Best Practices for Release Management in a Multi-Vault Environment
Effective release management was a popular topic at the 2022 EU R&D and Quality Summit. In the Development Cloud Zone, attendees heard from experts at Idorsia and argenx in a panel devoted to enhancing release management practices and multi-Vault governance.
Release types
There are three types of Veeva releases that require coordinated management: general, project, and operational. Typically, customers adopt a release management strategy that aligns project and operational releases with Veeva’s predictable general release timeline.
| Release Type | Description | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| General Release | Regularly scheduled Vault release with a mix of auto-on and configurable features | Every 4 months, or 3 times per year |
| Project Release | Release that deploys a new Vault application or major piece of functionality | Determined by customer |
| Operational Release | Release that enables configurable features or fixes configuration glitches | Determined by customer |
Standardizing and aligning releases
Simone Mechler, senior director and team leader for clinical and quality systems, described how Idorsia evolved its release management strategy as the company’s deployment grew to five Vaults over five years.
- For general releases, Idorsia landed on a standard, 12-step workflow that is applied across all Vaults. To further streamline releases, Idorsia takes a risk-based approach to feature verification and testing. The company also prioritizes standard solutions and configurations to minimize technical complexity and the need for regression testing.
- For project and operational releases, Idorsia transitioned from ad hoc change management to a consistent 16-week release cycle—a move that has improved efficiency and long-range planning. Configuration, user acceptance testing, and validation all take place in the four months between general releases. The company aims to deploy internal releases four weeks before a general release to allow enough time to prepare for upcoming Vault enhancements.
Best practices for release management
Salman Saif, senior director of R&D business systems at argenx, shared his lessons learned developed while managing updates for five applications on the Veeva Development Cloud.
- A comprehensive view is essential. Salman encouraged attendees to think across Vaults in order to uncover interdependencies, streamline cross-functional processes, and promote collaboration between teams. This holistic approach maximizes the value of multi-Vault deployments.
- Conversations are critical. With more people working remotely, it’s crucial to keep channels of communication open. argenx uses services like Zoom, not Excel, to collect input from business partners. The company also involves end users who have firsthand experience with existing workflows and pain points.
- Prioritization is key. argenx uses a structured framework to focus releases on business-critical features. Common assessment metrics include business value, regulatory impact, the level of effort required to deliver a feature, and the number of users that benefit.
A big thanks to Simone and Salman for contributing their time and expertise. Watch this webinar to learn more about Vault release notes, impact assessments, CSV packages, and compliance.