Many would like to bring lifecycles and time into perspective when analyzing their architecture. This is especially true for applications and capabilities.
As a best practice, we recommend that you use one set of standardized lifecycle fields to any components or references (integrations for example) to which you would like to apply time and lifecycle.
By using a common set of fields you will find that filtering, search, graph reporting and using views like the Timeline View are much easier to manage regardless of your context.
Lifecycle Management Fields
We include a lightweight version of lifecycle management in most of our Best Practice Modules, but here is the complete list for the most mature users. You can get equally far by selecting only those which you deem important.
We recommend that, at a minimum, you use the "Lifecycle Phase" and the "Live" fields.
Lifecycle Phase (List):
This list field can be applied to anything which you would like to create roadmaps and manage lifecycles. The list of phases (in order of time) includes:
Evaluation
Development
Live
Mainstream
Phasing Out
Retired
Evaluation (Date range):
Use this date field to plan an Evaluation phase and visualize it in the Timeline View. This includes a start and end date. Ideally, the end date of one phase should match the start date of another, but this is not a requirement as you may have gaps in handovers.
Development (Date range):
Use this date field to plan the Development phase and visualize it in the Timeline View. This includes a start and end date. Ideally, the end date of one phase should match the start date of another, but this is not a requirement as you may have gaps in handovers.
Live (Date range):
Use this date field to plan the Live phase and visualize it in the Timeline View. This includes a start and end date. Ideally, the end date of one phase should match the start date of another, but this is not a requirement as you may have gaps in handovers.
Mainstream (Date range):
Use this date field to plan the Mainstream phase and visualize it in the Timeline View. Mainstream is a sub-phase of Live and relates to the period for which the component is in a 'steady-state'. For example, before an application is Mainstream it may be ramping up its use, and after it is Mainstream it may be ramping down. This phase includes a start and end date. Ideally, the end date of one phase should match the start date of another, but this is not a requirement as you may have gaps in handovers.