RS056: 5 Lessons Learned During Software Releases

Updates and releases are a part of life when you manage any type of software.  Whether it’s a WordPress plugin like Dave owns or a SaaS app you’re constantly working on new features and updates.  How to release those well, and minimize any customer issues is core to the upkeep of any software.

After Dave just issued a major release to Business Directory Plugin he’s reflecting on a few things that went well, and a few that didn’t, as he just went through this process.  A lot of things went well, but a couple didn’t, which brings into light really nailing the testing and planning of this process.

Craig’s settling into life on the road as he enters his third week of the European trip.  Finding the work/life balance, managing expectations of the team and time zone differences are rounding themselves out pretty nicely.  The key is ‘slow travel’, which allows you to not be literally On The Road all the time, but living more like a local when in these different places.

What’s your process like for planning and implementing software releases?  How far out do you start planning, what are your testing process like, and how to you implement the rollouts successfully?  Drop in a note below and tell us about it.