In present times, software development includes agile practices that have resulted in faster delivery of efficient software by discovering the requirements and coming up with solutions improvement.
With evolving technologies and new innovations, software systems need more specialisation and reduced issues in quality. With release management, the number of successful releases can be increased, and quality can be improved.
So, the article further explores the release management process and role of a release manager in detail.
What Is Release Management?
Release management is the long-term process that includes strategic planning of software releases, designing them efficiently, controlling the software build, testing, and deploying them.
The involved teams need to monitor the entire process, ensuring that the applications and upgrades are delivered. Also, an integrated production environment is maintained.
Half-baked releases are a complete no-no in the IT sector. In the dynamic business market, delivering value is extremely important. Therefore, IT organisations focus on a robust release management process for improving quality, speed and efficiency.
For a successful launch and optimised release management, organisations usually adopt different techniques like continuous delivery, agile development, data compliance solutions, DevOps, etc.
Role Of Release Manager
The release manager monitors and manages the complete software delivery life cycle. Starting from the planning phase of release management to the testing and development phase and finally the deployment phase, it is the responsibility of the manager to work with the team, monitor and execute the process efficiently, ensuring coordination.
- The manager needs to plan the projects and schedule the timely delivery of the software release. DevOps always emphasises the frequent release of the software so they can reach the end-users faster. The priority is always improving the user experience. Therefore, the release manager must be familiar with DevOps tools, data protection compliance solutions, setting up test environments, and other skills involved in the software release lifecycle.
- The role is quite challenging, undoubtedly. Along with technical skills, the release manager must also possess interpersonal skills to ensure continuous integration and continuous delivery. It will also help in addressing cross-functional issues within the team and implementing the best practices as per the project requirements.
Therefore, the release manager needs to understand business needs and priorities for the seamless alignment of the organisational goals and software development process.
Steps In Release Management Process
There are broadly six important steps in the release management process:
Request- The very first step is evaluating the established functions and existing services and identifying the areas that demand new features and changes. It is impossible to translate all the requests into a new single release. Different criteria like the feasibility, costs involved, the rationale has to be considered.
Planning- After finalising the requests, the next step is the plan and define the release structure. The plan must ensure that the requirements are satisfied. A detailed action plan for different individuals and teams must be drafted. The estimated timelines and deadlines must be set.
Designing and Building- After the approval and planning process, the next step is to convert the requirements into code and bring the plan into action. The established requirements are needed to be converted into the application feature.
Testing- After the designing process, the product needs to be tested in a real-time environment. This will help in identifying bugs through functional and non-functional tests. It mostly requires multiple iterations for successful testing.
Deployment- The final step is the live implementation of the release and making it available to the end-users. Supplementary educational materials, notification changes, and other training resources must be made available. Even if it is the last step, the process still continues; the team must ensure follow-up actions by identifying issues and addressing them.
Ensure to hire the best resources for release management and data compliance solutions.
Best practices in release management?
Some of the best practices for release management are:
- Clearly defining the requirements and objectives
- Using proactive testing, actively monitoring, identifying as well as resolving incidents during the release process
- Including automation wherever possible to minimise errors.
Benefits Of Release Management
The release management process has different advantages like:
- Increasing the number of successful releases
- Reducing problems related to quality
- Improving productivity and decreasing the risk
- Repeatedly producing quality software
- Addressing the configuration between the operations and development sectors
- Holistically developing product delivery
