Step-by-step guide on creating an effective Salesforce deployment checklist for successful releases with Blue Canvas.
This article is here to help you navigate the complexities of handling Salesforce releases! We'll be discussing the limitations of Salesforce Metadata API and the need for manual steps in more intricate deployment scenarios. We'll highlight how dedicated tooling, like checklist integration into deployment stories, can provide superior tracking and coordination. Furthermore, we'll showcase how Markdown can offer a flexible approach to task management, while also enhancing accountability. There really are dedicated solutions to support Salesforce developers in their deployment workflow, and future developments (such as task assignments and enhanced notification systems) will only make it a better experience!
Here are our 5 key takeaways:
Despite its capabilities, Salesforce Metadata API has limitations, necessitating manual deployment steps in complex scenarios. Dedicated tools, such as checklist integration within deployment narratives, can significantly enhance task tracking and coordination. Markdown offers a flexible and accountable means of managing deployment steps. Regular documentation of changes within the deployment process can prevent the need for costly audits. Emerging developments promise advancements like task assignments and improved notification systems, optimizing the overall management of deployment tasks. FREE TOOL
Profiles & Permissions Deployer
Easily compare and deploy Profiles, Permission Sets, and Field-Level Security (FLS) between any two Salesforce organizations.
Get Started
Made with love by the Blue Canvas team ❤️
About Manual Steps in Salesforce Deployment Though the Salesforce Metadata API can do wonders, unfortunately there are still manual deployment steps required for most complex Salesforce releases. The API cannot handle everything and in some cases teams don’t want it to. Some changes like Web-to-Lead, Quote Templates, Site.com, Automated Case User Settings are simply not supported in the Salesforce Metadata API . Others like Profiles and Permission Sets are, but still are difficult to automate, diff, compare and deploy.
Accordingly, many of our customers still have fairly sizable checklists of tasks that need to be completed pre- and post- deployment before they can call a release a success.
Checklists in Blue Canvas for Deployment After watching our users struggle with coordinating these steps, especially in large orgs, we’re excited to announce that you can now create checklists in your Blue Canvas stories for tracking and coordinating the manual steps in your Salsforce release process .
Markdown in Blue Canvas: for clean and concise Deployment Management Blue Canvas supports Markdown in the Description field for Stories (i.e. Deployment Requests). Users can leverage Markdown to create custom checklists that can be leveraged to track pre- and post-deployment steps.
Tracking Task Progress with Blue Canvas But it’s more than just Markdown, Blue Canvas interacts with each checklist on the backend to keep track of the status of a task. As you check off boxes in your Stories, the status of the ticket is updated. You can even mark the manual side of a deployment as “Complete” just as you would in a ticket on any other ALM tool like JIRA.
Better Accountability and Completeness in Releases with Blue Canvas Take a major release as an example. Blue Canvas allows users to release multiple Stories at once in a coordinated Release . It can be useful to leverage manual checklists to ensure that all the manual steps associated with the release are tracked and understood for accountability and completeness.
First, we can create the release in Blue Canvas. We can then assign manual steps to each member of the team to add their Stories to the release.
When they are done they can check off their box. A release manager now know who has not yet finished pinning their Stories and can reach out accordingly. They can also give status updates to other stakeholders based on the status.
The release can be submitted for validation and testing once the entire chain of manual steps is complete and we know we have a full Release candidate. You can then of course deploy as usual using Blue Canvas and move on to your post-deployment steps.
One great thing about Markdown is that it’s incredibly flexible. We built it this way because we know that teams have different processes for managing manual steps and Markdown offers complete flexibility.
Use Markdown to write engaging Stories Description
The Description field is really important for Stories. Teams don’t want to just know “what” changed and “who” changed it. They need to document the reasons “why” different parts of a Salesforce system are changed. And the Description field provides teams with a simple and easy way to continuously document their changes as they make them. This spares organizations from having to do annoying and expensive audits every few years.
We’re excited to announce that in addition to this release of pre- and post-deployment step tracking in Blue Canvas, you can generally use Markdown to style and annotate your stories.
You can add headings, checkboxes, columns, links and use font formatting like bold , italics and underlining.
Leveraging Dedicated Tools for Salesforce Deployment Tasks Managing Salesforce deployments, particularly for complex releases, can be a challenging endeavor. As shown in this article, with the innovative features of Blue Canvas this process is made considerably more efficient and manageable. The integration of Markdown checklists into your deployment stories facilitates streamlined tracking, coordination, and documentation of manual steps, enhancing overall accountability and reducing the need for costly audits.
The flexibility offered by Markdown can cater to a range of team processes, while the upcoming enhancements like task assignments and improved notification systems promise to further optimize your deployment task management.
Embrace this new approach with our Salesforce Deployment Tools and enhance your workflow. Start exploring how you can benefit from these features - Let’s get in touch today .
--------
FAQs What are the limitations of Salesforce Metadata API?
Salesforce Metadata API has limitations when it comes to handling intricate deployment scenarios. Some changes like Web-to-Lead, Quote Templates, Site.com, Automated Case User Settings are not supported in the Salesforce Metadata API. Others like Profiles and Permission Sets are supported, but they're difficult to automate, diff, compare and deploy. This necessitates manual deployment steps in complex scenarios. How does checklist integration help in deployment?
Checklist integration within deployment narratives enhances task tracking and coordination. This is especially useful in tracking and coordinating the manual steps in Salesforce release processes. With Blue Canvas, you can create checklists in your stories for this purpose. What role does Markdown play in managing deployment steps?
Markdown offers a flexible and accountable way of managing deployment steps. Blue Canvas supports Markdown in the Description field for Stories, allowing users to create custom checklists for pre- and post-deployment steps. It is flexible because teams can have different processes for managing manual steps. How can regular documentation prevent costly audits?
By continuously documenting changes in the Description field of stories, teams can avoid having to perform time-consuming and costly audits. It enables organizations to understand "what" changed, "who" changed it, and the reasons "why" different parts of a Salesforce system were altered. What are the future developments to expect in deployment task management?
Future developments include task assignments and improved notification systems. The ability to assign stories to different users and @ notifications to better coordinate and assign steps are currently in the works. How does Blue Canvas support tracking of manual pre- and post-deployment steps?
Blue Canvas supports tracking of manual steps by allowing users to create checklists in their stories. These checklists can be used to track pre- and post-deployment steps. As boxes are checked off in the stories, the status of the ticket is updated. This way, the manual side of a deployment can be marked as "Complete" much like in any other ALM tool like JIRA. How can I use Markdown to style and annotate my stories in Blue Canvas?
Markdown can be used to add headings, checkboxes, columns, links, and apply font formatting like bold, italics, and underlining in the description field for stories. This allows for enhanced documentation and accountability. 
