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Managing plans

A software release cycle usually has multiple phases. In BMC Release Process Management, you use plans to specify the sequence of the states and transitions, which might include several requests.

This topic provides the following information to help you manage plans:

Plans enable you to organize the software release process efficiently within the framework of your organization's processes:

  1. First, you create a plan template to structure the release plan of your software.
  2. Next, you add stages to the plan template. For example, a corporation can have stages that represent the environments, like Development, QA and Release. When you add a stage, you can specify a release template to associate with the stage.
  3. Next, you create a new plan. When you create a new plan, BMC Release Process Management automatically creates an instance of the request for that stage.
  4. You then create a run for the plan. A run is simply a group of requests in a plan stage. Runs enable you to assemble requests from different applications and target different environments in an executable flow. You can also add or delete a request from a run. You can clone a run like a template. Thus, even though requests may have been run in various states during the stage, the definitive work to do the deployment can be gathered into a run and promoted to the next plan stage.

    To use the plan runs capability, you must create multiple requests.

You can also execute requests as part of a project. Projects are constructs that contain requests, which, in turn, contain steps and procedures. You can define different types of projects and can assign categories to your projects. A request can be executed as part of an activity, which, in turn, refers to a project.

BMC Release Process Management provides you the capability to integrate with external systems and perform functions in the external system by using the BMC Release Process Management user interface. If you have integrations in place, you can also link your release plan to existing ticketing systems. This is useful when your organization has scheduled software releases at certain times and might have windows during which you release your software. The application teams submit tickets to indicate that their codes are ready.

To create a plan template

  1. Click Environment > Metadata > Manage Plan Templates.
  2. Click the Create Plan Template link on the right.
  3. In the Name field, enter the name of your template.
  4. From the list in the Template type field, select the template type.
  5. Click Create.
  6. To complete the plan template formation, click the Add stage link below the plan and add as many stages as required.

To add a stage to a plan template

After creating a plan template, you must add stages.

  1. From Environment > Metadata > Manage Plan Templates.
     The list of existing plan templates is displayed under Plan Templates.
  2. Click the template to which you want to add stages.
     The selected template opens.
  3. In the Stages section, click Add stage.
  4. In the Creating Plan Stage dialog box, enter a name for the stage in the Name field.
  5. From the Environment type list select the environment type that you want to be mapped with the plan stage ❓️.  
  6. If you want to make this stage required, select the check box below. Otherwise, skip this step.
  7. From the Default Request Template, add as many request templates as you require by pressing the Ctrl key.
  8. (Optional) To give the requestor access to the stage, select the Requestor Access check box.
  9. Click Create.
  10. Create as many stages as needed by repeating steps 4 through 9.

To change the order of the stages

Drag and drop the stage's icon.

To create a plan

  1. From the Plans page, click Create Plan.
  2. From the Plan Template list, select a template, depending on the type before creating a plan.
  3. In the Plan Name field, type a plan name.
  4. From the Release Manager list, select the release manager name.
  5. Select the required check boxes from the Teams field.
  6. Select release tag from the Release tag list.

  7. Select a release date from the Release Date field.

    Warning

    Note

    If you click Edit Plan Details after you have created the plan, the release tag and the release date that you select appear as defaults. They also appear as defaults when you want to add a request to the plan.

  8. Enter a release description in the Release Description field.

To edit a plan stage from a template

  1. Click Environment > Metadata > Manage Plan Templates.
  2. On the table view page, click a plan for which you want to edit a stage.
  3. Click the Edit link next to the stage.
     The editing stage dialog box opens.
  4. Type a name for the stage in the Name field.
  5. From the Default Request Template list, select your request templates, using the Ctrl key to select multiple templates.
  6. (Optional) To give the requestor access to the stage, select the Requestor Access check box.
  7. Click Update.

To edit plan details

  1. In the Stages page, click the Edit Plan Details link.
  2. In the dialog box, enter the details in the fields on the left.
  3. Enter the dates on the right under Stage Dates.
  4. (Optional) You can add a release description in the Release Description text box.
  5. Click Update.

 

To add a route to a plan

  1. Click Create Plan to create a new plan, or click the name of the existing plan to which you want to add a route.
  2. Click the Assign App Route button located to the right.
  3. Select the desired application from the *App list.
  4. Select the desired route from the *Route list.

  5. Click Add.
    The Routes tab opens, with the plan stages mapped with the application route environments.


    Warning

    Note

    Route gate constraints validate the compliance of the request environments to the plan stage route gates. Route gates are mapped to the plan stages according to the environment types of the route gate environments. For more information about route gates, see Managing-routes.

  6. You can change the default (automatic) route gate assignment to plan stages.

Error
Warning

After adding a route to a plan you cannot reopen the completed request, if the environment of the request does not match the environment specified in a route.

 

To assign a request to a plan

You have created a request. Now you can add a plan to a request.

Warning

Note

Plan may have a route added to it. If the plan has a route added to it, you must create a request for certain stages of a plan using only the route environment defined in the route and mapped to the plan stage. For more information, see Adding a route to a plan.

  1. On the Requests tab, click the request.
  2. On the request page open, click the expand link.
  3. In the new page that opens, click the Modify Request Details link.
  4. In the edit request dialog box that opens, you can change all or some of the details under Core Attributes including the plan.
  5. Change the plan from the Plan drop down field.

For more information about requests, see Managing-requests.

 

 

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BMC Release Process Management 4.3