TECH MONDAY: How to Choose the Right ALM Level in Dynamics 365 and Power Platform?

Implementing appropriate ALM practices helps streamline the way Dynamics 365 and Power Platform solutions are built, tested, and published. The scope of such a process can vary—from automating manual deployments to storing solutions in a repository and approving changes via pull requests.

Not every company needs an advanced DevOps platform right away. The tools should be appropriate for the scale of the environment, the existing procedures, and the required level of control.

ALM as Part of Microsoft Solution Maintenance

In practice, application lifecycle management encompasses activities related to the application lifecycle—from development and testing to deployment and managing subsequent changes.

In some parts of the organization, Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement and Power Platform solutions are still built and deployed manually. The lack of common guidelines makes it difficult to maintain a consistent way of working.

Other companies need automation that encompasses not only deployments, but also testing, code quality assurance, and release management across the entire application environment.

The range of tools depends on the organization's maturity

Manual implementations, release automation, and strict change control correspond to different stages of ALM process development. For this reason, three levels of maturity can be identified:

• beginner,
• managed,
• advanced.

Each of them involves a different set of needs and tools.

Beginner Level – Deployment Automation

This phase applies to companies that do not yet have a standardized ALM process for applications based on Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement or the Power Platform. In these companies, solutions are built and deployed manually.

The proposed tool is Power Platform Pipelines—a low-code platform for automating release management, available in Dataverse environments.

Pipelines can be extended using Power Automate flows. These flows can then trigger GitHub actions. Using Power Platform Pipelines does not require a separate service or an additional ALM solution.

Managed Level – Automation of Builds, Testing, and Releases

When automation of deployments alone is no longer sufficient, the process can be expanded using Azure , DevOps, or GitHub.

At this level, automation may include:

• exporting and importing Power Platform solutions,
• developing and testing solutions,
• the use of code quality control procedures,
• managing subsequent releases.

This approach allows you to integrate the Power Platform into a broader application management ecosystem and use a single DevOps platform for various solutions in operation within the organization.

Advanced Level – Strict Control of Changes

In large organizations operating in highly regulated industries, change management requirements can be significantly more complex.

The proposed set of tools includes Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions. Power Platform solutions are separated into a code repository, and their content is managed using pull requests and code reviews.

Storing the solution in a repository allows for checkpoints to be implemented before changes are approved. This approach is well-suited for organizations that require a strict change management process.

Selecting the Appropriate ALM Level for a Company's Processes

The starting point should be the current approach to developing and deploying applications:

• For manual implementations and in the absence of a common process, it's a good idea to start with Power Platform Pipelines,
• If you need to automate builds, tests, and releases, you can use Azure DevOps or GitHub,
• With strict change control, solutions can be stored in a repository and subject to the pull request and code review process.

Comprehensive tools are justified when they meet the organization's actual needs.

Tools from outside the Microsoft ecosystem

The Power Platform CLI also allows you to automate ALM processes using other platforms and services. The reference materials indicate:

• GitLab,
• Jenkins,
• TeamCity,
• Octopus Deploy.

This allows the ALM process to be developed using tools already in use by the IT team in question.