Release management is a rapidly growing discipline in software/hardware development. Release management emerged as a discipline from the IT sector’s shift from project-based offering to product-based one. Before the shift, developers viewed individual releases as projects instead of products.
A release manager’s primary responsibility is to focus on the fine details of assembling different interrelated components and streamline the release management process. Release managers coordinate with different stakeholders for requirements, testing, and release calendar of necessary components. They ensure a synchronous running of day-to-day processes.
Planning with several software development teams is a part of the release manager’s duty. They govern and manage schedules to satisfy interdependencies. Their primary aim is to enable continuous delivery of a solution in the hands of the customers as soon as possible. Apart from that, they ensure quality benchmarks are met.
The major components of Release Management are :
- Planning
- Scheduling
- Managing Cross-functional teams and product build through various development phases
- Testing
- Release and deployment management
- Release support
Key Roles and Responsibilities of a Release Manager
Gathering requirements and resources, understanding risks and bottlenecks
Managing risks and resolving challenges that impact release scope, quality, and schedules
Planning release windows and cycles across portfolios, components
Managing relationships working on interrelated processes
Communicating crucial release plans and changes
Measuring and monitoring progress to achieve a timely software/hardware release within defined budgetary limits and defined quality standards
Coordinating processes between different teams (possibly in various locations)
Communicating necessary release details to business teams
Managing, planning, and negotiating release activities
Initiating and overseeing progressive release processes
Coordinating enterprise release content and efforts based on OS updates and third-party apps
Producing deployment, implementation, and run books plans
Conducting release readiness and milestone reviews
Maintaining release schedules for every core service and ensuring it aligns with major vendors and other stakeholders
Working with release engineers to comprehend code merges and branch ramifications
Leading and coordinating checklist and deployment plan execution
Developing automation and release management tools along with scripts necessary for the construction, continuous integration, and deployment of software release
Researching new software development and the best methods and techniques for managing configurations regarding a business’s existing needs
Ensuring that releases operate as per expectations
Ensuring that requirements are clear across dependent project streams with an effective release
Initiating and overseeing the development of technical guides and training for external functionality
Managing the development of deliverables into production environments
Validating release notes
Deployment management of deliverables to the test environment particularly guaranteeing that the external dependent items are available during the test runtime
Core Skills and Qualifications Release Managers Need
So, what kind of skills, experience, and academic qualifications does a release manager need? Here are some of the necessary qualifications for this job.
- Excellent technical skills and experience
- Ability to handle software infrastructure management & configuration management
- A computer science degree or a similar discipline
- A two to six-year experience in using project or release management tools
- An expert understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC), Waterfall and Agile methodologies
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent analytical skills
- Structured thinking
- Experience in coordinating cross-functional work teams up to task completion