Auditing agile release management: Balancing speed and control

The management of software releases is a significant element for most businesses. However, many organizations suffer from poor release management due to rapid demand for the back-to-back release of services or products. An efficient release management procedure can support frequent releases with minimal risks. Therefore, auditing a release management process is critical to ensure the changes are delivered consistently every time and with the same level of quality. The method introduced in this chapter identifies different risks companies encounter due to poor release management. The solution to this issue is to present a control activity lifecycle that involves auditors to detect vulnerabilities at each level of the agile development cycle and offer solutions to the risks discovered during the assessment. Adopting this control activity lifecycle for agile release management will significantly decrease exposure to risks that can harm agile projects, protecting the firm's business applications, guaranteeing quality, and enhancing its reputation.