# Measure Release Impact with Before-and-After Customer Feedback

Check if a release worked by comparing customer feedback on the themes it targeted in equal windows before and after launch, with quotes and a clear verdict.

- URL: https://getdeck.io/playbooks/release-impact-check
- Author: Matt Teixeira
- Published: 2026-11-01
- Updated: 2026-11-01
- Stage: Act

## How Do You Measure the Impact of a Release?

Pick the themes the release targets, then compare Deck's feedback totals in two equal windows: the days before the release and the same number of days after. Read the negative and bug totals, the trend, and quotes from after the release. Call the result fewer, about the same, more, or too early to tell.

## Why Teams Never Know If a Release Worked

The fix shipped, the ticket closed, and everyone moved on. A month later someone asks whether complaints went down, and the answer is a feeling. Without the same measure before and after, a quiet week looks like success and a noisy one looks like a regression.

## How Deck Compares Feedback Before and After a Release

Deck dates every insight by when the customer said it, so the same theme can be counted in two equal windows around the release. Subthemes show what is trending or changed suddenly, and a completed Project keeps attaching new matching feedback. You get side-by-side totals and real quotes, not a percentage someone guessed.

Deck features used:

- [Themes](https://getdeck.io/product/themes)
- [Projects](https://getdeck.io/product/projects)

## How to Run a Release Impact Check in Deck

### 1. Pin the Release Date

Write down the date the change shipped and what it changed. If it came from a Deck Project, open it in Build → Projects and read its Success Metrics. The check is more reliable once 14 days or more have passed.

### 2. Pick the Themes It Targets

On the Project's Evidence tab, select Related Insights and note which themes they belong to. Keep the one to three themes that come up most. Without a Project, find the topic in Visualize → Themes.

### 3. Compare Equal Windows Before and After

Open each theme in Visualize → Themes. Use the sentiment timeline to compare the same length of time on each side of the release. Filter the theme's insights by negative sentiment, or by Bugs & Errors for a bug fix.

### 4. Check What Is Trending

On the Starter plan or higher, open Visualize → Subthemes and switch to Trending or Sudden Changes. Look for subthemes about what you shipped. A spike after the release can be a regression.

### 5. Read the Feedback Since Launch

Read the negative quotes from after the release and sort each one: same problem still there, a new problem, or not related. Then read the positive ones for praise of the change. On a completed Project, Deck adds new matching feedback to Related Insights automatically.

### 6. Write the Verdict

Put the totals side by side and call it fewer, about the same, more, or too early to tell. Add caveats, such as a short window or other launches in the same weeks. Record the result in the Project's Success Metrics.

## Check Release Impact with Your AI Agent

You need:

- Deck MCP connected to your agent
- Customer feedback already in Deck

Your agent starts with the `explore_themes` tool.

Paste this prompt into your agent:

```text
Use Deck MCP. Fetch and follow https://docs.getdeck.io/docs/agents/workflows/release-impact-check.md
```

Full agent workflow: https://docs.getdeck.io/docs/agents/workflows/release-impact-check.md

## Release Impact Report Template

### Release Impact Report

```text
## Release
Shipped: [What changed]
Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
Project: [Deck Project link or none]
Scope: [All customers or segment name]

## Totals (equal windows)
| Theme | Window | Total | Negative | Bugs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Theme] | Before: [dates] | [Deck count] | [Deck count] | [Deck count] |
| [Theme] | After: [dates] | [Deck count] | [Deck count] | [Deck count] |
| All feedback | Before / After | [Deck count] / [Deck count] | - | - |

TRENDS
Subtheme trend: [Rising / Falling / Flat]
NPS driver: [Only if the release targets one]

QUOTES FROM AFTER THE RELEASE
Still there: "[Quote]"
New problem: "[Quote]"
Praise: "[Quote]"

VERDICT
Result: Fewer / About the same / More / Too early to tell
Caveats: [Short window, sources still processing, other launches]
```

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How long should we wait after a release?

At least 14 days gives a more reliable read. If fewer than 7 days have passed, the honest verdict is too early to tell.

### Why totals and not a percent change?

The report shows Deck's totals for both windows side by side, so anyone can check them. It does not compute percent changes or claim the release caused the change. It names other events in the same period instead.

### Which plan do I need?

Theme and insight totals work on every plan. Subtheme trends and NPS trends need the Starter plan or higher. On Free, the check leaves those parts out and says why.

### How does Deck date feedback?

By when the customer said it: the interview date, else the import date. If sources are still processing or waiting for credits, the after totals can still grow.

### Does the check change anything in Deck?

No. It only reads. Adding the result to the Project's Success Metrics or marking the Project Completed happens only after you say yes.

### Can my AI agent run this?

Yes. With Deck MCP connected, paste the prompt on this page. The agent pulls exact totals for both windows, Deck's trend data, and quotes, then writes the report. It asks before it writes anything back to the Project.

## Related Playbooks

- [Close the Loop: Tell Customers When Their Feedback Shipped](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/customer-follow-up.md): Find the customers whose feedback asked for a change you shipped, draft a short personal note for each, and send it from your own tools once you approve.
- [Build Features from Customer Evidence, Not Guesswork](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/build-from-evidence.md): Turn a Deck Project into a shipped change where every requirement links to the customer insights behind it. Build it yourself or with your coding agent.
- [Weekly Customer Feedback Report: What Changed This Week](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/weekly-signal-brief.md): Write a weekly brief of new feedback, growing themes, negative signal, and NPS movement, using Deck's own numbers and quotes. Run it in Deck or with your agent.