| Release Management is often seen
as a subset of Change Management but in reality
is an important ITIL element because it is often
the release of a change that fails rather than the
change itself. The ITIL goals are comprehensive
but very precise:
- to plan and oversee the successful rollout of software and related hardware
- to design and implement efficient procedures for the distribution and installation of Changes to IT systems
- to ensure that hardware and software being changed is traceable, secure and that only correct, authorised and tested versions are installed
- to communicate and manage expectations of the Customer during the planning and rollout of new Releases
- to agree the exact content and rollout plan for the Release, through liaison with change management
- to implement new software Releases or hardware into the operational environment using the controlling processes of configurations management and Change Management - a Release should be under Change Management and may consist of any combination of hardware, software, firmware and document ci's
- to ensure that master copies of all software are secured in the definitive software library (dsl) and that the configuration management database (CMDB) is updated
- to ensure that all hardware being rolled out or changed is secure and traceable, using the services of Configuration Management .
Eight elements usually mean a complicated Goal but in this case precision is important because Release Management needs careful handling. Let us look at each element in isolation:
To plan and oversee the successful rollout of software and related hardware – the keywords here are plan and oversee. Do you have clear plans to govern the rollout of software and hardware? Do you ensure that regular feedback is given to all interested parties during rollout? Do you use standard plans/projects as a template? If you can answer yes to all these questions then you have met this element. However if you cannot answer yes to any of these questions then the failures provide the basis for proving that you are not meeting this element. If you are not sure whether plans are used then they are most likely not to be used. If in doubt ask some key teams such as the Service Desk if they get involved, consulted or informed about rollouts.
To design and implement efficient procedures for the distribution and installation of Changes to IT systems – efficient procedures are usually known as ‘check lists’ or ‘work instructions’. These are used to make sure that the actions required in a process are performed to predefined service levels and standards. These procedures require constant tuning and correction to ensure that they are as accurate as possible. For example you may have a list of ten instructions that must be followed when testing a new workstation but because the Service Desk is getting calls concerning problems with the new workstations you may add another instruction to the list to remove the problems at source. So do you have efficient procedures and do you continually monitor their effectiveness? Do you upgrade those procedures when they seen to be inadequate? To meet this element you should be managing these procedures, if you are not look at the Service Desk records for proof that if they were in place you would have fewer incidents.
To ensure that hardware and software being changed is traceable, secure and that only correct, authorised and tested versions are installed – the hidden message in this element is that of licensing. How confident are you that you are within your licensing agreements? The element states that items must be; traceable, secure and that only correct, authorised and tested versions are installed. To be traceable it must have the appropriate CIs in the CMDB. To be secure is must have the correct levels of accessibility and for software have a copy in a secure location. To be correct it must have redundant versions removed from the ‘production’ environment. To be authorised it must have the correct level of signatures and meet the licensing terms and conditions. To be tested it must been independently tested to pre-set criteria. Quite a list, how good are you at these components? If you are not performing these well then there is your justification. If you are not performing them, or only parts of IT are performing them, then again go to your Service Desk records for proof. Sometimes a direct challenge can work, e.g. asking someone to confirm in writing that we are fully compliant with licensing terms and conditions.
To communicate and manage expectations of the Customer during the planning and rollout of new Releases – this is a fairly easy element to check. First are there plans for this to happen and second does it happen to the satisfaction of the customers. If you have communication built into your plans and procedures then you are meeting part one of this element, check to be sure. For part two don’t just look at the plans ask the customers if they are happy with the feedback they are getting and are satisfied that their expectations are being met. From this you can see if you are meeting this goal.
To agree the exact content and rollout plan for the Release, through liaison with change management – as we have mentioned before in this report success of ITIL lies within the integration of the processes. Here you have to review the relationship between Change and Release Management. It is essential that rollout planning includes Change Management so that other changes can be scheduled so that they will not clash with the rollout or cause delays to the rollout. Do you submit your rollout plans to Change Management for consultation? If not then you will get change clashes, potential delays and cannot meet the requirements of this element.
To implement new software Releases or hardware into the operational environment using the controlling processes of configuration management and Change Management - a Release should be under Change Management and may consist of any combination of hardware, software, firmware and document CI's – more integration. Note the elements states that a release may consist of; any combination of hardware, software, firmware and documentation. To ensure that a rollout is successful the CMDB must be updated during the rollout to reflect the current status of all CIs while Change Management is the vehicle to manage to status of the CIs. So it is critical that Configuration Management and Change Management are fully integrated, for this purpose, into releases and rollouts. If you have these levels of integration you are meeting this element but if not then you must make a clear case for the importance of this level of integration. Again the Service Desk records may provide some data to prove this point.
To ensure that master copies of all software are secured in the definitive softare library (dsl) and that the configuration management database is updated – securing master copies of software has been with IT since day one yet very often we are not very good at it. You must check whether all of the master copies of software are secured in a safe location and only copies are used in the ‘production’ environment. This should be easy to check and to prove.
To ensure that all hardware being rolled out or changed is secure and traceable, using the services of Configuration Management – this final element is here to ensure that the CMDB reflects the current status of all CIs at all times and that the Items listed in the CMDB actually exist. You can check this very easily by doing some ‘audits’ or ‘stock checks’ to compare the hardware listed in the CMDB against the actual hardware in some given locations. If all checks are correct then you are doing a great job but if they do not check then you have not met this element and are in danger from an official audit.
Business alignment indicator – Release Management has one of the most extensive sets of gaols in ITIL but we will only discuss the two prime goals here for business alignment:
- to agree the exact content and rollout plan for the Release, through liaison with change management
- to communicate and manage expectations of the Customer during the planning and rollout of new Releases
First of all it is almost impossible to agree a roll out plan without consulting the customers indeed they are an integral part of the planning. So to meet this goal you will need to work closely with the customers to prepare a release or rollout plan that not only meets IT needs but also takes into account customer availability and their business deliverables. Once you have agreed the plan you will need to provide constant feedback to your customers during the processing of the Release or rollout. Ideally the customers should be able to view the plan on-line any time and should receive regular reports from the plan team leader. One last point any potential changes to the plan must be discussed and agreed with the customers as soon as they are identified.
Release Management is a key process that is becoming increasingly important as IT penetrates further into the business fabric and processes. Do not dismiss Release Management as an infrequent activity it is a constant activity and if we are going to ensure that our organizations will benefit from future phases of IT then we must better manage our releases.
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