1. Concept and Key Participants
Release planning is a crucial process in product management that focuses on organizing and aligning the team to deliver value to customers through planned product releases. This process ensures that the product development is aligned with business goals, delivering features that provide tangible benefits to users. In this document, we'll discuss the concept of release planning, its purpose, and who typically participates in the process.
Concept of Release Planning
1. Release vs. Code in Production
A common misconception is that a release is the same as deploying code into production. However, these are different concepts. While deploying code is a technical task that makes updates available in the production environment, a release is about delivering value to the customer. It’s not just about pushing code, but about ensuring that the new features, fixes, or improvements genuinely enhance the user experience and meet customer needs.
In this sense, a release is a collection of deliverables that provide meaningful value to users. These deliverables may include new functionalities, bug fixes, or performance improvements, but the key is that they improve the product in a way that benefits the customer.
2. Release vs. Product Launch
Another important distinction is between a release and a product launch. A release refers to the delivery of a new version of the product to customers, whereas a launch is a broader event that involves marketing, promotion, and often a public announcement. Not every release will involve a full-scale product launch. For instance, some releases may be done silently, without public communication, especially if they target a specific group of users or are part of a gradual rollout strategy.
3. The Role of Releases
Releases can take various forms:
- Single sprint releases: If the team is working in short development cycles (e.g., sprints), they may be able to deliver a release at the end of each sprint.
- Multiple sprint releases: Some releases may require work across multiple sprints, but this should be managed carefully to avoid long gaps between delivering value.
- Packaged releases: In cases where several teams contribute to the same product or feature, their contributions may be bundled into a larger release.
The goal is to find the right balance in granularity—delivering enough value with each release without overwhelming the team with too many small, isolated changes or delaying the delivery of value with overly large and complex releases.
4. Connection to Product Vision
A release is always tied to the larger product strategy and vision. The product vision outlines where the company wants to take the product in the long term, while the release is a step toward achieving that vision. Releases are part of the roadmap, which breaks down the vision into smaller, actionable steps. Thus, releases are milestones that bring the team closer to fulfilling the product's ultimate goals.
Who Participates in Release Planning?
A successful release planning session involves several key participants, each contributing their expertise to ensure that the release delivers value to customers while being feasible for the team to execute. The primary participants in release planning include:
1. Product Manager / Product Owner
The product manager or product owner is responsible for overseeing the release planning process. They bring insights from the product roadmap, business objectives, and customer needs, ensuring that the release aligns with the product vision and strategy. They help prioritize features, manage stakeholder expectations, and communicate the overall goals for the release.
2. Design Team (Product Designer, UX Designer)
The design team plays a critical role in release planning by ensuring that the features planned for the release are user-centric and align with the overall user experience. They collaborate with the product manager to ensure that the user interface, workflows, and user interactions are well thought out and ready for development.
3. Engineering Team (Developers, QA, etc.)
The engineering team, including developers and quality assurance (QA) professionals, is responsible for assessing the technical feasibility of the release. They estimate the effort required to deliver the features, identify technical risks, and ensure that the product meets quality standards. In some organizations, QA may be a separate function, but in others, developers handle QA responsibilities.
4. Stakeholders from Other Areas (Marketing, Support, etc.)
Depending on the context, other teams such as marketing, customer support, or sales may be invited to the release planning session. For example, the marketing team may need to prepare campaigns for a public launch, while customer support might need to be briefed on upcoming changes that could impact user experience.
However, it’s important not to overload the release planning session with too many participants, as this can lead to inefficiencies. Only those directly responsible for decision-making or execution should be involved.
5. Leadership and Accountable Stakeholders
If the product manager does not have full decision-making authority over the release, it’s important for someone with higher-level accountability—such as a senior product leader or executive—to be involved or represented. This ensures that the release aligns with broader company goals and has the necessary backing.
6. Customers (When Applicable)
In certain cases, involving customers directly in release planning can provide valuable feedback and ensure that the release addresses their real-world needs. This is especially true for internal stakeholders when the release involves internal systems or processes, such as teams that will be using the software or features delivered by the release.
Key Takeaways
- Release planning is not just about deploying code; it’s about delivering value to customers through new product versions.
- A release differs from a product launch, which involves broader marketing efforts and public communication.
- Releases should be aligned with the product vision, contributing to the long-term strategic goals of the product.
- Key participants in release planning include product managers, designers, engineers, and potentially stakeholders from marketing, support, and leadership.
- It’s essential to involve those who are accountable for delivering and accepting the release to ensure commitment and clarity on the goals.
By carefully coordinating these roles, release planning helps ensure that every release is a step toward delivering meaningful value to users and driving the product toward its vision.