How to Shorten the Deployment Process

In the Information Systems industry, as in other related industries, the challenge in deploying the latest solutions is timing. In the software industry, the time that it takes to get a product, solution and new deployments is a key factor for the benefits they offer.

In delivering new software products, there is the expression you have to shoot the programmer and ship the product. Now no one takes this literally, but the message is the product development cycle could go on forever as new functions are added along the way. However, if the product never reaches the intended user, all is for naught.

The same can be said for software projects and the deployment of the latest products that could benefit their intended users. Below are some ways learned to reduce project cycle time for their delivery.

Planning is very significant. One of the challenges during the planning cycle is when everyone wants to get started with the project and is looking for early tangible results. Breaking down the project into milestones and phases will give everyone a better understanding of the progress with visible stages.

Gathering information for requirements is very time consuming, especially in organizations where everyone is busy with their current activities and are just trying to get through each day. The time to plan for making things better for them in the long haul doesn’t seem important when the daily production is at risk. However, to make life better for them does require some sacrifice on their part. The key point here is with time allocation and personal scheduling both can be accomplished. The best example where I first saw of this was with a NASA Section Chief at JSC in Houston. He would hold many meetings daily and keep them to a tight schedule. I was impressed when he had an appointment with me and was in a high level meeting at the time. He left it to keep his appointment with me. I suggested that we reschedule because of his other meeting and he refused because he let me know that his meeting with me was just as important, although I knew it wasn’t. This has impressed me for all these years. He knew how to manage his time for maximum effectiveness. Needless to say, when I met with him I was strait to the point and valued his time as well. The lesson learned is that scheduling time with key stakeholders for their input is necessary and should be productive while being sensitive to their schedule.

Documenting the requirements of the project is the best way to have an understanding of what is expected from the project. A solid design document is an important factor as to what will be delivered in the project.

Keeping a tight delivery schedule for the hardware, OS, middleware and software applications are important. These are often overlooked items that add undue time to a project.

These are a few key success factors that I’ve seen to shorting the time for software delivery.

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