At Octal, an arming plan is prepared for each project: together with our partners, a pre-planned arming process guarantees that everything will run smoothly at this stage of project implementation and that we will be able to provide a high level of quality to our partners. Thanks to the arming plan, we are able to react quickly and accurately to unexpected situations, so our partners can concentrate on what is most important to them – to serve their customers to a high standard.
One of the most important moments in the development process is when the website or application is armed. However, an incorrect server configuration or firewall problem is enough – arming slips. There may also be cases where the previous page is not yet available and the new page is no longer available. Unavailable sales on inaccessible websites, the company suffers a financial loss: therefore, Octal prepares a schedule before each arming process, which helps to reduce risks and guarantee a high level of quality to our partners.
Arming – go live
At Octal, the key question is what verification process, code review, the software written for the given web application can proceed with the arming process. The quality assurance system guarantees that the improvements are checked during the testing phase and that any errors or bugs that occur may be corrected. In the testing scenario, we take the steps of the given web or mobile application through specific steps, and we check whether everything works according to the specification. In addition to thorough testing, before consulting the system, we consult with the system operators of our customers several times, we go around the various system integration issues, among other things, and we’re talking about domain redirection. If all goes according to plan, we press that certain imaginary red button and arm the application.
How do we handle unexpected situations?
However, despite careful preparation, there may be problems that are most commonly characterized by the integration of different systems, firewalls and access issues, and forgotten passwords. It is extremely important to be prepared for such cases as well: at Octal, our senior developers, testers, project managers, and internal system operation specialists assess the risks of a given project in advance. Based on a pre-compiled prioritization list as part of the arming plan, we can clearly see at which point in the system, in the event of unexpected situations, when, and at what depth, the system needs to intervene in order to make the system live for users by the desired deadline.
By monitoring the arming schedule, you can continuously monitor the progress, the status of each subtask, as well as the steps required for any slips. In this document, we record the contact details of stakeholders and key players. It is very important to be able to react immediately in a stressful situation if there is a problem; there is no time to reconcile phone numbers. We also need to know about such seemingly banal little things that we don’t look for which system operator of our partner because he is currently on leave.
When can the roll-back plan come into effect?
Untreated arming problems, websites that are inaccessible for long hours, in addition to a loss of prestige, also mean a loss of money. That is why it is essential to set out in advance in the roadmap the points at which we need to temporarily restore the old system in order to reduce risks and make a profit: in this case, we are talking about a recovery plan, i.e. a roll-back plan. However, the arming process ends with a very small percentage of resets: in such cases, we agree with the customer on another arming date, in preparation for another arming, we will expand the arming plan and the roll-back plant with experience and a description of the issues resolved. Re-arming is followed by a highly active support period, and the system very often receives round-the-clock developer duty.
Return on investment
Having an arming plan is a truly worthwhile investment for our partners. At Octal, thanks to our teams dedicated to projects and our long-term experience, we respond quickly and accurately to unforeseen situations, deal with problems that arise, so that our partners can focus on what is most important to them – to serve their customers to a high standard.
