Product Management playbook/Module 7 · Engineering

Day 66 / 100 · Engineering · Feature flags and gradual rollouts

Release to some before you release to all.

Feature flags separate deploying code from releasing features. You can switch things on for a few customers, watch, and switch off instantly.

Internal

Your own team first.

A FEW %

A small group of real customers.

A QUARTER

Watch guardrails closely.

HALF

Confidence is growing.

EVERYONE

Then remove the flag.

Instant off switch

No emergency release needed if it goes wrong.

Real-world testing

Learn from real customers, with limited risk.

Deploy any time

Code ships continuously; features launch on purpose.

Clean up

Remove flags once rolled out, or they pile up.

Deploy anytime. Release on purpose.