Best Practices for Custom Software Rollouts

Successful custom software rollouts rely on thorough planning, stakeholder engagement, training, and post-launch support to facilitate smooth implementation and maximize user adoption.

This post is part of our Custom Software Development series

Congratulations! Your custom software project is finally fully developed. It’s time to “go live.” Everyone’s eager for the business benefits, but as the executive in charge, you want to make sure that your software rollout goes smoothly each and every time you release an update.

Software rollout best practices

There are a few best practices to follow to ensure that your custom code won’t break when you move it into production. Here at Eclipse Consulting, these are the steps we take with our custom software rollouts:

1. Test code in staging. First, we ask for all parties (your end users as well as the project team members) to test the application in a staging environment that closely mirrors your production environment. This helps identify any issues that might arise when the project is deployed in a live environment. This process is also part of acceptance testing, making sure the program is working as all stakeholders expect it to work.
   
2. Maintain version control. We maintain a version control system to manage and track changes to your code. We can create a separate branch for each update or feature, and then merge those changes into the main codebase when they are ready. This way we can easily see what changes were made and by whom, and makes it easier to roll back to a previous version if necessary.
   
3. Create release notes with each software update. We take note of the changes that were made, any known issues or bugs, and any other relevant information. This can help users and other stakeholders understand what has changed and can also serve as a reference for future updates.
   
4. Monitor for errors.  Finally, we’ll often implement alerting tools to help us quickly identify and fix any issues that arise in your production environment. We also make any necessary adjustments to ensure that the software will continue to operate efficiently and effectively over time.
   
5. Keeping project up to date. If you have a maintenance agreement in place, we can also monitor the frameworks and third-party libraries to address changes. Non-urgent updates are addressed on a regular schedule. But changes that address security concerns are prioritized and addressed “out of band” as needed.

Looking for the right business software?

As a technology advisor for growing businesses, we help clients consider all the options, whether that’s a packaged business application or developing custom software. The next step for you is to schedule a free “Explore the Possibilities” call with us.