Release Management: A Definitive Guide


In the past, release management and software deployment used to be extravagant affairs. However, with the advancement of technology, the release Management process has become significantly simplified. The introduction of DevOps has made the entire SDLC management easier for software professionals by incorporating Agile practices and automated tools. 


Fortunately, with advanced IT management tool and best practices, businesses can gain unparalleled speed, enhanced visibility, reliability, and collaboration within the release management pipeline. 


In the current era, IT organisations have started capitalising on modern techniques specifically designed for augmenting the efficiency of software developers. 


This blog will discuss the best practices you can adopt within your release management process for successful software development smoothly and easily.  


But before that, let's understand what a release management plan is and what steps are included within it. 


What Is Release Management?


Release management is a fresh concept in the software engineering realm. The Release Management process can be utilised for designing new applications to update the existing ones. From conceptualisation to deployment, this application project management plan encompasses everything. 


The release manager can utilise the management process for creating new project schedules, developing a team, assigning tasks, and planning various phases within a centralised portal. 


What exactly is the purpose of creating a release management plan? The fundamental objectives include enhancing deployment efficiency. Improving risk management and delivering value through the product. 


Given its wide array of benefits, release management is quickly gaining huge popularity. 


With the advancement of technology, user requirements are also evolving. Frequent releases with instant feedback are becoming a more common phenomenon. Release management offers an efficient and practical solution to modern software development requirements. 

In many cases, DevOps and DataOps are used interchangeably. While the philosophy remains the same behind these two practices, DevOps deals with the software development process, and DataOps is reserved for data management workflows. 


Steps Involved In Release Management 


A release management plan involves the following phases:



  • Designing an IT release schedule

  • Developing a solution release schedule ( Schedule not planned within the IT release is included within this category)

  • Plan and allocate infrastructure-related tasks

  • Product readiness testing

  • Support delivery teams

  • Manage releases and acknowledge the improvement areas for implementation in the next release. 


Also Read: In what ways does DevOps project management improve pipelines?


 

Best Practices In Release Management


The best practices in release management plan include:


Clearly Define Realistic Success Criteria And KPIs.


To define the success of your software release, you will need to set measurable criteria. Understand which quality metrics work best for your business. 


The best way to define specific success criteria is by fostering collaboration between release and testing managers, product owners, and all relevant stakeholders. You can confirm acceptance criteria and vital KPIs with the collaborative effort before initiating a new project.


Aim To Reduce Downtime


Excessively lengthy downtime is accompanied by unhappy clients and frustrated customers. Downtime is never good for business. 


Proactive monitoring, real-time collaborative alert systems, and consistent testing can help you identify potential issues and threats during the software release, thus providing an opportunity to reduce downtime. 


Introduce Automation To Streamline The Release Management Process


In DevOps release management, automation plays a key role. Introducing automation enhances the efficiency of your task force, technology, and overall organisational workforce. 


The key to success in DevOps release management is automation. You should always automate anything that can accelerate the efficiency of your workforce, technology, and operations. Automating using IT management tool can help reduce human errors, streamline the technical process, and simplify regular operations.


Conclusion


Release management is an integral component of the future of software development. Following the best practices, you can easily streamline your release processes and ensure to deliver quality in the end product. 





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