IT Systems Management: Production Acceptance
- Introduction
- Definition of Production Acceptance
- The Benefits of a Production Acceptance Process
- Implementing a Production Acceptance Process
- Full Deployment of a New Application
- Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications
- Distinguishing Production Acceptance from Change Management
- Case Study: Assessing the Production Acceptance Process at Seven Diverse Companies
- Summary
- Test Your Understanding
- Suggested Further Readings
Introduction
No matter how well designed and well tested an application may be, the first—and often lasting—impressions that users form about that application come from how successfully it is deployed into production. Developers and operations personnel sometimes let unnecessary obstacles take their eyes off the goal of a successful deployment. This chapter defines the process of production acceptance and describes many of the benefits this process provides to a variety of groups both inside and outside of IT. The middle sections of this chapter discuss each of the 14 steps required to design and implement an effective production acceptance process. The chapter closes with a case study involving the assessment of production acceptance processes for seven diverse companies.