Software deployment is one of the most important processes in the modification or iterative development of software. When systems are already in use, staff come to rely heavily on them. A mismanaged or indiscriminate deployment process can leave key members idle, and repeated errors will reduce confidence- further undermining effectiveness of the system.
Acumen strive to remove these common blunders by implementing a tiered deployment model to live applications.
Tiered Deployment
- Prototyping / Demo
- User Acceptance Testing
- Release Candidates
- Production
Prototyping
The first stage - prototyping - allows key development personnel from Acumen and the customer to engage in feedback on early designs. Demo systems will enable the customer to see and trial features and versions of the system as soon as they’re available, whilst development can continue without affecting the stable prototype.
For more info on the benefits of prototyping, see the iterative development page.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) provides key stakeholders with an opportunity to view the current software implementation and perform deep testing as necessary without worrying about destroying or otherwise publishing important data - all information used will be private and for example use only.
Release Candidates
In some cases, particularly for larger software implementations, a live Release Candidate is produced. Once system functionality has been agreed, and UAT testing is complete, this system is used to demonstate the final system proof with live data from a production system, before ‘going live’ with the changes. This is a vital process when a system has a substantial number of users, or where the system changes are wide-ranging and represent significant changes.
Final Deployment
With customer agreement, Acumen ‘push’ the changes to Production and the software is ready to use.
All of these stages ensure improvements are delivered on time and to specification, and allows for confidence among staff and stakeholders in the progress and direction of the project.
