Deployment Evaluation

Definition

Deployment evaluation is the quality control task during which the deployment work products are evaluated.

Objectives

The typical objectives of the deployment evaluation task are to:

• Determine if the deliverable deployment work products are:
  • Correct.
  • Complete.
  • Consistent (internally, externally with other work products, and externally with related conventions).
  • Understandable.
• Identify defects in the deliverable deployment work products so that:
  • The defects can be fixed.
  • Defect trend analysis can be performed to improve the process and staff training.
• Determine if the deployment tasks are:
  • Completed.
  • Effective.
  • Efficient.

Preconditions

The deployment evaluation task can typically begin when the following preconditions hold:

• The delivery phase has started.
• The deployment inspection team is adequately:
  • Staffed.
  • Trained in the deployment evaluation task.
  • Trained in its associated techniques (e.g., inspection).
• At least one deployment work product is ready for evaluation.

Completion Criteria

The deployment evaluation task is typically complete when the following postconditions hold:

• The following deployment work products have passed their evaluations (e.g., inspection):
  • Business Comunication Plan
  • Deployment Plan
  • Release Notes
  • Installation Manual

Steps

The deployment evaluation task typically involves the following teams performing the following steps in an incremental, iterative, parallel manner:

• The deployment team informally evaluates their work products in accordance with the associated technique used.
• The deployment inspection team formally evaluates these deployment work products in accordance with the associated technique used.

Techniques

The deployment evaluation task typically can be performed using the following techniques:

• Quality Evaluation Techniques:
  • Desk Checking
  • Inspecting
  • Quality Metrics
  • Static Analysis
  • Walkthroughs

Work Products

The deployment evaluation task typically results in the production of the following work products:

• Quality Set:
  • Inspection Report
  • Inspection Summary Report

Guidelines

• Inspecting tends to be the most effective technique for identifying defects.
• Evaluations can be incremental and are typically iterative.