If reality worked more like fairy tales, we could just snap our fingers, click our heels together, or chant “Bibbidi bobbito boo,” and any enhancements we would like to add to our PSA software would just instantaneously exist.
Unfortunately, in real life, we have no Marry Poppins, good witch Glinda or fairy godmother, so, when we decide to augment the app, we face a number of consuming challenges when we release new editions of our professional services automation (PSA) software solution multiple times each year.
When we released version 5.6, in August, only about three months ago, we were already dreaming up CRM version 5.7. Our product manager, developers and customer service and support team were sorting through customer suggestions and were brainstorming new ideas of their own.
The process of simply assembling a list of enhancements and new features to add to a new release takes time. The value and viability of each idea needed to be assessed. Once a list of enhancements is assembled, we have to estimate the time it would take to develop each new feature so that we can both determine which new options to develop concurrently for the next version release and so that we could establish a tentative release date for the new version.
After we came up with the list of features to be included for the new version, we divided the task between our team and started coding the enhancements, being careful each addition would interact well with the others, in spite of being created by different developers. Like with every new version, we had to be to sure that API changes were carefully implemented so that new APIs will support all of our new features and options without requiring changes to be made to any third party programs that have already implemented using the software APIs.
The meticulousness and care applied by each of our developers is the key to the success of each one of our PSA software versions. Applying a combination of those skills and patience, our team produced code for all of the new tools and features for version 5.7. They tested each of their programs multiple times, addressing bugs, incompatibilities and glitches.
Once our developers were confident in their programs, they handed them to our QA team to test them again. When any new bugs were discovered, the programs were sent back to the developers to fix. The updated versions of the programs were then provided to the QA team for additional review.
With each new version, not only are the new features tested, but our QA team also verifies that the rest of the app works properly and is not affected by changes to our software solution. As with all of our version releases, everyone did their utmost to ensure that even the Beta version of 5.7 was error free and stable. After the new CRM 5.7 version was reviewed in its entirety, it was released in Beta form to a select group of users as another means of checking the integrity of the new version of our PSA.
Once an error free Beta version was achieved, we were able to announce and unveil the Release Candidate of the new version. During this period of time, we start coordinating plans to release the new version. We also start sorting through our users’ suggestions, new industry releases, etc. to start preparing for the next version!
Due to the incredible undertaking of developing every new version, releasing a new version of of our PSA only months after our previous release is an achievement. As with all version releases, with 5.7, we faced the challenge of finding the time to code, perfect, test, and correct ever new feature. Because we believe that we’ve succeeded in overcoming all of these obstacles, we are excited to be bringing you a new set of feature and tool enhancements and integrations only months after bringing you another very robust new edition.
We’d love to share more about our experience of developing version 5.7 in just a few short months, but duty calls. Back to the drawing board we go!
Until next time,
Success Team
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