Digital Product Management
Top 5 Benefits
1. Manage digital products (software) in their digital form. |
2. Create a collaborative and secure release management environment. |
3. Track and approve changes to product deliverables/kits. |
4. Track schedules and alert interested parties on changes to the schedule in real time. |
5. Release same content to physical and electronic distribution processes. |
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Managing Digital Products and their Assets Electronically
So what is Digital Product Management and how does it fit into the software management world?
Digital Product Management encompasses two standard and interlocking processes:
Release Management and Supply Chain Management
In both processes, the goal is move a digital product through its production cycle via a controlled and standard methodology, namely through workflow management.
Digital Product Management also means tracking both the structure and the deliverables. It also means linking metadata like product descriptions or ECCN numbers and even custom information to the product structure. Having content in a controlled and central repository means one place to put it and only if you have permission. Content submissions and retrievals are check-summed to ensure the entire content has been successful uploaded or downloaded. Linking the state shows you not only the content is safe but you know at what level within the work process the content represents. |
Release Management
RESCUE’s built-in workflow management can be used to move streamline the release management process. Teams can use the collaborative environment to ensure they are synchronized and notified as individual components like CDs are ready. Schedules can be input and are automatically monitored and will trigger events that may cause alerts (notifications) to be generated when missed.
Part numbering and revision control ensures order and discipline is maintained. Parts that have been released can not be modified except by revision control. Who changed what and when are all logged so change tracking and forensic study is made easy.
Tired of not knowing the state of a release or its components? Before a product can more from one state to another all the child components (like CDs) must be at the same or higher level. This means when promoting a product confirmation is requested for those components identified at a lower level. This helps prevent the situation where a CD is still being tested and somebody declares the product GA. View flash presentation on release management.
Supply Chain Management
Tired of getting or sending gold masters, want outside groups to be able to participate or contribute directly to the release process; RESCUE can help. To receive gold masters or any content from a vendor, you create the appropriate part number or better yet have your vendor to that and then allow them to submit the content. The content could be an ISO file and bitmaps for the hub art. It could be zip files or individual files that go on the CD/DVD. The granularity is up to you.
Whether you production team is in-house or a third party, RESCUE can be used to alert them when products become ready for them to manufacture, via workflow management and alerts. Downloads are check-summed so you are sure they are getting the whole and correct content each and every time.
Click here to find out more about RESCUE. |
