Skip to main content

Release Planning

Release planning is a critically important stage in managing any IT project. The quality of release planning determines the success of implementing changes, the stability of the system, and user satisfaction.

Objectives of Release Planning​

Release planning allows you to:

  • Structure the process of implementing changes.
  • Minimize the risks associated with deployment.
  • Ensure that all tasks are completed within established deadlines.
  • Successfully integrate with necessary systems.

Key Steps in Release Planning​

1. Defining Release Windows​

A release window is a pre-planned time frame during which a release is deployed. In Salesforce projects, release windows are often determined based on the company’s business cycle or user needs. To minimize the impact on employee workflows, releases may be scheduled during periods of low activity (outside of working hours or on weekends).

Factors to consider when choosing a release window:

  • Impact on business processes: How will the changes affect current operations? It’s important to choose a time when the potential impact will be minimal.
  • Dependencies on other projects: The release may depend on the completion of other initiatives.
  • Availability of the team: Ensure that all key participants, including developers, testers, and administrators, are available to support the release.
  • Duration of activities: There should be enough time for deploying the release, testing, and applying corrective measures if issues are discovered.

2. Coordination with Stakeholders​

Effective release planning requires close coordination among all project participants. It’s important to establish clear communication channels, define areas of responsibility, and assign accountable personnel, especially for large projects.

Key steps in coordination:

  • Defining roles and responsibilities: Team members must clearly understand their roles in the release process if they are involved. This includes who is responsible for developer support, testing, deployment, and monitoring.
  • Regular meetings: Holding regular status meetings helps track progress and quickly resolve any issues that arise.
  • Agreeing on deadlines: All participants should agree on the deadlines for their tasks to avoid delays and conflicts during the merge.
  • Assigning a primary communication channel: It’s important to designate a communication channel and ensure it’s accessible to all stakeholders. A good practice is to develop message templates for various stages of release preparation and deployment. It may also be useful to assign separate communication channels for different stages to simplify communication with various groups of stakeholders.

3. Risk Assessment​

Risk assessment is a crucial part of release planning as it helps anticipate potential problems and develop contingency plans.

Factors to consider in risk assessment:

  • Complexity of changes: The more changes there are, the higher the likelihood of errors.
  • Dependencies: Identifying dependencies ensures the necessary testing of dependent systems and determines additional actions if needed.
  • Code quality: Thorough testing in sandbox environments is essential. Automated tests help identify potential issues early, reducing the cost of errors.
  • Readiness for rollback: Developing a rollback plan in case something goes wrong is a mandatory part of risk management. The rollback should ensure the most reliable and quickest way to return to the previous stable production version.
  • Presence of manual steps: When deploying a release, it’s important to consider the possibility of performing both pre-deployment and post-deployment manual steps. A reliable and understandable system for recording and tracking manual steps is necessary. It’s crucial to automate manual steps as much as possible, especially repetitive tasks.

4. Resource Planning​

Resource planning involves determining the necessary resources for the successful completion of the release, including people, technology, and time.

Key aspects of resource planning:

  • Team resources: Determine how many people will be needed at each stage of the release and ensure their availability.
  • Tools and technology: Ensure that the team has access to all the necessary tools, technologies, and environments.
  • Timeframes: Break the release into stages and set clear deadlines for each, taking into account potential delays.
  • Communication channels: Using a communication channel for coordinating the actions of employees and stakeholders involved in the release is essential for successful coordination. A clear plan for using the communication channel is also necessary to ensure that information is accessible and correctly distributed among participants.

Coordinating Releases with Multiple Teams​

In large projects, several teams are often involved, each responsible for its own scope of tasks. In such conditions, coordination becomes critically important.

Tips for coordination:

  • Shared roadmap: Create a shared release roadmap so that all teams can see how their work fits into the overall process.
  • Task management system: Use project management systems (e.g., Jira, Trello) to track the progress of each team’s tasks and timely identify potential conflicts.
  • Agreed-upon processes: Ensure that all teams work according to agreed-upon processes, including standard procedures for testing, code review, and deployment.
  • Regular meetings: Regular meetings, for example, between tech leads, help better coordinate actions between development teams and minimize dependency risks.

Conclusion​

Release planning is a multifaceted process that requires careful attention and coordination of efforts from all project participants. The success of a release depends on the correct selection of release windows, effective team coordination, thorough risk assessment, and thoughtful resource planning. By following these principles, you can minimize risks, improve release quality, and ensure the stability of the system. Successful release planning contributes to the overall growth and efficiency of the team, enhancing trust in the development and change implementation processes.