What maintenance actually means after launch
Launch is the point at which the software starts meeting reality: real data, real users, real edge cases. Maintenance is the process that keeps that meeting productive.
Four kinds of work, one word
Corrective work fixes defects. Adaptive work handles changes in dependencies, platforms or integrations. Perfective work improves performance and usability. Preventive work reduces future failure risk.
Support contracts often cover only corrective work, then bill the rest as change requests. Name the four categories in the agreement so nobody is surprised in month three.
Response times that mean something
Define severity by business impact rather than technical severity: checkout unavailable, reporting wrong, cosmetic issue. Then attach a response time and a resolution target to each level.
The quarterly review
A short quarterly review of error logs, slow endpoints, dependency updates and user complaints prevents most emergencies. It also produces a defensible improvement backlog instead of a wish list.
Common questions
- How long should support last after launch?
- Plan for a defined warranty period of 30 to 90 days for defects, then a maintenance agreement that continues for as long as the system is in use.
- Do we need maintenance if the software is stable?
- Yes. Dependencies, browsers and hosting environments change regardless of your code, and unpatched systems become both slow and unsafe.
Next step
If this question is live in your business right now, describe the situation and you will get a written view on the options, including whether you should build at all.
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