Release Management

Release Management is a category of Change Management that ensures that the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is kept up to date, that changes are appropriately managed, and that all new software and hardware is stored in the Definitive Software Library (DSL) and Definitive Hardware Store (DHS). After one or more changes are developed, tested, and packaged into releases for deployment, Release Management is responsible for introducing these changes and managing their release. Release Management also contributes to the efficient introduction of changes by combining them into one release and deploying them together.

Release Management relies on the Change Management and Configuration Management applications.

Goal

The purpose of Release Management is to ensure that all changes are deployed successfully in the least disruptive manner. Release Management is responsible for the following functions:

• Driving the release strategy, which is the over arching design, plan, and approach for deployment of a change into production in collaboration with the Change Advisory Board (CAB)
• Determining the readiness of each release based on release criteria (such as quality of release, release package and production environment readiness, training and support plans, rollout and backout plans, and risk management plan)

Benefits

Release Management offers the following benefits for users:

• Provides a packaged release for all changes deployed into production and only deploys changes approved by change management
• Provides two different types of releases: hardware and software. Once the release type is determined, the application provides the appropriate tasks
• Provides the ability to manage changes of groups such as Configuration Item (CI) groups and business services
• Provides the ability to terminate a release at any time except in the Training phase or once it has been installed or verified
• Provides the ability to back-out the change
• Provides the availability of optional training phase