IT environment management is needed in every IT company . Here you can get information about Release management and how it is important for your organization.

1. Bimodal Explained – A Release
Management View
Bimodal Explained
*From a Release Management Perspective
“The Hare and the Tortoise” is Aesop’s most famous fable.
In it, we find two characters: one fast (the hare), and one
slow (the tortoise). They run a race against each other,
both hoping to get to the finish line first. However, they
run in different ways.
The super confident and super fast hare is all over the
place, bragging and taking naps along the way. The
tortoise, on the other hand, is steady, predictable, and
persistent, even though he’s slow. In the end, the slow,
persistent tortoise wins the race. But the fast hare shows
us that even in a race, speed is not the only important
factor.
Oftentimes in software development, we have two modes
for releasing software. Mode 1 is rigid, predictable, and
safe; Mode 2 is agile, fast, and risky. While it’s certainly
not a race between the two, releasing software on these
two different paths requires special handling. This

2. situation is called bimodal IT, and it’s common in today’s
enterprises.
Gartner defines bimodal IT​ like this:
Bimodal is the practice of managing two separate but
coherent styles of work: one focused on predictability; the
other on exploration. Marrying a more predictable
evolution of products and technologies (Mode 1) with the
new and innovative (Mode 2) is the essence of an
enterprise bimodal capability.
In this article, we’ll explore bimodal IT from a ​release
management​ perspective and see how to make it work for
your organization.
Mode 1 Is Safe and Predictable
Mode 1 isn’t bad. It’s neither obsolete nor unnecessarily slow. This mode is
optimized for predictability and well-defined areas. It focuses on building on
what is known and maybe renovating a legacy ​IT environment​ into a more
modern state.
Mode 1 software development and release requires a clear understanding of
the requirements up front, as it aims to deliver predictable and precise results.
Many highly regulated industries rely on Mode 1 software release
methodologies, like waterfall and iterative. Systems supporting the financial,
defense, and pharmaceutical industries operate in Mode 1 for most system

3. development. Why? Because Mode 2 introduces new risks and doesn’t
guarantee predictable results.
Mode 2 Is Agile and Riskier
Mode 2 is neither the only option nor is it magically fast. It is, however,
exploratory and allows experimenting to solve new problems. It’s also
optimized for areas of uncertainty. These initiatives often begin with a
hypothesis that’s tested quickly. When test results are good, they’re
implemented in short iterations.
Mode 2 is called agile because it allows for software requirements to change as
the software development progresses. It’s a more fluid process that can
respond quickly to pressures from the market and development efforts.
Many times, Mode 2 software development releases include functionality
that’s based on a particular theory that isn’t fully defined. This means that
validating and testing the requirements is passed on to the user. This
approach introduces additional risk and uncertainty, but it provides a quicker
time to market.
Now that we understand what bimodal software release is, let’s take a look at
some common scenarios that exist in bimodal organizations.
Bimodal Scenarios
Many organizations operate using a Model 1 software development and release
model when development must be steady and predictable. This is especially
true in highly regulated industries like defense, pharmaceutical, and financial,
which require clearly defined requirements at the beginning.
However, your organization may decide to add Mode 2 software development
to explore and integrate new technologies into your Mode 1 product. Another
possible reason for Mode 2 operations is to eventually replace an existing
Mode 1 product with one that uses new technologies.
In these two scenarios, you’re mixing both modes of software development
and release in order to move your organization further. So let’s take a look at
how we can start a bimodal software development operation.

4. Clearly Define Objectives and Expectations
Before adding a new mode to your organization, you must clearly define the
objectives. Everyone needs to know what the organization is trying to achieve.
Let’s say your organization has been working in Mode 1 (slower and
predictable) for a while, and you need to add Mode 2 (faster and more agile) to
explore new technologies. Here’s where you need to spend some time: Why do
you need this new technology? Do you want to integrate it into the Mode 1
product you’ve been selling? Do you want to create a new product that will
eventually replace the existing product? Or do you want to offer ​both​ products
to your customers?
Certainly, time and business climate changes will also change your objectives.
Therefore, clear communication is very important every time such changes
happen because they will affect people’s daily work habits. Sharing the ​main
development metrics​ you look for will go a long way toward making things
clear. Having ​a unified place to track and share release details​ will also bring
your development efforts together.
The keywords for making bimodal software delivery work are ​separation​ and
integration​. These may seem like opposites but bear with me as I make my
point. In order to make bimodal software releases work, we must talk about
separating resources and integrating results.
Separate Development Teams
Changing context is one of the most difficult things for software developers to
do. It takes a while to switch your mindset from one project to another. So it’s
almost impossible to have one person working in both modes simultaneously.
Therefore, you should divide the development teams to allow your developers
to focus easily.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have a transition period during which people on
the new team continue helping your initial team work on existing products.
However, you must clearly explain timelines and expectations. And handle any
organizational changes carefully, allowing people time to digest them.
Separate Codebases and Timelines

5. Codebase separation naturally follows team separation. And this step is
necessary because the two modes involve different testing and software
release cadences. Separating software codebases for Mode 1 and Mode 2
products allows your development teams to operate independently. And
creating separate code repositories is an easy way to create different
workflows.
Obviously, time is a crucial resource. So it goes without saying that separate
teams require separate timelines. You must allocate time differently to Mode 1
and Mode 2 releases. With Mode 1, predictability and risk mitigation drive the
release process, whereas quickness to market and gathering feedback drive it
for Mode 2.
Separating your resources allows the two software development modes to
work independently toward accomplishing their common goal: releasing
meaningful software. And then you can focus on integration at the release
level. Once the Mode 1 system can accomplish X, and the Mode 2 system can
accomplish Y, you integrate the results, X and Y, in this specific way.
Let’s talk about integrating bimodal software releases.
Integrate Releases
The most complicated bimodal scenario is when Mode 2 releases deliver new
functionality for your existing Mode 1 products. As we focus on this specific
scenario, let’s zoom in on release management.
When operating bimodally, you must focus on planning detailed features for
each release. This is the only way to plan for integration between the releases
of two different modes of software. So once you have software development
running in two modes, release management becomes your focus.
How do you determine which features go into each release for each mode?
This is the million-dollar question in every software development project.
Before starting Mode 2 releases, you must be able to envision the final product
with the new functionality working in your existing Mode 1 product. How does
your improved Mode 1 product look when you integrate Mode 2 functionality?
What will your users be able to achieve? Answering questions like these will
give you a clear vision of the finish line. Or at least the ​first​ finish line you have
to cross with both Mode 1 and Mode 2 release models.

6. When you focus on the releases produced in both modes, clarity comes along.
So developing user stories that focus on integrating features will help you plan
your releases.
A release-focused user story might look like this: ​“The user will be able to
accomplish X by entering data Y and getting results Z. The user can use Z
results for accomplishing goals A, B, and C.”​ You must ensure, however, that
these requirements are end-state requirements and not development details.
This kind of thinking requires that you understand your users. Or you should
include people on your team who understand your users and your market very
well.
Bring Both Modes to the Finish Line
You must never portray the two modes and the teams that support them as
being in a race with each other. You need ​both​ software release modes to move
your enterprise systems forward. So to ensure that your bimodal software
development doesn’t become a fable, remember that your organization only
races against time, budget, and its competitors—not each other.