Release Management Software for Managing Release and Deployment

Release Management Software

Release Management encompasses an extensive array of features and metrics enabling an organization to utilize this module to achieve compliance with the Release Management ITIL Process, the CMMI Process Areas Requirements Management and Requirements Development and the ISO 20000-1:2005, Section 10 Release Process.

Release Management supports a tightly coupled interface with Change & Configuration Management, thusly completing the circle of requirements control. This ITIL V3 certified module provides statistical reporting of release functions such as defect projections and developer productivity, (for software releases).

Release uses records requirement as key components, inclusive of design, resource assignment, estimation, verification and validation detail.

Key features of Release Management Module

ITG’s CENTRE software can provide your organization with an efficient solution to manage your release and deployment process.

CENTRE’s module for release management helps:

• Facilitate the entire life cycle of release and deployment.
• Manage relationships between all change requests and approvals associated with a specific release.
• Identify configuration items involved in changes and releases; integrate updates and version control.
• Provide enforcement for validation and testing activities.
• Incorporate best practice principles to prevent delays or major issues, improving performance.
• Create custom alerts and escalations based on organizationally defined criteria.
• Provide dashboards of release activities for oversight and governance.

CENTRE Release Management Software, as certified by Pink Verify, provides compliance with CMMI Requirements Development and Requirements Management.

Release Management and ISO 20000-1 ITSM

As software systems, development processes, and resources become more widely distributed, they become more specialized and complex. Release of software products and hardware is an ongoing cycle of development, testing, verification, and release. Release Management solves the growing complexity of systems which must fit together seamlessly to assure the success and long- term value of a product or project.

CENTRE’s Release Management is tightly integrated with ITSM processes and is designed to sustain software management in a planned, traceable, and orderly approach. Development of new software and modification of existing software is phased with documentation, verification, and disciplined execution. CENTRE’s Release Management will impart Best Practices through effective policies and procedures by:

• Tracking compliance.
• Tracking costs and hours.
• Maintaining audit trails.
• Reducing costly downtime and rework.
• Effecting software patch management
• Qualifying and quantifying the outlay.
• Reducing the risk of implementing change; and Managing the control and protection of software assets.

F.A.Q. Release & Deployment Management

Does the tool facilitate the management of the full lifecycle of Release and Deployment Management? For example, planning, building, testing, quality assurance, scheduling and deployment?
Yes. The proposed release methodology makes use of CENTRE Change Management, Configuration Management, Requirements Management, Projects (which includes software tasks and labor), Microsoft Essentials, and Source-safe software. Planning and building a release begins with a Request for Change (RFC) which when approved, creates the software requirement (which then becomes a task in the release project). The requirement is mapped to a release, created, tested, and verified. Quality metrics are captured during the build, testing and verification, and, during a set period after the deployment of the release.
The request is linked to associated configuration items If the RFC is a software change, it becomes a software requirement with linkage to the RFC.
The requirement is subject to testing, validation, verification and deployment instructions. Upon passing all the above it is assigned to a release:

Does the tool facilitate the establishment and governance of release readiness criteria? For example, the ability to establish tasks or auditable requirements which support the decision process for determining if all release requirements have been met for deployment approval.
Yes. A release is designed from SW requirements which are supported by change management and management board review and approval. SW requirements include tasks and auditable activities to meet deployment readiness criteria. As the SW requirement moves through its phases (planning and design, development, verification testing, and documentation), labor hours are captured to each phase by employee. All SW requirements to a release are bundled for deployment approval.

Does the tool incorporate or integrate with a Definitive Media Library (DML)?
Yes. The DML is maintained in CENTRE which maintains all DML CI’s.
All Release versions are securely maintained and cataloged. Modification to source code is securely controlled using Microsoft Source Safe applications. Source Safe provides backup and requisite audit trails of all release source modifications.
As changes are included in a release, DML CI’s are linked to the change record.

Does the tool support workflow integration with a DML to support release deployment and provisioning activities?
Yes. To support DML release activities, CENTRE has a workflow module which classifies actions for workflow which is presented on the user’s home screen.
Workflow activities are: issued, approved, opened, testing, and closed.

Does the tool facilitate the building, bundling and scheduling of different types of Release packages for deployment?
Yes. CENTRE is designed to bundle and schedule Delta, Full, and Package Releases.

Does the tool facilitate the flexible identification and control of all aspects of a release package such as software, hardware, documentation, training requirements, etc.?
Yes. Releases are the accumulation of change requests. Change requests’ maintain CI links to software requirements and hardware. The software requirements identify documentation and training requirements.

Does the tool facilitate the authorization and scheduling of Release deployments in conjuncture with a Change Management process and tool?
Yes. Release deployments are orchestrated and built from the Change Management System.

Does the tool facilitate the enforcement and coordination of Release validation and testing activities?
Yes. Release validation and testing activities are recorded within the SW Requirement record. The requirement must pass the validation testing to be released.

Does the tool facilitate the versioning of Release components and packages?
Yes. All releases are controlled and versioned.

Does the tool facilitate the management of the rollback of release packages to previous versions?
Yes. Release deployments are a specific list of the requirements that made the deployment. These requirements identify and facilitate the rollback of a release package. Requirements include RFC’s and associated CI’s.

Integration Criteria

Does the tool’s use of terms and definitions align with ITIL terms and definitions?
Yes. CENTRE has been certified as compliant with ITIL v2 in Incident, Problem, Change, and Configuration Management

Configuration Management: Does the tool integrate with the CMDB to gather or validate required information for Release builds and deployment activities?
Yes. Change requests and software requirements are linked to the associated release CMDB CI for the validation and updating of release CMDB data.

Does the tool facilitate the update of the CMDB with new version and CI information after the deployment of a Release?
Yes. The tool facilitates the update of CMDB by maintaining direct links to all associated change requests and SW requirements after the deployment of a release.
Change Request Links to the CMDB. Additionally, ‘MS Essentials’ will produce a report of device configurations for input into the CMDB.

Does the tool integrate with CMDB to support the association of Release records to CI records?
Yes. As listed in previous statement, the release record links back the RFC which links to the effected CI.

Change Management: Does the tool ensure that Release deployments are subject to scheduling and approvals requirements managed by the Change Management process?
Yes. The change management process maintains links to the SW Requirements which are included in the scheduling and approvals required for the management of deployments.

• Software Release Schedule
• Software Requirements for the Release
• Software Requirement Listing for the Release
• Software Requirement Link to the Change Request
• Change Request with Approval, Begin Work, Due, Validation Completion, and Desired Completion Dates