PLUGGING THE GAP BETWEEN DEVOPS AND AGILE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION3

PROMOTING GOVERNANCE AND VISIBILITY

5

OPTIMISING WORKFLOWS AND COLLABORATION

7

INCREASING CUSTOMER VALUE AND SATISFACTION

9

CONCLUSION11

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The metrics for successful software development have changed.

Consumer and business use of devices has moved away from the desktop to incorporate mobile solutions, and users demand that their software is regularly updated with new features, improved security, and optimised efficiency and flexibility whilst maintaining quality.

INTRODUCTION

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Traditional release patterns are a thing of the past, with just 2 per cent of developers operating on an annual cycle according to Skytap. Almost half (44.7 per cent) are now pushing updates monthly with more than 30 per cent delivering weekly or even daily.

Continuous delivery is rapidly becoming the norm - 28 per cent of respondents to an Evans Research survey of software development professionals are using the methodology exclusively for all projects. Digging even deeper, a total of 92 per cent of respondents are at some stage of the transition to continuous delivery - having either already adopted it for some projects or planning to do so in the near future.

The challenge, however, is maintaining governance. As application landscapes continue to become more and more complex, there is a need to systematically implement control over enterprise releases without compromising velocity or time to market. The role of release management software is growing to meet this need, and Plutora is at the front line of that growth.

INTRODUCTION

According to Skytap, Traditional release patterns are a thing of the past, with just 2% of developers operating on an annual cycle

Sources:

Skytap - 2015 Software Development Survey - page 5

Perforce - “Continuous Delivery: The New Normal for Software Development” Evans Research

Survey of Software Development Professionals - page 5

5

Waterfall development has given way to agile methodologies, with two-thirds of organisations surveyed by TechBeacon either already working with pure agile or leaning in favour of it.

That evolution has happened in parallel with DevOps’ rise in prominence, however some developers have struggled to reconcile the two. Implementing improved release management solutions can bridge the gap between agile and DevOps, promoting engagement between teams to more closely align planning, tracking and reporting on releases.

PROMOTING GOVERNANCE AND VISIBILITY

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PROMOTING GOVERNANCE AND VISIBILITY

Plutora Release Manager provides a unified repository for all release information, making data more accessible and eliminating the need to sift through multiple, unreliable sources. It also provides:

Single system of record: With the advent of data-driven innovation, organisations with disparate, inaccessible information have struggled to monitor operations effectively. A single source of truth is critical to drive accurate insight, and gain visibility on software releases across the business.

Release management: Given the nature of continuous development cycles, organisations have multiple versions in progress at any given time. Innovative visual dashboards offer a clear breakdown of each release, including key milestones and gates, blockout periods, and schedules. That data can also be analysed by the software solutions, producing insightful management reports.

Risk management: With many projects in development in a fast-paced, innovative environment, having accurate system impact assessments is essential to offset risk. Shared environments nurture collaboration, but with multiple ongoing projects, it’s critical to ensure teams do not interfere with or disrupt each other’s processes. With access to real-time data, leadership teams can clearly see what each team is doing, identify risks and implement management strategies quickly, leaving more time for critical decision-making.

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A crucial element of digital transformation is automation. Using innovative tools to reduce manual workloads allows resources to be diverted to other areas to promote growth and encourage new ideas. Plutora’s single-platform approach removes much of the complexity of traditional development workflows, and its improved accessibility drives collaboration across the entire lifecycle of all key release elements.

OPTIMISING WORKFLOWS AND COLLABORATION

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OPTIMISING WORKFLOWS AND COLLABORATION

With powerful release management orchestration, all stakeholders have a consolidated view of release schedules and progress, with clear hierarchies of responsibility.

Reducing the complexity of the development cycle by gathering plans and schedules under a single umbrella reduces challenges with organisation visibility, allowing for easier governance of releases and automation of low-level processes. Sharing of multiple project environments is facilitated by a calendar function, allowing various teams to insert elements they require or delegate tasks between stakeholders.

Research by the Technology Services Industry Association has shown that optimising knowledge sharing across the enterprise can improve productivity by up to 30 per cent. If members of every team understand what is happening throughout each stage of the project - not just regarding their own part - job satisfaction improves, and the ability to adapt with agility should issues arise is increased. Being cloud based, Plutora makes this level of engagement possible regardless of location - allowing management teams to assess how projects are progressing at a high level and allocate resources accordingly.

Research by the Technology Services Industry Association has shown that optimising knowledge sharing across the enterprise can improve productivity by up to 30%

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Better management of the release delivery chain and testing environments ultimately leads to a higher-quality final product. Each of the benefits outlined above contribute to an optimal outcome, both in terms of revenue and customer experience. Using automation to reduce the necessary resourcing for traditionally manual tasks speeds up delivery and nurtures agility throughout the development process.

INCREASING CUSTOMER VALUE AND SATISFACTION

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This allows organisations to either reduce headcount or allocate personnel and resources to more productive areas - or a combination of both - accelerating time-to-market and improving expense management.Plutora’s intuitive test environment management improves productivity by offering a unified source of truth for environment information accessible to all relevant stakeholders.

Project delays are minimised as correct environments are allocated to the releases when they should be. This results in milestones being met with greater efficiency, and your project reaches the market faster and at a reduced cost.

The shorter release cycle, driven by automation and more-effective environment management, allows development teams to address issues faster and implement new features with greater regularity. Development becomes proactive rather than reactive - even predictive in some cases - allowing organisations to deliver the features customers demand faster and minimising release issues that could be detrimental to the brand.

INCREASING CUSTOMER VALUE AND SATISFACTION

Project delays are minimised as correct environments are allocated to the releases when they should be.

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For more infomation about our services, visit www.avocado.com.au, call us at 02 8905 0198 or email us at hello@avocado.com.au

CONCLUSIONRelease management may seem like a complicated element of development, but the visibility, productivity and bottom-line benefits offer tremendous ROI. Plutora has observed typical returns after integration of around 400 per cent, even exceeding 600 per cent in many cases.

To access this level of returns, however, the release management solution must be correctly configured and embedded in the right places within the organisation. Installing Plutora requires a carefully planned strategy by a team that asks the right questions and knows where to find the answers.

Avocado Consulting has the Release Management experience to integrate solutions efficiently and effectively, optimising its use to meet the unique demands of each individual client deployment. As Plutora’s trusted implementation partner, our expertise covers all stages of the development lifecycle including release management, with a highly skilled team guiding organisations towards excellent results in an impressive timeframe.

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www.avocado.com.au | hello@avocado.com.au

SydneyLevel 6, 37 Pitt Street,

Sydney, 2000

Phone: 02 8905 0198

MelbourneSuite 301, 546 Collins Street,

Melbourne VIC 3000

Phone: 03 8640 9021