have Planned eye for development, testing, deployment and improvement of the application is a relatively new discipline in building software. The term for this application lifecycle management (ALM) and it is mainly learned in practice, Daniël van der Starre know. He ALM consultant at Ordina and has experience in this discipline mainly gained in practice. It is his job to help organizations and coach in embracing changes that optimize the software development process
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Better, stable and time-to-market
” ALM delivers valuable, better and more stable software, with also a shorter time-to-market ” says Van der Starre. Software and updates for this are due to make thorough preparations for ALM faster. Developers keep on building proper account of subsequent additions of applications, including as yet unforeseen changes, and thereby future work on the application relatively simpler.
“Ultimately, the customer must be able to continue as we are the door behind us do, “explains the expert from Ordina. Organizations should – on its own or possibly with external parties -. To build on the foundation laid with ALM
In order to obtain such a future-proof requires a serious approach with thorough preliminary work, a mature development process so . Informatics courses provide not here yet, so it is up to the business community itself to meet this business need. “There is no ALM study,” says Van der Starre. His employer Ordina has taken this and apply it in practice
oversee Facilitation and progress
Van der Starre has developed over the years into what it is today. Junior developer to lead developer and then Scrum Master to ALM consultant. Which includes ALM then? “Traditionally ALM divided into three phases,” van der Starre know, “Governance, Development and Operations.” The former phase begins with the onset of the application and continues during the development, the delivery, use and any required extensions to the application, up to the time that the plug is pulled. “For example, because there are too few users use the system,” says the consultant of Ordina.
The second phase of development, is out of sync from the beginning, but must go along with the final number of releases the software code in question. The third phase, operations, coming around the corner looking just before the first release. “This is for instance to host the application and the manageability of it.”
Enthusiastic and independent people
Ordina has developed an ALM Competence Centre. Its purpose is to develop within the service provider’s expertise in this field. “You should not do top-down, but with an enthusiastic and self-organizing team,” said Jasper James, Business Unit Manager.
His role as manager he sees primarily as a supporting, rather than logical ruling . “Look around you, what makes teams successful? Enthusiasm, and the freedom to work on the best possible result.” Besides enthusiasm and playing field for attracting and deploying experts also reputation in the field a major role. Ordina gives professionals a lot of freedom, training opportunities and diversity.
Van der Starre can confirm this from his own experience. At Ordina customer where he is stationed, nothing is in his standard. “They have dozens of different applications that make use of as many frameworks and technologies. That makes it challenging, often opposed to work in a smaller organization.”
This traditional setup meets incidentally not more completely, Van der Starre continues. Today it is also essential that applications can quickly be hosted, for example, techniques such as Continuous Integration and Continuous delivery to apply. Development will now much rather sit down with the business to get the first requirements of the new application clearly. The aforementioned development phase starts so much earlier, actually from the start
On this general ALM intent Van der Starre adds an important fourth phase to:. Of monitoring. Performance and usage of the application because the team can learn many things. Based on that feedback, the software can always be improved.
Core values of ALM
Van der Starre lists the four core values of ALM. “Firstly the plans. You must know what you want about.” He emphasizes “approximately” because, after all, must take into account changes in functionality, but also still unknown but desired functionality. In addition, this also includes the now already planned features and their definitions.
The second core value is to build and test the application. It is also a piece of infrastructure along: “You will set up a central build server,” van der Starre gives commandment. “The build time of the year an application you can no longer do it by code to compile on a developer’s workstation and then burn to DVD a GM (Gold Master).” Further test work is part of modern automatic test procedure and one or more test environments “which can be quickly build and take down again.” Development is thus itself be automated to a large extent. “Many organizations do have a problem with that,” Van der Starre indicates. “For some, too new, too unfamiliar and too complex.”
The third ALM core value is the actual release of the software developed in the appropriate environments. “Here all the activities to see which are also required to release this happens automatically, without human intervention, ie. Make mistakes.” This makes it possible to more frequent and faster new software to release.
Finally, there is then the feedback loop, which is also important for the addition of new features to the applications. Van der Starre explains that monitoring of an application into production not only at a technical level should take place. “Performance and stability are important, but as well: what do people think?” This can again provide insights for new features. Van der Starre advises to test this in the first instance that users in terms of use and interest are close to the application.
“ALM ran first from point to point, now it’s a continuous circle,” so Van der Starre explains the feedback loop. Watching and learning from the application plays a critical role in building a valuable application that the wishes of the stakeholders to the millimeter represents accurate.
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