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where am I > Home > Release Management
"Release Management is not just about the final push to Production.
It needs to be pervasive throughout the development lifecycle."
Release Management has a different meaning depending on where
you’re viewing it from.
Prince2, the
V-Model and
ITIL all
talk about Release Management but only from their distinct perspectives. Prince2
and the V-Model concern themselves with Release Management from a project
manager’s perspective and ITIL concerns itself with Release Management from an
operational, IT services, perspective looking at the final over-the-wall
delivery to production.
However, Release Management is actually an end-to-end process
that exists in its own right and isn’t just an adjunct to another process. It
covers the full development lifecycle as well as the final delivery. This
end-to-end process integrates and interacts with the Release Management
components of the various methodologies and frameworks in use.
Using an airport analogy, the Release Manager is the person in
the control tower making sure that each aeroplane (release) arrives on schedule
and that the correct ground handling is in place to meet it. This is the ITIL
aspect of Release Management.
When an aeroplane crashes on the runway the reason for that crash is not
normally to do with the arrival itself but something that occurred sometime
before, perhaps when the aeroplane was 30 miles out from the airport or even,
in some well documented cases, when the pilot had an argument with his wife
before leaving home that day and before he’d even set foot in the cockpit. This
is the analogy with end-to-end Release Management.
You may feel the pain as the releases are being implemented but more often than
not the problems were created weeks or months before during the development
process.
If you are only performing parts of Release Management then
you could be missing out on the cost savings and risk reduction gained by
operating an overall Release Management process.
Download our free white paper which explains how you can
implement end-to-end Release Management:
Beyond ITIL: A model for effective end-to-end Release Management.
Often the first time the need for Release Management is
recognised is six months after it should have been in place. It’s not just
Release Management that’s required, it’s Release Management yesterday.
This is where we come in. Propel Systems recognise that time
is of the essence. Using our proven Release Management framework we can quickly
implement a comprehensive bespoke solution from policy through to processes and
procedures.
Whilst we can’t perform miracles we can deliver operational
Release Management within weeks rather than months. And our iterative approach
means that we start capturing information and gaining control before the final
processes are in place. This gives you the breathing space you need and allows
us to progressively deliver the solution without slowing you down.
Our software solution, Cimera Release Manager, has a
configuration that supports Release Management comprehensively out of the box.
It can easily be integrated with your existing version control, automated
testing and service management toolsets. We don’t know of any other software
that is specifically designed to give comprehensive support all aspects of
Release Management from planning through to retirement.
Cimera manages the release schedule with the ability to drill
down into the technical and business changes. Cimera manages both builds and
releases. It manages your testing environments, keeping track of the physical
machines and the application builds and system software installed on each.
Cimera manages workflow items such as release requests and environment changes
ensuring the right people are notified at the right times. Cimera secures your
documents and makes them easily accessible by all users.
If you don’t have management tools then Cimera is easily
configured to also manage problems, changes, projects or whatever other items
you want to control.
Cimera has granular security and audit trails and allows you
to search through items and file attachments with the Google-style syntax and
speed that you’re familiar with.
Propel Systems offer the following services:
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Audit existing Development & Operational Release Management processes,
highlight weaknesses and recommend improvements
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Implement our end-to-end Release Management framework tailored to your needs
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Implement Development Release Management interfacing with your existing
Operational Release Management
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Improve your Operational “over the wall” Release Management processes
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Release Management training
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