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63 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
63 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Feature Lifecycle
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---
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:::note Availability
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**Version**: `6.2+`
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:::
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In Unleash, the feature lifecycle encompasses a holistic view of how mature your feature is based on data collected through metrics and interactions with the Unleash system.
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As such, the lifecycle mirrors your software development process and allows you to identify bottlenecks at any stage of the lifecycle.
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These findings may give you insights or clues to improve the efficiency of your software development process. Read more about how Unleash progresses a feature through the lifecycle below.
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## Lifecycle stages
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Each stage in the lifecycle has a defined purpose:
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### Initial stage
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The feature flag is created but remains unseen in any environment.
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**Purpose:** marks the initiation of the feature.
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### Pre-live stage
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The feature flag has received metrics in non-production environment or has received metrics in a disabled production environment.
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**Purpose:** testing and validating the feature before it goes live.
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### Live stage
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The feature has received metrics in the enabled production environment.
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Once enough has been learned about the feature from production usage, you can mark the feature as completed.
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When marking a feature as complete, you decide whether to keep the feature, discard it, or keep one variant of the feature.
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This information can be used by code cleanup tools to automate feature removal from your code.
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**Purpose:** testing and validating the feature in production and marking feature completion.
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### Completed stage
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The feature's objectives have been achieved, and it is ready to be phased out.
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The lifecycle feature warns you if a completed feature continues to receive traffic, signaling that it hasn't been fully removed from the code.
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If you've accidentally marked the feature as completed, you can always revert it to the live stage.
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**Purpose:** initiating cleanup processes and signalling when it's safe to archive a feature.
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### Archived stage
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The feature is archived in Unleash and can be deleted. If an archived feature is revived, it starts a new lifecycle with a new initial stage.
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**Purpose:** reducing technical debt by removing obsolete features.
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## Lifecycle stages and process improvement
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Understanding how much time a feature spends in each stage can highlight inefficiencies:
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* **Stuck in Initial**: May indicate integration issues in pre-production setups.
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* **Stuck in Pre-live**: Suggests challenges in achieving production readiness.
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* **Stuck in Live**: Could imply difficulties in data gathering or decision-making regarding the feature’s future.
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* **Stuck in Completed**: Indicates delays in decommissioning the feature and cleaning up resources.
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