Release management focus for ITS

ITS is assessing its Release Management practices and setting guidelines to align them with ITIL* best practice in a review of the way in which new IT services are introduced.

The objective of ITIL Release Management is to take a holistic view of a change to an IT service and ensure that all aspects of a release both technical and non-technical are considered together.

The first stage of the Release Management project has been to canvass ITS Service Coordinators and Faculty IT Managers to get their views on how the introduction of IT services and products by ITS could be improved. Some key findings from the interviews include requests for:

• Governance: Releases to be signed off by stakeholders.
• Planning: Release plans to be developed at an early stage in the development lifecycle.
• Communications: Accurate stakeholder identification to take place and appropriate consultation and communications conducted.
• Testing: Thorough testing with signoffs according to checklist.
• Training: Customised training to be a pre-requisite for release.
• Support: Adequate documentation at each stage of development and release.

The application of ITIL Release Management practices will provide a consistent standard of releases to the Monash community.

*ITIL is a widely accepted approach to IT service management, which provides a cohesive set of best practices, drawn from the public and private sectors internationally. It is supported by a comprehensive qualification scheme, accredited training organisations, and implementation and assessment tools.