3. Post-Release Best Practices in Product Management

Once a release is done, many product managers wonder, “What now?” Beyond just planning the next release, there are key post-release ceremonies and actions that are crucial for ensuring the success and continuous improvement of the product.

Key Post-Release Activities

1. Sprint Review / Internal or External Delivery

   • After finishing a release, the first step is to present and deliver what has been accomplished, either internally or to the client. This is typically done in a Sprint Review, where the work is demonstrated, feedback is collected, and the results are reviewed to ensure that the objectives have been met. This formal presentation helps align all stakeholders and verify that the release delivers on its promises.

2. Retrospective

   • Conduct a retrospective to look back at what went well and what could be improved. This continuous improvement process allows the team to reflect on the development process and make adjustments for future releases.

3. Planning the Next Release

   • After the review and retrospective, it’s time to start planning the next release. The key here is to prioritize the most valuable items in the backlog that will help the product meet its long-term and short-term goals.

4. Early User Access and Feedback

   • It’s crucial to get feedback from at least a small group of users as soon as possible. The longer it takes to gather feedback and measure the results, the higher the risk that the product or feature is not as impactful as expected. Immediate user interaction helps identify any issues early on and prevents unnecessary maintenance on features that may not be valuable.

Alpha and Beta Versions

Alpha Version

• The Alpha version is an internal version not meant for external users. It usually contains bugs or issues of higher severity that need to be addressed before it’s ready for customers. The Alpha is an internal test phase where the team ensures basic functionality and resolves critical problems.

Beta Version

• The Beta version is often the first version released to customers, typically to a limited group of internal users or select clients. At this stage, the product is mostly complete but might have minor bugs or usability issues. The feedback collected during the Beta phase is invaluable for polishing the product before a broader launch.

Example:
In companies like RD Station and Xerpay, teams used their own products during Beta releases. By releasing new features internally first, they could collect feedback in a controlled environment and fix any issues before releasing to all customers.

Staged Rollouts and Release Phases

Staged rollouts or phased releases allow you to gradually introduce the product to a small percentage of your users before scaling to the full customer base. This method, available on platforms like Google Play and Apple Store, enables you to observe how the product performs in the real world with a smaller user group and adjust accordingly before expanding the release.

Monitoring and Iteration After a Beta or Phased Release

During a Beta or phased release, it’s critical to:

• Monitor whether the key metrics you aimed to impact are moving as expected.
• Gather qualitative feedback from users.
• Analyze both the qualitative and quantitative data to determine if improvements are needed before the full rollout.

Important Consideration: While gathering feedback and metrics, remember that it can be too early to draw final conclusions. Sometimes, a limited user group may not fully reflect the broader customer base, or the feature may not yet be relevant to users at the time of launch.

Avoiding the "Launch and Forget" Mentality

Even if your early users love the new feature, avoid the temptation to simply roll it out to everyone without further analysis. Every launch should lead to quantitative and qualitative insights that feed into your backlog, allowing you to continuously improve the product.

Conclusion

The post-release phase is just as important as the pre-release and development stages. By conducting reviews, retrospectives, Beta tests, and staged rollouts, product managers ensure that the product meets its goals and gathers valuable feedback before wider distribution. This ongoing cycle of feedback and iteration helps prevent the "launch and forget" mentality, keeping the product evolving and delivering value to users.