The concept of release management is about managing, planning, scheduling, and then controlling software delivery all through the release lifecycle and the environment including testing and deploying the software releases. Though the concept has progressed with the latest technological best practices, it is considered an essential process for software delivery and IT service management.
Nowadays, a number of organizations are heading towards Continuous Delivery and DevOps. Upon considering the concept of continuous delivery, enterprises have become lean and agile whilst managing the process.
Release Manager Job Role Overview
Release Managers are accountable for the Release Management lifecycle and target the coordination of various aspects of production and projects integrated into a single solution. Professionals working in these job roles are answerable to make sure that the timelines, resources, and the entire process quality are considered.
The release management concept can be applied to various industries and job roles vary accordingly.
For instance, let’s consider-
- When it comes to traditional engineering concepts/theories, the job roles in the domain look for various ways to provide automated solutions to the ongoing physical processes.
- When it’s a software engineering process, a Software Release Manager looks for various ways to automate it.
Amongst all the job roles in an organization, the Release Manager’s role is the most stressful and demanding one. No matter whether it is a permanent/contract role in a project, performing the job role of a Release Manager is not a relaxed task indeed. It involves quite a lot of responsibilities to be taken.
Release Manager’s job role is often linked with project management roles and has the most stressful jobs across the organizations as they are involved in various aspects of the project which include tracking, testing, communication amongst the team, risk management, and deployment.
Responsibilities of a Release Manager
Here is a list of responsibilities of a Release Manager:
- DevOps Release Manager‘s main task is to communicate with the team regarding key project plans, commitments, and essential changes which include project requirements, schedule, scope changes, and QA plans.
- Coordinate with different project teams.
- The careful managing of risks and resolving the issues that might hinder the project scope, quality, and timeline.
- Project progress needs to be measured ensuring that application releases are delivered within the deadline and considering budget constraints and also check whether they meet or exceed customer expectations.
- Coordinate with the release engineers in order to understand the consequences of code merges and branches.
- Their main responsibility is to work towards making improvements in the release process.
- Considering project development, integration, and deployment of software releases to different platforms, it becomes essential to develop scripts and automation tools.
- It’s essential to take part in CAB meetings in order to discuss the CAB meetings to know about the release scope and hindrance blocking.
- Their main responsibility is to maintain/uphold a release repository/source to manage key information like build and release procedures, notification lists, and dependencies.
- To analyze current configuration management requirements, it is essential to research about latest configuration management and software development technologies.
Essential Skills
Release Managers of today should possess advanced technical skills which include a thorough understanding of toggling features, branch handling, continuous integration, and continuous delivery. They should be capable of implementing suitable methodologies and practices.
Along with the technical skills, the Release Managers’ should possess soft skills to drive essential changes to communicate, coordinate, and handle various teams within the organization.
Soft Skills
- Problem-solving, analytical, and leadership skills.
- Should be versed with written and verbal advanced communication skills.
- Should be capable of coordinating with various teams in order to ensure whether the tasks are accomplished considering the release schedule.
Hard Skills
- Comprehensive knowledge of PC, computer software, and programming.
- A thorough understanding of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery pipelines.
- They must possess expert knowledge in the field they are into.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field.
- Progressive knowledge in the software development lifecycle.
- Formal training in project management.
- Several years of experience as a project manager/Release Manager.
- Ability to work with cross-functional teams.
How the Performance of a Release Manager is Evaluated?
The performance of a Release Manager is evaluated considering their consistency and on-time delivery of quality releases.
Release Managers should:
- Resolve critical issues within hours.
- Analyze customer feedback thoroughly and revert back to the development team.
- Provide high service availability.
A Release Manager should be capable of understanding intricate business requirements and be considered as final decision-makers on the important release-related complexities.
The main role of the Release Manager has evolved in the era of continuous deployment. You must be Agile and capable of performing various functions and should come up with a collaborative approach for software development practice. Being a Release Manager your main responsibility is to ensure that all the components of a software release should cater to customer requirements.
Skills that Affect the Salary of a Release Manager
Salary insights
The average salary of a Release Manager in the United States is approximately $132,690 (Latest update March 26, 2020), but the salary range falls between $118,790 and $146,190. This salary range depends on considering various aspects like education, certifications, and years of experience in the domain.
| Percentile | Salary range |
| 10 | $106,135 |
| 25 | $118,790 |
| 50 | $132,690 |
| 75 | $146,190 |
| 90 | $158,481 |
Conclusion
DevOps Release Managers should understand the intricate business needs and be accountable for essential release-related matters. They are also responsible for monitoring how every aspect of a project fits together and providing a thorough insight into the changes made and the reason behind the same.
Though the role of Release Managers has changed during the continuous delivery process. They are capable of performing varied functions and developing a collaborative approach when it comes to software development. Release Managers can take up popular DevOps courses to further their careers and reskill according to industry trends.
Some of the popular DevOps Courses that Release Managers can take up are:
