When planning a software release, rolling out a beta first is a good idea in many cases. This is particularly true as the world of software development has increasingly moved toward an “always connected” model. Unfortunately, it’s this same model that makes beta rollouts difficult. Introducing beta features in the middle of ongoing service can cause all kinds of major issues, but switching to a beta version can keep existing users from being able to access current features.

To make matters more difficult, if something ends up broken between the beta and stable versions, users may be unable to access your software until the problem gets fixed. If you work in software development, you already know that indefinite timelines are never a good thing.

Use Feature Flags Instead

One way to deal with this is to use feature flags to handle code change beta testing issues. Instead of changing the code to reflect the beta version, it can be changed to include the option to flag or toggle beta features in the live version. This can usually be done by creating a simple interface that includes flags for various features. Using these flags or toggles, you can turn on beta features one at a time to test them in concert with one another or simply test each one independently against the existing code.

The code change beta testing route is beneficial since it limits what beta features are active as well as who can access them at any given time. Features can be beta tested using the usual percentage approach, but even a non-technical employee of your company can use the interface to toggle features on and off for users in a certain region. Find the best code change beta testing tools visiting this website.

Feedback Without the Commitment

Aside from being easy to use, including flag or toggle options for beta features means you and your team can receive feedback about a particular feature without committing to it on a larger scale. If changes need to be made to the feature, you may be able to toggle it off, make the changes, and be ready to go again without the need for a full redeployment.

Read a similar article about feature management tools here at this page.