Deployment: Workflow

Disciplines > Deployment > Workflow

Deployment is about making the software product available to the end-user, and is the culmination of the software development effort.

Deployment planning ( Plan Deployment ) starts early in the project lifecycle and addresses not only the production of the deliverable software, but also the development of training material and system support material to ensure that the end-user can successfully use the delivered software product.

Support material ( Develop Support Material ) covers the full range of information that will be required by the end-user to install, operate, use and maintain the delivered system. It also includes training material for all the various positions that will be required to effectively use the new system

The Deployment Discipline places a great emphasis on ensuring the product is well tested prior to its release to the customer base. The workflow detail Manage Acceptance Test refers to two kinds of test environments. Firstly the build needs to be sufficiently tested in the development test environment, and then re-tested at the target site. The 'test environment' should be an 'instance' of the target environment.

Once the product has been tested at the development site it needs to be prepared for delivery to the customer. The release can created for the purposes of beta-testing, a test deployment to the final users, or depending on it level of maturity for the final product. Produce Deployment Unit describes the logistics of creating a product release that consists of the software, and the necessary accompanying artifacts required to effectively install and use it.

A beta-program refers to the process used by an organization to solicit feedback from a subset of users on products that are under development. The feedback is used to augment the product. Beta Test Product describes the activities to enable iterative deployment of a product, and systematic customer engagement in creating the final product.

For 'shrink wrap' software, Package Product describes the activities to take the software product, installation scripts and user manuals, and package them for mass production like any other consumer product.

You could have your software installed for you by the developing contractor, or you could buy the software over the counter, or download it over the internet. Provide Access to Download Site refers to the product being made available for purchase, and download over the internet as a software distribution channel.

Rational Unified Process