The New Software Release Lifecycle: Releasing, Measuring, and Iterating on Software in Production With LaunchDarkly

LaunchDarkly introduces a new software release lifecycle that separates "deploy" from "release." The feature flags decouple deployments from releases, allowing teams to control how and when code is delivered to end users. This approach enables more efficient and effective software development by methodically releasing, measuring, and iterating on software in production. LaunchDarkly's Release Assistant helps embed best practices into reusable release pipelines, while targeting allows for precise control over who receives new features based on various properties. The Release Guardian ensures critical metrics are monitored on every release with automatic alerts and roll-backs for negative changes. Additionally, out-of-the-box funnel experiments enable teams to measure the impact of product releases on business goals. Finally, the Engineering Insights Hub provides insights into team performance, allowing for iterative improvements in processes and velocity.