Summary
Sonata partnered with a leading global provider of cloud-based human capital management (HCM) and workforce management (WFM) software to modernize its software release and build processes. The engagement spanned two complementary workstreams: automating deployments across development, QA, UAT, and production environments, and optimizing the developer build chain to shorten feedback loops. By introducing modular,
CI/CD-integrated deployment automation along with build chain enhancements such as tool upgrades and parallel execution, Sonata helped the client achieve significantly faster, more consistent releases while reducing build chain time by close to 35 minutes per cycle, freeing development teams to focus on innovation rather than manual processes.
Customer overview
A leading global technology company that provides cloud-based HCM and WFM software solutions.
Headquarters
Massachusetts
Revenue
$5Bn
Industry
Technology
Pressure points
The client's software release process spanned multiple environments, each with its own configuration, and relied heavily on manual steps that were time-consuming and prone to error. At the same time, long build chain durations and an extended developer feedback loop were slowing down testing, deployment, and overall development velocity.
Release optimization
- Inconsistent, manual deployment steps across development, QA, UAT, and production increased the risk of version mismatches and rollbacks
- Sensitive credentials and access data lacked a secure, centralized management approach
- Environment-specific configurations added maintenance complexity without a standardized approach
- Limited rollback capabilities meant failures could lead to extended downtime
Build optimization
- Developer feedback loops took between 14 and 29 hours, even under ideal conditions
- Redundancy across more than 40 build configurations slowed the CI pipeline
- The core build chain alone took 6 to 10 hours, delaying testing and deployment
- Sequential execution of build and test stages created unnecessary idle time
Solution highlights
Sonata implemented a two-pronged modernization approach as below:
Release optimization
- End-to-end automated deployments across all environments using modular playbooks for installation, upgrade, and rollback
- Environment-aware logic for dynamic script execution tailored to each server group
- Parameterized, extensible architecture designed to support future components and environments
- CI/CD integration with GitHub using version-tag-based deployment triggers for traceable releases
- GCP Secret Manager and centralized logging integration for secure operations and audit trails
Build optimization
- Upgraded MSBuild from v14 to v17 to improve build performance
- Enabled parallel execution of code generation with Apply Server Updater, and of MSBuild with NUnit tests
- Executed a proof of concept to migrate Pro Build Pipelines to GitHub Actions using GARM runners, successfully generating a single MSI artifact
- Split and refined backup steps, and merged similar builds to remove redundancy
- Reused compiled DLLs to skip unnecessary rebuilds and reordered long-running steps earlier in the pipeline
Results that speak volumes
Release optimization
- Significant reduction in deployment time, leading to faster time-to-market
- Improved rollback mechanisms, minimizing impact from failed releases
- Enhanced security with secrets and access management via GCP
- Higher reliability and consistency in installations across all environments
- Better visibility into release activities through centralized logging and monitoring
Build optimization
- Eliminated redundant build steps and optimized execution order
- Improved developer experience via faster feedback loops, shorter cycle times, and greater efficiency
By the numbers
~24 minutes saved by optimizing the core build chain
~10 additional minutes saved through backup and apply server updater improvements
