5-Seconds Digest
- Learn when spreadsheets work well for managing IT environments and where they fall short.
- Explore the best alternatives with real-life examples.
When managing Test Environment Management (TEM) and Release Management (RM), many teams begin with simple tools like spreadsheets. These tools offer a flexible way to track and schedule environments, helping teams document environment names, statuses, configurations, and availability.
In some cases, teams even use spreadsheets to manage deployment timelines and coordinate releases. They can create tabs for different environments, add custom columns for status updates, and manually input changes as they happen. For smaller teams or less complex setups, spreadsheets can serve as a straightforward way to track test environments. With the ability to customize columns and create templates, they provide a temporary solution for managing IT environments, scheduling tests, and documenting changes.
However, as IT teams grow or when managing complex release processes involving multiple environments, spreadsheets quickly reveal their limitations. One major issue is that they are static, meaning updates or changes to the data are manual and time-consuming. This can lead to miscommunication or missed updates, especially when many team members are involved.
Teams could lose valuable time coordinating releases and updates, with increased risk and potential errors. To address this, transitioning from manual tracking systems to interactive dashboards in Jira can greatly enhance real-time visibility and coordination, as illustrated in this example of live project status reports and dashboards.
When Spreadsheets Work Well
There are certainly cases where spreadsheets shine as an IT environment management tool:
These scenarios illustrate that spreadsheets can still be useful, especially for small-scale or low-complexity projects. The problem arises, however, as the complexity of operations scales.
When Spreadsheets Fall Short
As projects grow, the weaknesses of spreadsheets become more evident. For instance:
Spreadsheet alternatives for managing IT Environments
Gantt charts are a feature often included in project management tools. They help visualize project schedules by showing tasks along a timeline, making it easier to see which tasks are happening when and how they overlap. Tools like Jira, Microsoft Project, and Asana often include Gantt charts as part of their functionality to help manage and track project progress.
Gantt charts and spreadsheets share some similarities in organizing and tracking tasks. Both tools help you keep track of deadlines and progress by laying out tasks in a structured format. However, Gantt charts go a step further by providing a clear visual timeline, showing task durations and dependencies at a glance.
While you can create a basic Gantt chart in a spreadsheet using templates, Gantt charts in dedicated project management tools offer more sophisticated features. They automatically handle task dependencies and provide a clearer view of how tasks overlap.
Automated tools like Apwide Golive take this a step further for IT environments:
They offer a centralized real-time environment tracking, even when teams use heteroclite toolchains.
The support DevOps workflows, where automation is key.
They provide scheduling capabilities like auto-approval when no conflict is detected, or auto-booking of dependent environments, making sure all logical dependencies are under control.
These elements make them more effective for managing dynamic IT projects compared to traditional Gantt charts.
Why Apwide Golive is a Better Solution for IT Teams
For those managing larger projects or dealing with complex release schedules, Apwide Golive provides several advantages over traditional methods. It’s designed to simplify the release process, providing real-time updates, environment management, and better overall control.
Rather than using spreadsheets to manually track environments and releases, Golive automates these tasks.
Golive’s native integration with Jira also makes it easier to tie releases directly into your team’s workflow, ensuring all data is synchronized and accessible. This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of errors due to outdated information.
Swiss Re found this integration particularly beneficial, as it allowed them to better coordinate releases and track real-time changes. Their feedback after implementing Golive emphasized the ease of use and efficiency in managing multiple environments simultaneously, which had been a major challenge with their previous manual spreadsheet-based system.
You can explore their detailed feedback here.
Key Features That Make Apwide Golive Stand Out
Making the Transition from Spreadsheets to Golive
For teams already accustomed to spreadsheets, moving to Apwide Golive is an easy transition. The tool allows users to create dashboards from templates, and workflows that are customizable, with the added benefits of automation and real-time updates.
It takes the best of what spreadsheets offer and amplifies their functionality, making it easier to manage even the most complex projects.
When comparing spreadsheets to Golive, it’s not a matter of completely abandoning one for the other but recognizing where each tool fits best. Spreadsheets work well for simple tracking and small teams, while Golive excels when you need a central hub for IT environment and release management, especially when dealing with multiple environments and releases across teams.
After replacing Excel spreadsheets, Philipp Junghans, Release Manager at Swiss Re, noticed a 50% reduction in calls and e-mails for his team.
A real-life example of replacing spreadsheets with Golive
Swiss Re experienced these very challenges before transitioning to Apwide Golive. Their reliance on manual processes through Spreadsheets led to inefficiencies and delays in release management. By switching to an integrated system, Swiss Re was able to cut its support time in half, significantly improving communication and operational efficiency, as described in their case study here.
This is where Apwide Golive becomes a significant upgrade. Golive isn’t just an alternative to Spreadsheets but rather a solution that consolidates and enhances the processes teams are already using. Integrating with Jira, Golive offers real-time visibility into IT environments, enabling immediate updates and improved release coordination. For example, instead of manually updating a spreadsheet whenever a new release phase starts, Golive automatically tracks changes, displays environment statuses, and ensures everyone has access to the latest information.
Key Takeaways
- Spreadsheets can still play a role in IT management, particularly for smaller teams or simple tasks.
- Apwide Golive acts as a natural progression for teams using Jira, providing more automated and centralized management when handling complex release environments.
- The transition from Spreadsheets to Golive is fluid, offering more functionality while still allowing customization and flexibility.
Embracing Golive as a spreadsheet alternative allows teams to significantly reduce manual workload, ensure more accurate release coordination, and focus on delivering high-quality software without administrative overhead.