Small Releases

A coupled system maintained long Cycle times because many modules had to be changed in unison.

Minor releases aim to increase the number of delivered value by increasing the number of deploys. Measuring cycle time is the first step to moving towards more minor releases.

Cycle time measures the speed at which an engineering team can deliver working software.

As measured from the moment they start working on it until it has been shipped and is providing customer value.

Keep shortening the release cycle in an asymptotic approach to zero.

If you release every six months, try every three months, every month, and every week.

The term “release” means the software is ready to deploy. The decision to deploy becomes a business decision.

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[¹]: Robert Martin(2019): Clean Agile (https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Agile-Basics-Robert-Martin/dp/0135781868)