How would a business create a Java maintenance and change control plan for their company?

Wow, what a complicated and sophisticated question given the general nature of this site. Thanks--I'll do my best.





I'm going to address this question holistically, and you can clarify if you like. Let's assume you use Java for just about everything. Your customer service reps use a custom CRM written in Java Swing, your internet application uses servlets and server pages, and what the heck, your sales force travels all about using Java Mobile on their Treos (lucky sales force).





This sounds like overwhelming commitment to one product, but many companies use Java so singularly at this point, so you wouldn't be alone.





Maintenance: What you need (if you're running my hypothetical company) is a single minded IT department--a bunch of Java programmers and maybe a database admin, a sysadmin or two, and a designer. Between upgrades, things will go wrong in your enterprise applications, and you will have to add things quickly. Be prepared for this by NOT overwhelming your IT staff with ';busy work.'; Creating an agile development machine is difficult, but it's easier in Java than many other languages. These programmers would be able to respond quickly since they know the applications better than anyone else. If your organization is large enough, creating at least a role, or perhaps even a department, of ';tactical'; programmers would be a very wise move. I have worked for many companies that have such a structure, and they are, generally speaking, successful and agile.





Change Control: You're lucky here with Java. Sun has always done a wonderful job of ensuring the reverse compatibility of its platforms, so changing from version to version of the Virtual Machine should be little trouble for you and your company. Changing applications is another topic altogether. When I implement major changes in the software I supervise, I like to build a focus group of beta users, and let them absorb the change. When it comes to change control, there is nothing more valuable than having boots already on the ground--if you've ever worked in a cubicle before, you know well that when you're up against a problem, you stand up and ask it out loud generally. It pays BIG to have someone nearby who can answer. There is nothing more important in your change control plan than giving yourself adequate time and capacity to gain the buy-in from your employees, and perhaps your vendors and suppliers if they're stakeholders in your applications. As far as the technical process goes, that is very different from application to application and from business to business.





Best of luck with your process implementation.