Releaseplanning

Gfacility operates a true Software as a Service (SAAS) model, which means that there is only one unified version of our software for all our users. Unlike individual customer releases, each new version takes effect immediately for all customers. This ensures stable software, keeps all customers up-to-date, and does not require any additional efforts from customers for the release/update. To manage this efficiently, Gfacility follows a release process consisting of 3 phases.

Release process

The process illustration below shows which process each functionality goes through.

Phase I - Planning and design

Our backlog is continuously filled with internal improvement suggestions, the roadmap and customer wishes. Every two weeks, functionalities are selected and planned, followed by a technical analysis (TA) and possible design proposal.

Phase II - Development & Quality Assurance

After planning and design, each functionality is developed, with a lead time of at least 4 weeks (2 sprints) to 12 weeks or longer depending on the complexity of the functionality to be developed. Developed functionalities are placed on the Development environment, where our quality staff perform tests and note errors.

Phase III - User Acceptance Test and Production Release

Functionalities on the Development environment are released in a standard 4-weekly cycle as a package on the UAT environment. Customers have 4 weeks to test the new release before rolling it out to the Production environment. Feedback must be submitted no later than 1 week before the release, after which it cannot be guaranteed that it will be included in the next release. Feedback on the UAT environment can be submitted by customers in the Gfacility Support environment.

Due to severe errors in the UAT environment, a release may be delayed or canceled. Customers will be notified no later than the last Wednesday before the release if it does not go through. If the release goes ahead as planned, no message will be sent.

You can find the release schedule here. Release notes for both the UAT and Production environments will be shared the Friday prior to the release.

Incidents / BUGS

Incidents and bugs are typically detected and resolved in the UAT environment, but it is possible that a bug may still occur in the production environment. To ensure software stability, bugs are first fixed in the UAT environment and then rolled out to the production environment with the next release. Only bugs with a critical impact, which make work impossible without an available workaround, are fixed directly in the production environment. This process is aimed at minimizing incidents and maintaining a stable and reliable software environment for our users.

Customer requirements

Customer wishes are important for the further development of our software and can be submitted via the Support environment. Every two weeks, all wishes will be assessed and the next steps will be communicated. When a wish is accepted, it will be included in the release process as described above.