How To Build A Successful Agile Software Release Plan And Checklist

There are several steps to build an effective, successful, and organized agile software release plan. Application launch, deployment, and distribution has now become a highly-complex, intensive process. Successful release requires extreme precision, top-tier talent, knowledgeable expertise, and specific skills. As a software developer yourself, you should know how to navigate this essential process. This way, you can minimize project risks, avoid unnecessary expenses, and inspire stakeholder reputation. Then, you’ll be ready to employ these tactics on your next custom software, mobile app, or business eCommerce website release. Read on to learn about building a successful agile software release plan and checklist.

Define And Clarify Your Vision

First and foremost, you need to define, clarify, and refine the vision for your software product. Envision how your application should look, feel, and function following a successful release. This underlying vision will guide you to make future decisions for upgrades, optimizations, supported integrations. To ensure you get the vision right, meet with some executive stakeholders, end clients, or sample-group end users. Together, you can discuss intended product goals, release methods, and forecasted outcomes. Then, determine how these goals fit into the larger, bigger picture objectives of the organization. Certainly, define and clarify your vision as part of your software development project release plan and checklist.

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Install Powerful Development Tools

Next, install some powerful software development tools to accelerate, fortify, and optimize your application release processes. Many teams use the JFrog software distribution platform to accelerate releases and concurrent downloads at-scale. These tools give you the functionality to establish an agile, flexible, and massively scalable hybrid application release stack.

Using this platform, you can assure trusted, immutable delivery for a wide range of application types. After all, JFrog provides users with secure release packages and software bill of materials (SBOMs) – which all come certified, tracked, and GPG-authorized for secure distribution. Adopting these tools, distribution and release processes become native to your established DevOps pipeline. Plus, they become closely intertwined with binary management, security protocols, and CI/CD integrations. Surely, install powerful development tools as part of your successful software release plan.

Estimate The Release Process

Now, you are ready to start estimating what the actual software release process will look like. Specifically, you want to plan for all the time, money, and labor that is needed for a successful launch. You should also take time to identify any potential obstacles, issues, or backlog items. Get together with the development teams and review estimates, verify stakeholder expectations, and calculate a precise timeframe. Be sure to reserve extra time for potentially unforeseen, unexpected process issues. Indeed, estimate what the release process will look like before launching your custom software application.

Establish Release Goals And Priorities

With a clear estimate in place, you can start organizing all of your goals, priorities, and expectations for release day. The primary goal of software release day is to launch an application that is secure, immutable, functional, and bug-free. To get specific, you should also set goals related to your application’s quality score following release. These scores can be measured by your QA team, and established based on pre-determined benchmarks and key performance indicators (KPIs). With strong goals in place, you significantly increase your chances of leading a strong, secure, scalable software release. Definitely, establish goals and priorities within your successful agile software application release plan.

Assemble A Release Team

At this point, it is time to start assembling a knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced application release team. Your release team will be commissioned with planning, managing, scheduling, and overseeing the end-to-end software release process. They’re responsible for delivering your product on-time – in accordance with initial launch goals, end user expectations, and stakeholder deadlines.

On your team, you’ll need to appoint a release manager, software developer, as well as a quality assurance (QA) specialist. Some companies even designate a security officer, who is responsible for vulnerability scanning and troubleshooting as well. Absolutely, assemble a release team to securely launch and deploy an agile software application today.

There are several steps to build a successful agile software application release plan. First and foremost, define your vision for the IT project. In addition, install some powerful development tools, programming resources, and supporting technologies. Now, you are ready to start estimating, forecasting, and envisioning the actual software release process. From here, you should list out all of your priorities, goals, and expectations. At this point, it is time to get your release team together. Follow the points above to learn about building a successful agile software release plan and checklist.