Software maintenance is recurring work that helps keep systems stable and avoid downtime and errors. Schedule it regularly rather than relying on quick recovery after failures. section 8.3.1 section 6.3.3
Maintenance can be handled in two ways:
- Preventative: schedule or automate maintenance to reduce failures and emergencies. section 6.3.3
- Reactionary: skip scheduled work and respond when problems arise, risking downtime and client concern. section 8.3.1 section 6.3.3
Automating routine work
On a flagship project, maintenance processes ran overnight and sent email alerts, reducing manual checks and emergency work while improving system stability. section 6.3.3
Figure 7.1 Waterfall method phases
The waterfall phases diagram locates maintenance after testing in the project sequence. section 7.1.1
