diff --git a/CHANGES.rst b/CHANGES.rst
index c7c9c190..6e1b7799 100644
--- a/CHANGES.rst
+++ b/CHANGES.rst
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 Changelog
 =========
 
+Version 1.2.0 [Unreleased]
+--------------------------
+
+Work in progress.
+
 Version 1.1.1 [2024-11-20]
 --------------------------
 
diff --git a/openwisp_utils/__init__.py b/openwisp_utils/__init__.py
index 5327dc4c..60e34a65 100644
--- a/openwisp_utils/__init__.py
+++ b/openwisp_utils/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-VERSION = (1, 1, 1, 'final')
+VERSION = (1, 2, 0, 'alpha')
 __version__ = VERSION  # alias