cc7bc18a236d31c345ac/lib/consts/consts.go#L11).
-- [ ] Create a dedicated branch for the upcoming version in the grafana/k6-DefinitelyTyped fork repository.
-- [ ] Open a PR in the DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped repository, using the branch created in the grafana/k6-DefinitelyTyped fork, to update the k6 type definitions for the new release.
-
+- [ ] Open a PR in the `DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped` repository, using the release branch created in the grafana/k6-DefinitelyTyped fork, to update the k6 type definitions for the new release.
 
 #### ~ 1 day before the release date.
 
-- [ ] Open a PR in the k6-docs repository, archiving the current k6's JavaScript API version as per the following [instructions](https://github.com/grafana/k6-docs/wiki/Add-version-for-Javascript-API-documentation).
-- [ ] Ensure the [existing k6-docs PRs](https://github.com/grafana/k6-docs/pulls), related to the new functionalities and changes, are reviewed, up to date with the latest state of the `master` branch, and based upon the branch containing the k6 archived JavaScript API documentation (as created in the previous step).
+- [ ] Open a PR from `main` in the `k6-docs` repository, archiving the current k6's JavaScript API version as per the following [instructions](https://github.com/grafana/k6-docs/wiki/Add-version-for-Javascript-API-documentation).
+- [ ] Open a PR in `k6-docs` repository for the release branch containing all the merged PRs for the upcoming version. If any, resolve the conflicts with the `main` branch.
 
 ### Release Day
 
 #### Documentation
 
-- [ ] Merge the k6-docs repository's Javascript API archiving PR and rebase the rest of the branches meant for the release on top of the new state of the `master` branch.
-- [ ] Merge all the k6-docs repository's branches containing changes related to the release.
+- [ ] Merge the `k6-docs` repository's Javascript API archiving PR and rebase the rest of the branches meant for the release on top of the new state of the `main` branch.
+- [ ] Merge the release PR for `k6-docs` containing all the changes related to the release. The order in which this PR is merged relative to the previous one is crucial; otherwise, the new changes might inadvertently be incorporated into previous versions.
 - [ ] Ensure the last resulting k6-docs GitHub action targetting the `main` branch sees its "Check broken links" job pass.
 - [ ] Publish the new [vX.Y.Z version of docs](https://github.com/grafana/k6-docs/releases/new).
 - [ ] Ensure the k6 repository release notes PR contains the correct links to the docs.