Software Release Readiness Criteria

You’re on the countdown to a new system release, checking and rechecking the criteria to determine whether you are ready to launch. Effective system development, configuration management and testing processes along the way removed some worries, but not all.

 

Here are some highlights of the release readiness resources that might prevent some classic mistakes and engage your users in rowing the oars with your for project success:

1) Chapter 16 of the Software Project Survival Guide by Steve McConnell, also available online here http://www.stevemcconnell.com/ieeesoftware/bp09.htm

• Defect counts, density predictions and statistics
• Code growth statistics
• Milestones completed
• The nature of specific open defects
• Sign off by all project stakeholders agreeing the software is ready to release

2) Jonathon Rothman’s http://www.jrothman.com/Papers/releasecriteria.html list which includes:

• Define success and what is critically important to this project -- the combination of what the organization needs and what the customers’ need
• Draft Release Criteria such as:

• All code must compile and build for all platforms
• Zero high priority bugs
• For all open bugs, documentation in release notes with workarounds
• All planned QA tests run, at least ninety percent pass
• Number of open defects decreasing for last three weeks
• Feature X unit tested by developers, system tested by QA, verified with customers A, B before release
• Ready to release by date
• Release Criteria should be SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Trackable
• Gain Consensus on the Release Criteria

3) The Release Readiness Review Rollout Plan Checklist Template from Microsoft, http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3937E483-5CF1-4563-9DCB-8EBA85A47D1C&displaylang=en

4) Additional criteria:

• Users are trained and ready to operate
• Demonstrated capability (requirements fulfilled) and known defects versus requirements
• Earned value and earned schedule metrics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earned_schedule )
• Pareto Charts of the remaining open defects (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_chart )
• An Ishikawa Diagram of what else could contribute to an unsuccessful launch that may have been overlooked (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishikawa_diagram )
• DoD and Systems Engineering tools if applicable including:
  • Technical and Manufacturing Readiness Levels
  • Production Readiness Review checklists such as https://wiki.cac.washington.edu/display/pmportal/Production+Readiness+Checklist
  • http://regents.ohio.gov/obrpmcop/forms/templates/temp_releasereadinessreview.doc

 

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