Today, software iterations evolve faster than global weather patterns. These changes stem from a heady mix of marketplace competition, product innovation, and the tennis volley between software developers and cyber criminals.
Microsoft, in particular, has embraced the drive to innovate, with a twice-a-year release cycle for the past decade or so. Today, it seems like Microsoft is releasing new versions of its software offerings almost constantly, which can throw your help desk, your IT team, and your staff into a tailspin.
For IT managers, the problem comes when trying to plan for these upgrades. How will new releases affect staff workflows and will additional training be needed? For big shifts, are there migrations that should occur? One such example is the move from Microsoft Skype for Business to Teams. How with this migration work in businesses already adapted to the Skype product?
This article will look at the Dynamics 365 Roadmap. Why is it important? How can it help companies and their IT managers plan ahead?
Using the Dynamics 365 Roadmap in Your Planning Process
Microsoft knows that their product portfolio has evolved extensively over the last couple of years. The Dynamics 365 Road Map provides customers with a look inside the Microsoft product development planning process. But why would checking this site be important to the average IT manager with a Microsoft infrastructure?
The Dynamics 365 Roadmap gives you the visibility into application upgrades and feature development. Keeping up with the latest release cycle means you can proactively plan to deploy new features on the ground. While each update to each application is designed to improve the overall efficiency of the product, your organization may struggle to cope with these changes. In fact, not every iteration of Dynamics 365 may be a good fit for your business – especially at first. That’s because upgrades occur and features are corrected on the fly, based on user feedback in a continuous improvement cycle.
While you won’t want to skip the security upgrades, of course, there are other iterations that may be disruptive to your business or departmental workflows. If your product is heavily customized, how will these version upgrades affect the work on the ground?
Also, if you staff a help desk, following the Dynamics 365 Roadmap could give you some tips on when you should possibly staff up to handle a larger influx of calls. This goes to the heart of managing the user experience within your company. Staying on top of changes to the products they use every day will help the IT team manage their expectations, products, and adoption rates across even the largest enterprise.
That’s exactly why we recommend taking the time every six months or so to review the new product roadmap to understand the upcoming enhancements to functionality. Watching the Dynamics 365 Roadmap will help you stay abreast of new business models and customer trends.
Predicting the future will help you plan, it’s just that simple. IES is standing by with a team of Microsoft experts that can help you with what’s next in Microsoft product development.
