Development & QA

Testing is the phase of an upgrade that requires the most time. As a result, this process should be as automated as possible. The Application Testing Guide provides details on how to set up and use platform and system testing tools for faster QA. Use a staging environment to test and validate your upgrade before moving to production.

UAT & preparing to launch

UAT is one of the last stages of the upgrade that requires reviewing and validating the site. You must also decide when to deploy and whether you need a maintenance page. Make plans for cron processes and third-party messages.

As the deployment date draws near, communication is essential. If more people know about the change on the horizon, how it impacts them, and how they must address it, then you are more likely to have a successful launch. Do not be afraid to over-communicate every step of the way—it increases the likelihood of glowing reviews from everyone involved once you go live!

Launch

Complete the upgrade by deploying to production and updating extensions. Make sure you test critical path flows with simulated orders. Check out these best practices for some tips on launching with minimal issues.

Follow your communication plan and ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the upgrade and are fully trained to support it.

Finally, debrief with your team to determine lessons learned and pitfalls. This retrospective helps you to improve the process next time.

Post-Launch

After your site launches, make sure to check your analytics data, Google Search Console, and other resources to ensure that there are no unexpected issues and that everything is working as expected.

It is always a good idea to keep an eye on performance through well-designed monitoring tools. There are many tools and means of monitoring your site performance, so be sure to pick one that pairs well with your organization. We recommend that Adobe Commerce customers who use our cloud infrastructure management system take advantage of services such as New Relic to monitor site performance.

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