1. Release & Deployment ITIL Version 3
Process Definition Document Overview
ITIL Version 3

2. Purpose of Document
This document defines the standard MN.IT roles and responsibilities for managing release and deployment of normal change to an IT managed system or service.
The audience for this document is MN.IT employees and anyone wishing to understand ITIL v.3 release and deployment processes.

3. Document Scope This includes prescribed activities, roles, metrics,
and other requirements to be used by MN.IT
Each team may define additional rigor or other
aspects to Release and Deployment, as long as
they fit within the team’s adherence to ITIL v.3 concepts and principles.

4. High-Level Process Description
Release and deployment management is the process to Plan, Build, Test and Implement the capability specified by the service design.
That service design accomplishes the stakeholders’ requirements and delivers value to the business unit.

5. Purpose and Objectives
To define and agree upon release policies, and plans with customers and stakeholders.
To ensure the integrity of constructed packages and that all changes are accurately recorded in the Configuration Management System.
To ensure that all release packages can be tracked, installed, verified, and uninstalled if necessary.
To ensure the required skills and knowledge are transferred to customers, end users and stakeholders.
With minimal impact to the live production environment

6. Process Flow
Release and Deployment management encompasses nine high-level processes

7. Planning
During this step, a plan is created to identify the activities and the resources required to successfully deploy a release.
For each of the additional eight steps that are part of release and deployment an initial plan needs to take place to ensure that all levels of construction are understood, and all risks relating to people, software, and hardware is minimized.

8. Planning

9. Preparation: Building – Testing - Deployment
Ensure that each release package consists of a set of related assets and service components that are compatible with the future updates.
In addition, review all past service level agreements, underpinning contracts, operational level agreements, and policy statements that apply to this project.

10. Preparation: Building – Testing - Deployment

11. Cyber-Security

12. Building and Testing
Build and test planning establishes the approach to building, testing and maintaining the controlled environment prior to going live.
The build and test plan must work with service validation and testing to ensure that test plans can be carried out.

13. Building and Testing

14. Service Testing and Pilots
This test aims to build confidence in the service capability prior to final acceptance during pilot and early life support.
It will be based on the test strategy and model for the service being changed.

15. Service Testing and Pilots

16. Preparing the Deployment
The major tasks for preparation for deployment
Assembling resources
Communications plan for release to Users, Stakeholders
Training sub-process for supporting staff
Scheduling support for the deployment
Completing a readiness review

17. Preparing the Deployment

18. Release Deployment
The release and deployment manager will provided status reports and tools to track deployment progress.
Once the release is deployed, the release manager confirms that it is working correctly before proceeding with further deployments.

19. Release Deployment

20. Verify Deployment
During this step, the release and deployment manager confirms that the release is working correctly and documents feedback from business users ,stakeholders and deployment team.
If the release fails to meet expectations, issue management may need to identify and diagnose the root cause of the problem. If the fix is found, this should be documented and an RFC created to deploy it into production

21. Verify Deployment

22. Early Life Support
Ensure that there is knowledge transfer to enable the customers and users can optimize their use of the new service.
Project and implementation resources work hand in hand with support staff to ensure implementation objectives are met and the application or service is working as planned.

23. Early Life Support

24. Review and Close
Requirements and guidelines for review and close: Review the plan, Review the nine steps, and document issues and workarounds.
This should ensure that skills and knowledge are transferred to users and support staff. Enabling them to effectively and efficiently deliver the service into the future.

25. Review and Close

26. Roles and Responsibilities
Release and Deployment Manager - Is responsible for the planning, building, testing and implementation of all software and hardware releases.
Build and Test Coordinator - Establishes the final release configuration and coordinates all tests/builds.
Deployment Staff - Deals with building the release, and final physical delivery.
Early Life Support Coordinator - Provides IT service and business functional support from early release to final acceptance.
Communications Coordinator - Builds a dynamic communication channel – between Stakeholders, Managers, Staff and Development Team, keeping all informed.

27. Roles and Responsibilities Matrix
The RACI shows the relationships between the participants in Change Management, and the various activities within each stage of the release and deployment process.
R = Responsible – People expected to actively participate in the activity.
A = Accountable – The person who is ultimately responsible for the results.
C = Consulted – People with expertise or who must be consulted before a final decision is made.
I = Informed – People who are affected by the activity/decision.

28. Release and Deployment Management Standards1
Does the change request have the right approval? 2
Has planning for deployment been properly executed i.e. defining scope, contents, risk, responsibilities, stakeholders, etc.? 3
Have the issues or risks identified been prioritized and actions taken to resolve them? 4
Have the proper configuration level at which building and testing can take place been identified? 5
Have the test environment been properly configured to support the level of tests and pilots needed for the release? 6
Is the deployment team ready for the deployment i.e. have they properly prepare the production environment, has potential risks been mapped out, are they sufficiently trained, have they communicated release plans to users, etc.? 7
Was the deployment successful or failed i.e. did deployment goes as planned, have users been trained, has proper documentations been distributed, etc.? If deployment failed, has root cause been identified and did the back out procedures remove the release from production? 8
Can users, stakeholders, service operations, and other staff able to use the release as intended? Has feedback been collected? 9
Are any extra support needed after deployment to help stabilized the service? 10
Have the release been properly reviewed and closed i.e. have the skills and knowledge been transferred to operation and support staff to adequately perform the service?

29. Key Release and Deployment Management Guidelines1
All change requests need proper approval before they can be release into production. 2
When starting any release and deployment make sure adequate planning is done to ensure scope, content, risks, responsibilities, stakeholders, etc are properly defined. 3
All identified risks and issues must be prioritized and the proper action taken to resolve them. 4
All releases should be properly tested in a configured test environment that supports various levels of testing and pilots. 5
All releases in production should be reviewed if they were successful or not. If release was not successful, proper action should be established to roll back release and identify root cause. 6
All deployment activities that have been completed should be verified that all the users, service operations, other staff and stakeholders are able to use the service as intended. 7
Deployment should be reviewed and closed.

30. SIPOC

31. Release and Deployment
The End
Release and Deployment
ITIL Version 3