Why a Well-Managed Software Release Cycle Improves User Experience

Releasing software correctly means getting the right version to the right users at the right time. You need a structured approach that keeps your development teams efficient, minimizes risks, and meets user expectations.

Without it, delays, bugs, and frustration pile up. But when done right, each release builds confidence and keeps your software evolving smoothly.

In this guide, you’ll learn how the software release life cycle works, the key stages involved, and how to improve your process. If you’re focused on testing or planning for a stable release, you’ll gain insights to improve every step.

What Is a Software Release Lifecycle?

Some sources define the software release life cycle (SRLC) as the process that takes a piece of software from its conception to early development stages to a finished product available to users. At Axify, we believe that release starts when development ends.

Regardless of the definition you adopt, SRLC includes several key phases. Each phase helps you identify issues, refine functionality, and prepare the software for real-world use.

Following a defined cycle allows you to plan future releases, improve stability, and confidently roll out updates. Whether testing an early version or preparing a release, a well-managed cycle helps your team stay on track and deliver reliable software.

But first, you need a structured process to deliver high-quality products that meet your users' expectations. Without it, software can launch with bugs, security risks, or missing features. Although the software development lifecycle and software release cycle are sometimes used interchangeably, these concepts differ. Release also differs from deployment.

This takes us to our next point.

Software Release vs. Software Deployment

A software release is when you make a new version of your software available to users. In contrast, software deployment is the process of pushing code changes into a production environment.

Software release and software deployment are, therefore, significantly different from each other.

Software releases involve careful planning, testing, and coordination to deliver a stable and functional product. For software deployment, your team can deploy updates as frequently as needed, but those changes may not be visible to users until a formal release occurs.

High-performing teams understand this difference. According to the DORA 2024 State of DevOps Report, the best DevOps teams deploy multiple times daily, while others may release weekly or monthly.

Continuous delivery and effective release management allow you to speed up deployments while maintaining control over when and how users experience updates. This balance helps you improve software quality and ship features at the right time.

Software Release Life Cycle Stages

Releasing software isn’t a one-step process. Theoretically, it involves multiple stages designed to refine, test, and prepare your software for real-world use. The software release process helps you transition from early development to a successful release to ensure that users get a functional and reliable product.

From a practical standpoint, these phases can happen simultaneously.

It’s also important to note that some sources confuse the software release life cycle stages (SRLC) with the software development life cycle (SDLC) stages. The SDLC focuses on building the software, while the SRLC starts where development ends. 

Note: We advocate for Agile development frameworks where phases overlap instead of succeeding each other linearly. This allows you to continuously develop and release updates instead of waiting until a product is fully polished.

We like Agile methodologies such as DevOps, emphasizing constant collaboration and rapid delivery of high-quality software products.

Understanding the key stages in the release process independently at a theoretical level is worthwhile for organizing your team and setting up for successful continuous delivery. We’ll see how each one helps you move your software forward, but keep in mind that, in practice, these stages are not always necessary

1. Pre-Alpha Stage

The pre-alpha stage is where everything begins. At this point, your software development teams are focused entirely on building the foundation of your software. There’s no public access, and your team is still shaping how the product will work.

During this phase, your developers work on:

• Planning: Setting goals, defining features, and choosing the right tech stack.
• Design: Creating wireframes, UI/UX mockups, and system architecture.
• Development: Writing the initial source code and integrating core features.
• Unit testing: Running small-scale tests to verify that each part of the software works correctly.

At this stage, you shouldn't consider public releases yet. Before proceeding, you should focus on ensuring the software is viable.

2. Alpha Stage

Once your software reaches the alpha stage, it has most of its core functionality but is still far from ready for users. This is when your internal team or a small group of testers start putting the software through its paces.

The main goals of the alpha release are:

• Testing for potential issues in usability, stability, and performance.
• Gathering early feedback from internal teams.
• Refining features based on test results.

Formal testing is still limited to a controlled environment, and the software may have major bugs. This phase is vital for your team because catching errors early prevents costly fixes later.

3. Beta Stage

In the beta phase, your software is finally ready for real users. A beta release is an early software version that external testers (either selected groups or the public) can try out.

This phase is about:

• Collecting feedback from real-world users.
• Testing how the software performs in different environments.
• Identifying bugs or critical issues that weren’t visible in internal testing.

You can choose between closed testing (where only invited users participate) and open testing (where anyone can try the software). Before moving to a release candidate phase, this phase helps refine your product based on real-world usage.

4. Release Candidate Stage

A release candidate is a near-final version of your software. At this stage, your software has gone through extensive testing, and there shouldn’t be any significant issues left. However, there’s still a chance that last-minute improvements or bug fixes are needed.

During this phase, your team:

• Conducts user acceptance testing to validate that the software meets user needs.
• Fixes any remaining minor issues or performance concerns.
• Prepares documentation, marketing materials, and support resources.

If no significant problems arise, this version can move forward to the general availability stage.

5. General Availability (GA) Stage

Once your software passes the release candidate phase, it reaches general availability (GA). This is when your software is officially released to all intended users. Your focus shifts from testing to distribution, adoption, and ongoing support at this stage.

Here’s what happens during GA:

• The software is deployed to the production environment and made widely available.
• Marketing and sales efforts ramp up to promote the release.
• Your release management process transitions to monitoring performance and gathering customer feedback.
• Support teams prepare for potential bug reports and questions from users.

Unlike previous stages, there’s no expectation of major changes before release. However, GA doesn’t mean your work is done. Your team must remain responsive to unexpected issues that may arise post-launch.

