| Overview: | | | | scoring did not differentiate between performance in |
| This article is the last in a series of five which explain | | | | Operations, or on Projects or on implementing Change |
| how an IT organization delivered a release | | | | Requests. It was the simple view of their Overall |
| management process that exceeded its | | | | Satisfaction. We believe that the efforts on release |
| management's expectations and provided a foundation | | | | management were a major factor in raising the score |
| for continued success. The series includes: | | | | from the prior year. Another major win was that the IT |
| | | | organization turned the corner on the Year 2000 |
| 1. How did we get here - THE CONTEXT | | | | without mishaps. |
| 2. First solution steps - DEFINITIONS AND TRIAGE | | | | Change Requests Completed or Cancelled The |
| 3. Intake and Release Planning - THE CORE | | | | consulting engagement began in early May of 1999. At |
| SOLUTION | | | | that point in time the definition of Change Requests did |
| 4. Production Change Control - FINAL QUALITY | | | | not include production software changes caused by |
| CONTROL | | | | major projects. Using the new definitions of what |
| 5. Metrics and Insights - LESSONS LEARNED | | | | Release Management considered an in-scope Change |
| Summary: | | | | Request, the base of Change Requests Completed |
| Many Information Technology organizations flounder | | | | was expanded for the earlier time period so that a fair |
| when they are tasked to understand, organize and | | | | comparison can be drawn. The IT organization, using |
| implement change to the system and application | | | | Release Management, dispatched about 85% more |
| software serving their clients and end customers over | | | | Change Requests over 12 months. As a parallel |
| a period of several years. This fifth article focuses on | | | | metrics observation, the IT group set annual targets for |
| the key results of the solutions developed during the | | | | completing change requests. Their goal for the year |
| Release Management consulting engagement. Please | | | | 1999 was 140 (this was considered an aggressive |
| refer to the first Article - THE CONTEXT for a full | | | | target at the time). On a calendar year basis, IT |
| discussion of the problem domain and organization, to | | | | completed 172 Change Requests in 1999. |
| the second article - DEFINITIONS AND TRIAGE for a | | | | Major Projects Completed In case people wonder if IT |
| discussion of the get-ready steps, to the third, THE | | | | just re-directed effort to do more change requests, |
| CORE SOLUTION for details on planning releases, and | | | | thus short-changing the efforts on projects, the |
| to the fourth FINAL QUALITY CONTROL to learn | | | | numbers for major projects are shown. We do not |
| how implementation quality was improved. These | | | | know what % of total resources were used year |
| articles all were entitled Proven, Practical Tactics for | | | | over year, as project-hour accounting was weak. |
| Agile IT Release Management. Now is the time to | | | | Given that the Year 2000 Project was a major |
| assess how "Agile" were we? This Release | | | | endeavor, I offer that it is safe to assume that there |
| Management process was implemented in 1999, | | | | was no disproportionate shift of resources that |
| without benefit of access to the thoughts and ideas | | | | favored better Change Request results. |
| published following the Agile Manifesto. We also have | | | | Average Age of Change Request Backlog We |
| some basic metrics to consider and explain, and | | | | decided to consider how well we were doing in terms |
| thoughts on the lessons along the road. | | | | of reducing the amount of time the clients were |
| How Agile Was This Work? | | | | waiting to get their Change Requests taken care of. |
| I willingly concede that there are experts in the Agile | | | | For the period in question, no significance can be |
| community who are far better qualified to render an | | | | observed. At least it didn't trend up! Our first-hand |
| opinion on how closely this work conforms to the | | | | experience was that we were getting to the high |
| principles of Agile Software development and the | | | | priority requests quicker, but we didn't collect metrics in |
| complementary Scrum approaches to Product and | | | | Excel for this. |
| Enterprise Requirements management. On the one | | | | Size of Change Request Backlog In a similar vein, we |
| hand this was not a discussion of software | | | | kept an eye on the total change requests. We saw |
| development. The Agile Manifesto states (Author's | | | | minor fluctuations, but in general, the client community |
| Note: the specific reference for this quote is given at | | | | was always submitting more improvements. There |
| the end of this article): "We are uncovering ways of | | | | was no budgetary chargeback mechanism from the IT |
| developing software by doing it and helping others do | | | | department to the VPs, so asking for more IT work |
| it. Through this work we have come to value: | | | | had no direct consequences for them. |
| | | | Lessons Learned |
| 1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools | | | | |
| 2. Working software over comprehensive | | | | 1. First and foremost, the direct investment made in |
| documentation | | | | Release Management implementation brought better |
| 3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation | | | | than expected results for the stakeholders. |
