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• Negotiate scheduled upgrade with our hosting vendor. We make sure that the upgrade schedule happens when a majority of our committee members are available. 

• We always use the same dry run environment that is a snapshot of our production

• Rename our Slack Channel from last flower to current release. When we get back to Massachusetts, this will be from #poppy-upgrade to #quesnelia-upgrade

• Our FOLIO Systems Coordinator ensures environment is ready (upgrade scripts are run, permissions are set, etc.)

• Prepare spreadsheet to log issues. This is where we track if the issue is fixable, blocked, or just beware of unforeseen functionality or issues

• Committees review their UAT forms to make sure it covers new functionality

• Committees also request if new functionality needs additional time to be reviewed before being rolled out to staff (Lists App Beta)

• We have 1 week for all committees to do UAT

• Each committee have their own process. The focus is End to End tasks and workflows that involve multiple FOLIO Apps or cross app interaction

• Issues are tracked in our spreadsheet. Issues are determined to be fixable, blocking or “beware”. Issues with beware are often surprising functionality that we didn’t see or experience before (Call Number Browse). For some issues, we report this to our hosting vendor.

• Some committees work together in a meeting to do parts of the UAT. Others work asynchronously

• At the end of the week, the chairs of the committees approve or don’t approve of the upgrade. And yes, there was a time when we didn’t approve an upgrade. We want “Can we live with it” rather than “Is everything perfect”

Cornell

SPL

Main process:

• Check for bug fixes, features (new bugs), or enhancements

• Get the internal subject-matter experts to review tests and assemble a team to do the testing.

• Thow away any spreadsheet tracking you have and use a Test Management System (see Must Haves below).

• Schedule (in house or with your vendor) a fresh copy of Production to Test.

  • Having a second copy of your catalog pointed at your test environment is highly recommended.

• As staff test, the IT Department tests workflow tools, scripts, or SIP services.

• As issues are discovered during testing, other staff validate and document findings.

• After testing, review with all team leads failures or new workarounds.

• Update documentation and standard operating procedures, then communicate the changes to staff.

• Must Haves!

  • Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance 

    • Check for bug fixes, features (new bugs), or enhancements

    • Schedule time with your staff.

  • Organizational buy-in and dedicated staff time

  • End user investigation by just “doing the regular job” in both systems.

  • NO SPREADSHEETS (never, ever again)

    • Use a Test Management Software – QaraTMS or Quack (we liked them both).

  • Review all findings and give everyone’s concerns equal weight when considering the go/no-go before upgrade.

• Benefits of organized processes

  • No (fewer) surprises. Nope. None, never a surprise. 

  • Repetition brings smoother upgrades 

Complaints Feedback management

Ask testing staff how testing went before upgrading production and gather feedback for improvement next time.

Stanford

TAMU

Tips and Takeaways

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