Release to Operations

The Goal

This step is about verifying the project has met all of the intended goals and meets your customers’ needs.

At this point, your sponsor will have decided that there are no new features that will produce return on investment. Your product is now passed over to operations.

Wrapping It Up

Make sure to refer back to your initial goals and objectives before closing the project.

Take time to review all your lessons learned with your team. In addition to celebrating your achievements, consider celebrating your failures.

They are key learning opportunities for the team. Even though the project will soon be closed, your product will continue to delight your customers.

Keep an eye out for these patterns, and change them, if they arise.

Good Questions to Ask

• What could we have done better?
• What did we do really well?
• How and when can we share this information with people who can learn from it?

What You Will Produce

You still need to make certain that all documents and deliverables are up to date and archived, and that all issues are resolved.

Next, put all your documentation out on a central library where people outside the team can reference it.

Your team will likely stay together and take on another product. Make sure to celebrate this big win.

Congratulations! You’re on your way to becoming truly agile.