| 4. Responding to change over following a plan" | | | | 2. I was amazed and delighted to see the Wall of |
| Our process work was very steadfast, disciplined and | | | | Index Cards morph over time to be a more elaborate |
| critical to success. Our interactions were frequent and | | | | information radiator for the organization. One example |
| very focused. We used plain cheap tools, but | | | | was the addition of colored dots to the cards for Top |
| exceedingly well. Individuals - we used everyone's | | | | 5 and also QC status. We also got tricky with |
| strengths to succeed. I'd give us a grade of a B on | | | | positioning cards above and below certain horizontal |
| item 1. The Release Management process took no | | | | lines to convey new information. We also started to |
| notice of the interim steps of software development. In | | | | display the thermometer of completed change |
| fact we stripped out tracking of interim dates, then put | | | | requests versus the annual target (it was uplifting). |
| back in the importance of starting QA. The only thing | | | | There is a lot of truth to the adage that you learned |
| we worried about was production-ready software. I'd | | | | everything you need to know in kindergarten..... |
| give us a grade of A. On customer collaboration, we | | | | 3. The solutions we applied were just about perfect |
| certainly improved communications about what was | | | | for a collocated organization with the configuration |
| being worked on (and what wasn't also was obvious). | | | | management and QC processes in place and an |
| We definitely showed the VPs that we were trying to | | | | organizational commitment to release management. |
| slide their Top 5 requests in at the earliest juncture in | | | | 4. The CIO, seeing that the process was successfully |
| the overall plan. The Release Management process | | | | embedded, at the end of 1999 asked the consultant to |
| did not operate at the level of the software's | | | | do a fresh study of the commercial software market |
| requirements, design and functionality. In essence we | | | | for supporting tools in the Release Management arena |
| just did a great job of clearly starting and stopping | | | | - none were found that could match the team |
| work. I'd give us a B on item 3. This process excelled | | | | effectiveness we achieved with cards on a wall. |
| at responding to change over following a plan. Every | | | | 5. The role and actions of the Release Manager were |
| week we would build a firm Release Schedule for 6 | | | | very well defined. Hence, I prepared a transition plan to |
| Releases, and the very next week we would re-work | | | | bring in an internal manager for the ongoing position of |
| the whole thing due to circumstances and reality. We | | | | Release Manager. It took over 4 months to locate and |
| did that with clarity, collaboration, understanding and | | | | train a replacement candidate for the permanent |
| high levels of communication. I'd give us an A+ here. | | | | position. The first chosen candidate just couldn't keep |
| Metrics | | | | the pace of detailed item management that was |
| I will restate my opinion that 99% of the published | | | | required. |
| material regarding IT processes lack meaningful | | | | 6. If this problem had involved 600 Change Requests, it |
| statistical indicators. There is a lot of "crowing" about | | | | might not have worked at all. As long as we had |
| methods and tools, but not a lot of believable concrete | | | | fewer than 350, we could handle it on one wall and |
| information. Also, keep in mind that IT headcounts | | | | you could read every card from about 15 feet away. |
| were held constant for the periods in question. Here is | | | | There are limits to this media/storyboard approach. |
| a sample of the data and metrics we collected: | | | | Conclusion/Transition |
| Release Management Selected Metrics | | | | There is a huge amount of value to creating a Visual |
| Year End 1998 Year End 1999 Improvement | | | | Decision board that covers the whole problem for an |
| Customer Satisfaction 2.5 4.0 60.0% | | | | organization. This general finding can be applied in a |
| 6/1/98 - 5/31/99 6/1/99 - 5/31/2000 Improvement | | | | low-cost manner to many problems. In my research to |
| CRs Completed or Cancelled 97 218 | | | | find an adequate software package solution for |
| Including Project Releases 118 218 84.7% | | | | Release Management, nearly all stumble on the |
| Major Projects Completed 10 15 50.0% | | | | problem of scale on a 21" computer monitor. To this |
| As of 5/31/1999 As of 5/31/2000 | | | | day, the tenth anniversary of this endeavor, only very |
| Avg Age of CR Backlog 197 days 187 days -10 days | | | | sophisticated hardware systems and conference |
| Size of CR Backlog 307 297 -10 CRs | | | | room environments begin to match THE WALL and |
| Customer Satisfaction - IT The CIO conducted a very | | | | the practices we used. I smile each time I see a |
| simple poll of the senior managers in the organization | | | | modern spy movie, or "24" or CSI Miami dazzle the |
| each year, asking for an overall degree of satisfaction | | | | audience with technology for the virtual space and |
| with the IT performance for the prior year. On a scale | | | | index card/puzzle manipulation approach in a |
| of 1 to 5, the 10 managers selected from Very | | | | sophisticated manner. |
| Unsatisfactory (1) to Outstanding (5). This simple | | | | |