Packaging is only one area within the process of getting applications to users within an enterprise environment. Depending on the size of an organisation, there are normally a number of different functions within the process of getting a new application to the desktop of a workstation.
- Generally Purchasing will be a task not completed by the Application Packagers.
- In large organisations, Software Delivery will be conducted by a separate section to those involved in packaging
- An element of user acceptance testing will be performed by different staff members to the Application Packagers.
- In major upgrade projects, staff members within Application packaging may even be involved with finding software and documenting installation instructions.
Exactly where the responsibilities of Application Packagers begin and finish will be often determined by the size of the organisation’s IT support department and the role of the packaging (Project based or Day to Day support).
More often than not, when new operating systems (such as Windows XP or Windows Vista) are being introduced, a completed collection of application installers from doesn't exist and actually having staff members dedicated to finding the media is an important role. If a packaging request is received in the day to day world, actually getting the physical media is rarely a responsibility of packaging teams.
Documentation
A passing comment needs to be made about documentation. The packaging process can become an extremely costly exercise based on the documentation requirements adopted by an organisation.
Documentation is required in creating packaging requests and at the completion of a package.
Packaging Requests will require at least:
- Information of any customisatios a package needs
- Dependencies of an application
- Site specific branding for an application
- License information
- A technically minded contact who knows something about the application.
Eventual testing of an application will also require:
- Details of group memberships for an application to run
- Details of servers and databases (for client based applications)
Package Completion will require:
- Documentation of standards not adhered to
- Installation Requirements (Software Delivery etc)
- Documentation of Testing.
Documentation must be usable. Collecting large numbers of word documents is of very little benefit to anyone. I have worked in organisations where people have been paid to document each screen and every button pushed during an installation. I have seen project deployments held up as non-it staff members have been unable to document the installation of applications to such a level, after all, very rarely do people from outside of IT know exactly how to install a product.
The very best organisations I’ve worked in did away with this entire layer of bureaucracy by adopting a policy that when an application is sent for packaging, all options would be installed unless otherwise stated. This single policy shaves hours off the packaging process of every application.
Word documents are bulky and hard to do anything useful with. Text files or text based XML files allow a greater scope for automation and the eventual storage of useful information in databases. PDF format also gives an unchangeable record of completed testing that Word does not provide.
- Log in to post comments