Streamlining Build & Release Across 90 Teams
NKD Agility helped SLB unify build and release processes across 90 teams in 13 countries, boosting team ownership, efficiency, and engineering …
Approaches to planning incremental and iterative software releases.
Release Management is the structured approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling the movement of releases to test and live environments. It is crucial for ensuring that software is delivered in a predictable and sustainable manner, aligning with organisational goals and customer needs. By managing releases effectively, teams can minimise risks associated with deployment, enhance collaboration across departments, and ensure that all stakeholders are informed and engaged throughout the process.
This concept enables teams to deliver value incrementally, allowing for rapid feedback and adaptation. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement, where each release is an opportunity to learn and refine processes. Release Management also integrates seamlessly with practices such as Continuous Delivery and Agile methodologies, ensuring that the flow of work is optimised and that quality is maintained at every stage.
Unlike Agile Planning or Product Management, which focus on the strategic aspects of development, Release Management is inherently operational, dealing with the tactical execution of delivering software. It requires a deep understanding of both technical and organisational dynamics, making it a vital component of modern product development. By establishing clear release processes, organisations can enhance their ability to respond to market changes and customer feedback, ultimately driving greater satisfaction and loyalty.
NKD Agility helped SLB unify build and release processes across 90 teams in 13 countries, boosting team ownership, efficiency, and engineering …
Value in software is only realised through delivery. Frequent releases validate assumptions, reduce risk, and enable rapid feedback, adaptation, and …
Automating builds, tests, and deployments with Azure Pipelines.
Continuous delivery is achievable for any software, regardless of complexity. Success depends on investment in automation, quality, and process …
Delaying software releases increases failure risk. Frequent, small releases improve success rates, adaptability, and recovery, as shown by CHAOS …
Explains why promoting code through multiple branches slows delivery, increases risk, and suggests GitHub Flow or Release Flow as simpler, safer …
Explains the risks of the pick-n-mix branching anti-pattern in source control, its impact on code quality, and recommends feature branching and …
Explains how Windows OS updates shifted from infrequent, risky releases to safe, staged rollouts using ring-based deployment and real-time user …
Explains how to set up a scalable release pipeline using Release Management in Visual Studio 2013, covering continuous release, feedback environments, …
Explains how to automate and streamline software release management using Team Foundation Server 2012, Lab Management, and Octopus, focusing on build, …
Explains how feature flags enable safe, incremental software releases, support continuous delivery, and use user feedback to improve features before …
Step-by-step guide to building an automated Release Management pipeline for professional developers, covering build, deployment, environment setup, …
Explores how Visual Studio 2012 supports continuous quality enablement, automated testing, and rapid delivery in modern software development for …
Learn how to automate test execution during deployments using Release Management for Visual Studio 2013, including setup steps, environment tips, and …
Step-by-step guide to upgrading Team Foundation Server 2008 to 2010, including in-place upgrade, build server update, and migrating to a new domain …
Learn how to quickly install and configure release management server, client, and deployment agent, including TFS integration and permission setup, …
Explores why traditional Dev-Test-Staging-Production pipelines fall short and highlights audience-based deployment for safer, faster feedback in real …
Rollback is often riskier than rolling forward, especially for stateful apps. Safer deployment relies on progressive delivery and fail-forward …
Overview of Microsoft’s new web-based Release Management tools for building flexible, integrated DevOps pipelines in VSTS and TFS, supporting diverse …
Undelivered software provides no value. Frequent, iterative releases reduce risk, cost, and failure, enabling faster learning and real user impact in …
Staging environments can’t fully replicate production, often leading to false confidence. Real risk reduction comes from safe, incremental releases to …
Optimising how often software is deployed to enhance feedback loops and value delivery.
Explores how staging environments aim to reduce risk in software development, their hidden costs, and modern alternatives like feature flags and …
Explores how agile teams can achieve predictable software delivery through quality focus, effective release planning, and continuous improvement, …
Explains why modern software teams avoid branch promotion, using continuous integration, feature flags, and production-like testing to streamline …
Explains why true agility requires end-to-end automation and short feedback loops, not just Agile teams, to maximise value and efficiency for …
Explains how modern business applications use continuous delivery to release new features frequently, reduce risk, and improve customer satisfaction …
Overview of a session at NDC London demonstrating new features in Team Foundation Server and Visual Studio Online, with end-to-end ALM demos for .NET …
Explains an effective branching strategy for Scrum teams, covering best practices, common pitfalls, and step-by-step guidance for managing code, …
Explains how to set up and use Standard Environments in Visual Studio 2012 TFS for automated software deployment and testing, enabling consistent, …
Step-by-step guide to setting up a standard Azure environment for Release Management, including VMs, storage, networking, and Application Insights for …
Explains how Visual Studio Online streamlines enterprise software development with cloud-based tools, continuous updates, scalability, security, and …
Step-by-step guide to upgrading TFS 2010 to TFS 2012, migrating VSS data, consolidating process templates, and resolving common issues during team …
Covers new features and upgrade steps for Team Foundation Server 2013 Update 2, including improvements in backlog, test, release, and version …
Ensuring continuous delivery of incremental improvements to users and stakeholders.
Explains why environment-based branching slows development, and recommends using feature flags and progressive rollouts for simpler, faster, and safer …
Unreleased features create hidden costs and risks. Regular software delivery reduces failure rates, rework, and missed opportunities, ensuring real …
Covers key concepts of Sprint Reviews, interactive workshop delivery using Teams and Mural, technical challenges faced, participant feedback, and …
Explains how slow product release cycles delay feature delivery, risk losing relevance, and create competitive disadvantages, highlighting the …
Continuous Delivery is the practice of frequently delivering small increments of valuable product directly to real users, enabling rapid feedback, …
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.
Hubtel Ghana
Graham & Brown
Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd
Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company)
Qualco
Ericson
Kongsberg Maritime
Xceptor - Process and Data Automation
Bistech
Slaughter and May
Healthgrades
Jack Links
Boxit Document Solutions
Freadom
Big Data for Humans
Philips
Microsoft
Illumina
Department of Work and Pensions (UK)
Washington Department of Enterprise Services
Nottingham County Council
Washington Department of Transport
New Hampshire Supreme Court
Ghana Police Service
Slaughter and May
Xceptor - Process and Data Automation
Freadom
Trayport
Bistech
Brandes Investment Partners L.P.