A popular romantic comedy film in 2016 (Failure to Launch) highlighted a young man who had difficulty moving out of his parent’s home. In the end, the characters successfully resolve their conflict and live happily ever after (out of his parent’s house). As in life, the groundwork preparation for a software launch is instrumental in a successful release. A script or roadmap for software launch is important. This script will assist in navigating issues that may arise in the launch and will help avoid any missteps.
The ANB System’s approach to software release is to follow a disciplined script for each step in the launch process. This script is based upon the years of experience in software deployment and creates milestones along the pathway to Go-Live. The production environment is created along with the master data. Then other key data is migrated over to the new platform. A series of smoke tests are then initiated to ensure the platform is functional. At this point, the decision is made to Go Live or not. Plans have also been made to Roll Back the platform in case of unexpected issues. The last step will be where the software is accepted by the users. Training manuals and other help materials are then provided.
The launch of a new platform or an update of a current one can be a stressful time. Having a set of tried-and-true procedures can help alleviate some of the stress and concern. In typical romantic comedy films, the characters are reunited through some type of outside intervention. This is not likely to happen in a software launch. While a happily ever after ending for every software launch is the desired result, only by putting in the disciplined effort to follow best practices can we make that a reality.
Written by – Michael Stockard
Michael Stockard is an independent consultant at Stockard Energy Advising and is a member of the Advisory Panel at ANB Systems. Michael has over 40 years of experience in the design and implementation of demand-side management programs.
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