How can you ensure system maintenance and upgradability after deployment?

Implement a modular design approach that allows for easy maintenance and upgrades. Break down the system into smaller, independent modules that can be updated or replaced without affecting the entire system.

Talking about software development and deployment without version control and configuration management is not possible for the last decade. The urge for change in business models, integrations and usability, accompanied by the fast pace of demand and global competition force systems of software to be deployed hundreds of times per day. Using tools like Gitlab, GitHub and ansiable for every day deployment is essential in every organization.

Utilize version control systems, such as Git, to track changes to the system code and configuration. This allows for easy rollback to previous versions in case of issues during maintenance or upgrades.

To ensure system maintenance and upgradability after deployment: 1. Use modular architecture. 2. Implement automated deployment. 3. Employ version control. 4. Implement rolling updates. 5. Set up health checks and monitoring. 6. Design for graceful degradation. 7. Define fallback mechanisms. 8. Maintain comprehensive documentation and provide training. 9. Establish test environments. 10. Encourage feedback for continuous improvement.

In my experience as developer, iterative planning, execution and correction is the most effective way to develop and deploy web applications. Where time to market is essential and requirements are always changing in response to the market.

Implement automated testing processes to validate system changes and upgrades. This helps ensure that new updates do not introduce bugs or issues that could impact system functionality.

Gather feedback from system users to identify areas for improvement and prioritize upgrades based on user needs. Engaging with users helps ensure that system upgrades align with their expectations and requirements.

Make the supplier a stakeholder in the maintenance costs so that they are incentivised to produce a maintainable design. For example using a whole-life contract On the UK Astute Class submarine the contract made the prime contractor responsible for a number of boat-years worth of maintenance.

Consider scalability requirements during the initial system design phase. Design the system to be easily scalable to accommodate future growth and changes in user demand.

See "Engineering systems monograph" by E. Crawley et al. System architecture is central to, among other things, the "ilities", which may give rise to trade-offs and uncertainties.