software deployment

How to Create, Build and Maintain Harmony between tester and developer

‘Create’ means the first time effort to generate a harmony between a tester and a developer working on the same project. ‘Build’ is the next stage after create to harmonize the professional relationship between a tester and developer. This step will bring the strength in the relationship. ‘Maintain’ is not only the sustenance of this healthy relationship which can be termed as ‘sweet’ harmony, but also calls for an effort from both ends to ‘keep on improving’ this bonding. To create, build and maintain an everlasting harmony between the testers and developers, here are some tips:
1. Share: Sharing is a two way process. Both the sides need to share equally, transparently and openly. The development team needs to share the customer requirements, business rules, relevant documents, design plan, coding, system built. On the other hand the tester needs to share his observations on all these, and the results of his testing. Share problems, thoughts and success together.
2. Raise an Alarm: Tester and developer require raising an alarm in case of any shortfall in above sharing required from both ends. Developer also needs to raise an alarm in case of inadequate testing or if testing is getting delayed due to any reason.
3. Act Jointly: Tester should sit with the developers while they are on job i.e. designing system, and similarly developer whose product is being tested preferably should sit with the tester while he is testing the product. This support will not only strengthen the process and product but will make it more secured.
4. Avoid Protectionism: On the work front, be it of a developer or a tester, it is important to prevent the spread of protectionism and to promote transparency or openness across the organization. If this is not handled properly, it may lead to depression and incoherence across.
5. Accept Framework: Accept each other’s work framework and respect it by heart.
6. Resolve crisis: In case of any crisis on any front leading to adverse effect on the project, take all necessary measures jointly, timely in a coordinated manner. Be more than willing to act in this regard.
7. Tester is a bridge: Tester is a bridge between developer and customer for the purpose of smooth and defect free delivery of product to the customer.
8. Be a great contributor: To achieve great success, be a great contributor in your respective fronts.
9. Encourage: Encourage each other.
10. Remember: Always remember that you have joined hands to achieve a common goal. A good harmony always brings in the ‘success’

SDLC-VII: Deployment operations, maintenance and disposal

Once the software has been accepted by customer (user acceptance or software acceptance), on customers approval the software goes to customer site for implementation. A key user’s team from customer end is dedicated to this phase for the complete tenure. From vendor side also a team of technical and functional leads goes to customer site for implementation. The two teams jointly working as a single team start the implementation process by installing server, client software (by vendor technical team), training to respective module key users, test server setup, test run, and then live run.

By now the users should be quite comfortable with the software and also should be familiar with the functionality of the software. This is the period of deployment phase when user team is getting matured in running the software independently.

The vendor team should, even if it is there at customer site, behave virtually as if they are not there and should act only in case of a crisis. This virtual absence or inactive phase of vendor team will increase user’s confidence tremendously.

After implementation, for a period, stipulated and agreed upon mutually, there is a maintenance phase, during which a full remote support is provided by vendor team to the end users sitting at customer end. At times, if not possible remotely, some technical or functional person has to go to customer site during maintenance period.