MKS Implementer 2006 Administration Guide

Chapter 2: Understanding Implementer
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Identifying an Issue
A user submits a change request to report a bug, enhance functionality, or add new
features.
Analyze
Once you decide to accept the change request, you analyze the problem and identify
what needs to be created or changed to provide a suitable solution. This may include
things other than software, such as technical publications or training materials.
Design
You define the solution, establish a schedule for completion, and assign the tasks to
individuals.
Implement
You develop each solution component, which may include coding or documenting the
changes to the product, system, or application.
Test
You test the solution to ensure it performs as designed and meets the customer’s original
need.
Deliver
The cycle is completed once you deliver the requested change back to the customer,
ensuring their satisfaction. This corresponds to delivering a new release of a product or
releasing the changes to the production systems.
“Identifying an issue” and “Analyze” represent the Decision Phase, which addresses the
assessment and negotiation steps that are required to ensure that changes are prioritized
and scheduled for a timely resolution. “Design” and “Implement” are referred to as the
Development Phase. “Test” is referred to as the Verification Phase, and “Deliver” as the
Deployment Phase.
Sometimes, for small changes, a person may quickly go through the thought process for
the first four steps in one step (for example, correcting a typographical error). For more
complicated cases, these steps may be handled by different roles such as a review board,
developer, or QA manager. It is important, therefore, to structure your process to
incorporate the ability to hand off the issue to the responsible parties. Whatever process
you enforce, you want to verify that it supports these four basic phases.
Managing the Physical Movement of Objects
The purpose of a change management system is to manage the movement of software objects.
Yo must accomplish this in an appropriate way for the platform containing the objects. This
includes, for example, honoring and enforcing the security and integrity of the platform.
MKS Integrity provides an effective means of dealing with the problems and issues
surrounding multi-platform development and deployment.