Add release / support information

Signed-off-by: Tim Smith <tsmith@chef.io>

2 files changed, 74 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/docs/dev/README.md b/docs/dev/README.md
index 0ffbd51e51..0f15ee6dee 100644
--- a/docs/dev/README.md
+++ b/docs/dev/README.md
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 This directory contains a collection of useful how-to guides for both new and seasoned Chef contributors. There are many guides explaining how to build, test, and contribute to Chef Infra as well as documents describing how the many subsystems function.
 
+A good first start is our [How Chef Infra Is Built](how_chef_is_built.md) and [Chef Infra Release and Support Schedule](release_and_support_schedule.md)
+
 ## How-To Guides
 
 - [Building and Installing](./how_to/building_and_installing.md)
diff --git a/docs/dev/policy/release_and_support_schedule.md.md b/docs/dev/policy/release_and_support_schedule.md.md
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+# Chef Infra Release and Support Schedule
+
+## Versioning Scheme
+
+Chef Infra releases follow a `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` versioning scheme based on [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org).
+
+Given a version number `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH`:
+
+  * **MAJOR** version releases (e.g. 1.x -> 2.x) will include breaking or backwards-incompatible changes.
+    * _Example: When changing the load order of any cookbook segments_
+  * **MINOR** version releases (e.g. 1.1 -> 1.2) will include new features, bug fixes, and will be backwards-compatible to the best of the maintainers' abilities.
+    * _Example: When adding support to the mount provider for special filesystem types that were previously unsupported._
+    * _Example: Major version bump of a software dependency._
+  * **PATCH** version releases (e.g. 1.1.1 -> 1.1.2) will include backwards-compatible bug fixes.
+    * _Example: Minor version bump of a software dependency._
+
+When incrementing a version, the following conditions will apply:
+
+  * When **MAJOR** increases, **MINOR** and **PATCH** will be reset to zero (e.g. 11.X.X -> 12.0.0)
+    * _Note: New features that did not exist in version 1.1.0 may be released in 2.0.0 without any intermediary releases._
+  * When **MINOR** increases, **PATCH** will be reset to zero (e.g. 11.3.x -> 11.4.0)
+
+When contextually appropriate, a version may be referred to by only the **MAJOR** or **MAJOR.MINOR** versions. For example:
+
+  * a breaking change: "This behavior will change in Chef 16" would refer to the first release in the `16.MINOR.PATCH` series.
+  * a future feature release:: "We expect to release Chef Workstation 2.2 this month" would refer to the `2.2.PATCH` build that was selected as the stable release.
+
+### Auto-bumping PATCH versions
+
+Chef projects are managed by our Expeditor release tooling application. This application is executed each time a pull request is merged and incrementwss the patch version of the software before running the change through our internal CI/CD pipeline. As not all builds will make it successfully through the CI/CD pipeline, the versions available for public consumption might have gaps (e.g. 1.2.1, 1.2.10, 1.2.11, 1.2.12, 1.2.20), but all verisons have been built and tested.
+
+## Support Schedule
+
+Chef currently supports the current major version release as well as the previous major version release. These releases each fall into one of three distinct lifecycle stages:
+
+  - Generally Available
+  - Deprecated
+  - End of Life (EOL)
+
+### Generally Available (GA)
+
+This stage indicates that the release version is in active development.
+
+  - Releases occur per our regular release schedule
+  - New features as well as bug fixes ship in each new release
+  - When a new major version release of Chef Infra ships it becomes the new GA release and the previous release moves to the Deprecated stage
+
+### Deprecated
+
+This stage indicates that a release version is no longer in active development and will eventually move to end of life status.
+
+  - Releases do not follow our regular release schedule, but instead only occur as necessary for critical bugs or security vulnerabilities.
+  - After a year releases transition from Deprecated to End of Life status when a new major release is made.
+
+### End of Life (EOL)
+
+This stage indicates a previously deprecated release version, which is no longer supported
+  - No additional releases will be made
+  - Documentation will be archived
+  - Cookbooks and other community tooling may no longer function using this version of Chef Infra
+
+## Release Schedule
+
+The current Generally Availble (stable) release of Chef Infra is released on a regular cadence with a new **minor release shipping every month** during the 2nd week of the month. A new **major release ships every April**, at which time the previous GA release will become deprecated with further releases only for critical bugs or security issues.
+
+Each release will be announced to the "chef-release" [Chef Mailing List](https://discourse.chef.io) category, notifying users of the new stable release.
+
+### Example Release / Support Cycle
+
+April 2019: Chef 15.0 released as GA
+April 2020: Chef 15 becomes Deprecated when Chef 16 ships
+April 2021: Chef 15 becomes End of Life when Chef 17 ships