Pace Tech – IMPULS3

Requirements Publication & Release Management

IMPULS3 Requirements Publication and Release Management process Controlled CI Records Requirements-related Configuration Items enter Publication & Release Management under configuration control. Their identity, version, status and relationships are known and controlled before they can be published and formally released for use. Explore the information model → Transformation Engine Publication & Release Management does not transform the engineering content of a Configuration Item. It makes controlled CI records available to the people and systems that need the information for their work. Publication and release are performed according to agreed rules for authorization, identification, versioning, access and distribution. Explore the transformation engine → Publication & Release Management Activities Activities concerned with publishing and formally releasing requirements-related Configuration Items for use by their intended users. These include preparing a release, checking release readiness, authorizing the release, publishing the applicable CI records and making the released configuration available for use. Explore the process → Tools & Techniques Software tooling supports Publication & Release Management by providing capabilities for release preparation, approval, version and baseline identification, publication, controlled distribution, access management and retrieval of released CI records. Explore tools & techniques → IMPULS3 Principles Publication & Release Management follows IMPULS3 principles for controlled engineering information. Released CI records remain uniquely identifiable and traceable, their configuration and release status are explicit, and users can determine which authorized information is applicable for their work. Explore the principles → Released CI Records Released CI records form an identified and authorized configuration of requirements-related information that has been made available for use. People and systems can determine which released information is applicable to their work and retrieve the appropriate version. Explore the information model → People & Roles Publication & Release Management involves people with defined responsibilities for preparing, reviewing, authorizing, publishing and releasing controlled CI records, as well as the users who rely on released information in subsequent engineering activities. Explore people & roles →

Requirements Engineering · Publication & Release Management

Process

Publication & Release Management makes controlled requirements-related Configuration Items available for authorized use. It ensures that users and systems receive an identified, approved and controlled configuration of the information they need for their work.

IMPULS3 definition. Publication & Release Management is the controlled process of authorizing, publishing and releasing an identified configuration of requirements-related Configuration Items for use by its intended users and systems.

Input–Process–Output overview

Input

Controlled CI Records

  • Identified Configuration Items
  • Known versions and status
  • Controlled relationships
  • Applicable Baseline
Process

Publish & Release

  • Prepare release
  • Verify release readiness
  • Authorize release
  • Publish and release
Output

Released CI Records

  • Authorized configuration
  • Identified release
  • Known applicability
  • Available for intended use

Core activities

1 Prepare release

Identify the Configuration Items, versions and relationships that constitute the intended release and define its purpose, scope and intended users.

2 Verify release readiness

Confirm that the intended release is complete, internally consistent and in the required configuration state, and that the applicable release criteria have been satisfied.

3 Authorize release

Obtain the required approval or authorization to make the identified configuration available for its defined purpose and intended use.

4 Publish & release

Make the authorized configuration available to the intended users and systems, and record what was released, when, for which purpose and with which release identity.

Process boundary: what does Publication & Release Management do?

Publication & Release Management controls the transition from controlled engineering information to information that is formally authorized and available for use. It does not change the engineering meaning of the Configuration Items being released.

Publication & Release Management changes the availability and release status of controlled information, not its engineering content.

Requirements Engineering · Publication & Release Management

Transformation Engine

The Transformation Engine governs the transition from Controlled CI Records to Published and Released CI Records. The engineering content is not transformed; its publication, release status and availability for use are changed according to defined rules.

Transition rules

1 Identified configuration

The Configuration Items included in the transition shall be explicitly identified, including their applicable versions, relationships and configuration state.

2 Release readiness

The identified configuration shall satisfy the applicable completeness, consistency, verification and release criteria before it can proceed to publication and release.

3 Authorization

Release shall occur only after the identified configuration has received the required approval or authorization for its defined purpose and intended use.

4 Controlled availability

Published and released CI records shall be made available to the intended users and systems with their identity, version, release status and applicability unambiguous.

Regulated transition

A Controlled CI configuration may become Published and Released only when the applicable transition rules have been satisfied and the resulting release remains uniquely identifiable and traceable to the controlled source configuration.

Requirements Engineering · Publication & Release Management

Information Model

Publication & Release Management does not create new engineering content. It changes the status and availability of controlled Configuration Items so that an authorized configuration becomes available to the people and systems that need it for their work.

Information model transition

Before

Controlled CI

  • Unique CI identity
  • Known version and status
  • Controlled relationships
  • Under configuration control
Transition

Status & availability

  • Publication status established
  • Release status established
  • Applicability identified
  • Availability established
After

Published & Released CI

  • Same controlled CI identity
  • Known release identity and status
  • Known applicability
  • Available for intended use

What changes?

Status

The CI receives the publication and release information required to establish that an identified configuration has been formally made available for its intended use.

Availability

The released configuration becomes accessible to the people and systems that require the information, with its identity, version and applicability remaining explicit.

Publication & Release Management does not create a new engineering identity: the controlled CI remains the same identifiable Information Element while its publication status, release status and availability for use change.

Requirements Engineering · Publication & Release Management

Tools & Techniques

Publication & Release Management uses software capabilities to prepare, authorize, publish and distribute controlled CI configurations. Tool support helps ensure that the correct information is released to the intended users and systems in a controlled and traceable manner.

Core tool capabilities

1 Release preparation

Select the controlled Configuration Items, versions and relationships that constitute a release, and check whether the resulting configuration satisfies the applicable release criteria.

2 Authorization & workflow

Support review and approval workflows, record authorization decisions and prevent a configuration from being formally released before the required release conditions have been satisfied.

3 Publication & distribution

Make released CI records available to the intended people and systems through controlled views, exports, interfaces or other publication mechanisms, with appropriate access and applicability information.

4 Release records & retrieval

Record what was released, when, by whom, for which purpose and under which release identity, and enable users to retrieve the applicable released configuration.

Tool support

Publication & Release Management capabilities may be provided by Requirements Management applications, engineering information systems, document and configuration-management environments, or integrations between such systems.

The essential capability is to make the correct, authorized CI configuration available to the intended users and systems while preserving its identity, status and traceability.

Requirements Engineering · Publication & Release Management

IMPULS3 Principles

Publication & Release Management ensures that controlled engineering information becomes available for use without losing its identity, configuration integrity or traceability. IMPULS3 therefore applies a small set of principles governing authorization, identification, applicability and availability of released CI records.

1 Authorized Release

A controlled CI configuration is released only after the required release criteria have been satisfied and the appropriate authority has approved it for its intended use.

2 Unambiguous Identity

Every release is uniquely identifiable. The CI records, versions and relationships that constitute the released configuration can be determined unambiguously.

3 Defined Applicability

The purpose and applicability of a release are explicit so that people and systems can determine whether the released information is applicable to their work.

4 Controlled Availability

Released information is made available to the intended people and systems while access, distribution and superseded information are managed according to the applicable rules.

5 Traceable Release

Every released configuration remains traceable to the controlled CI configuration from which it was released, including its release identity, authorization and release history.

IMPULS3 principle. Publication and release do not create new engineering content. They establish that an identified and authorized configuration of controlled CI records is formally available and applicable for its intended use.