6. Production Release and Continuous Updates

Production release is the moment of your software's final, stable version that users rely on daily. However, software is never truly "finished." You need a strategy for regular updates and long-term maintenance to keep up with user needs and industry changes.

At this stage, you’ll focus on:

• Fixing arising issues quickly through patches or minor releases.
• Any required service releases to improve performance and security.
• Planning future releases to add new features and enhancements.
• Using Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment to roll out updates smoothly.

Some software companies also offer long-term support (LTS) releases for stability-focused users who need consistency over new features. Others rely on frequent minor releases to keep software evolving.

Software Release Cycle Diagram

Since the software release cycle follows a structured process, here’s a simple table outlining each stage and what happens at each step. This is how teams like yours move software from development to an actual, usable product.

This isn’t a strict formula; you don’t have to go through every phase for every release version. However, following a structured method helps avoid chaotic releases and keeps users happy.

Benefits of a Well-Managed Release Cycle

A well-planned release process means delivering a smooth user experience while keeping your team efficient. Properly structuring your workflow avoids last-minute chaos and makes steady progress toward a successful release process.

Here’s how a strong release cycle benefits you:

Your software is more reliable. Through structured testing and quality assurance, you catch and fix problems early so users don’t encounter unexpected problems.

+

You can adapt faster. Instead of waiting for major overhauls, you can roll out continuous improvements at the right time to keep up with changing needs.

+

You make development smoother. A clear software development process keeps your team organized and prevents last-minute scrambling.

=

Better products for users, with timely features and updates

⇓

• You build a strong reputation. Delivering high-quality software on schedule earns trust and keeps users engaged.
• You improve your ROI. Fewer costly mistakes and smoother software delivery mean better results for your business.

Best Practices for a Successful Release Cycle

A smooth release process doesn’t happen by accident. It requires proper planning, continuous improvement, and the right tools. You risk delays, poor customer satisfaction, and frustrating setbacks without the right approach. Following best practices allows you to streamline your workflow, reduce errors, and keep your team and users happy.

Here’s how you can improve your software development projects and deliver better releases:

• Track dependencies: Your software likely relies on many external libraries. A typical Java application, for example, has around 148 dependencies, each releasing updates about 10 times yearly. Keeping track of these changes helps you avoid unexpected failures.
• Set clear goals: Don’t just aim to "release better software." You should define what success looks like. Over 90% of studies confirm that clear, challenging goals lead to better performance than vague or nonexistent ones. Your team stays focused and efficient when you know exactly what you're working toward.
• Conduct regular reviews and retrospectives: Teams that hold consistent sprint retrospectives see a 24% boost in responsiveness and a 42% improvement in quality. Reviewing each release allows you to identify what worked, what didn’t, and what needs to change moving forward.
• Set realistic timelines: Rushing releases leads to mistakes, but dragging them out wastes time. You should find a balance that allows your team to maintain quality without slowing the development cycle.
• Shift-left on QA: Don’t wait until the last minute to catch bugs. Involve your quality assurance team from the start so you can fix issues before they become bigger problems.
• Automate where possible: Repetitive manual tasks slow you down. You should automate testing, deployment, and monitoring to free up time for your team to focus on improving the product rather than just pushing it out.
• Use version control systems: Keeping track of code changes is essential. 72% of developers say that version control helps cut development time by up to 30% and reduces confusion and errors.
• Build a release management checklist. Every process should follow a clear release method to ensure nothing is overlooked, whether testing, documentation, or final deployment steps.
• Testing: Skipping thorough testing leads to unstable releases and frustrated users. To catch potential issues early and deliver a high-quality product, you should run unit, integration, and user acceptance testing at every stage.
• Iterate and learn: No release is ever perfect. You should analyze feedback, track key performance metrics, and continuously refine your process to improve future releases. Each iteration helps you build better software over time.
• Track user adoption: A release isn’t just about pushing new features and ensuring users use them. You should monitor adoption rates and collect customer expectations to guide future updates.

Improve Software Release with Axify

Managing a release process means shipping code and making every release smoother, more efficient, and aligned with your business goals. That’s where Axify helps. We provide visibility into your software development projects so you can focus on improving workflows instead of fixing last-minute problems.

Companies we work with appreciate our DORA metrics dashboard because it highlights trends and key insights. Use them to improve your metrics and get better delivery performance that leads to better organizational performance.

Here’s how Axify has helped companies like yours stay on track:

• See where your resources go: The CIO dashboard breaks down resource allocation, while issue-type time investment shows where your team spends the most effort.
• Find and fix bottlenecks faster. Value Stream Mapping helps you spot inefficiencies, determine where improvements have the most significant impact, and streamline the flow of work.
• Stay ahead of aging tasks: The Daily Digest highlights tasks that need attention before they become blockers.
• Plan smarter releases: The Software Delivery Forecast gives insight into potential delays so you can plan your next steps confidently.

Axify helps you focus on efficient development and better decision-making at every stage. 

Book a demo today and see how you can improve your software releases.

FAQ

What is the software release process?

The software release process is your approach to moving software from development to production. It includes multiple stages to ensure your product is stable and meets expectations. A well-managed release helps you reduce errors, improve efficiency, and deliver timely updates.

What are release cycles?

A release cycle is a sequence of stages that shows how software versions are iteratively built, validated, and delivered over time. Release cycles define how frequently and systematically software updates are delivered. Whether rolling out significant releases or smaller patches, having a predictable cycle helps your team plan ahead, reduce risks, and keep users engaged with new improvements. Shorter cycles mean faster feedback and quicker fixes.

What comes after the beta version?

After the beta version, your software moves to the release candidate stage. This means it’s almost ready for launch, but final checks are performed to catch any last-minute issues. If no critical problems arise, the next step is full general availability, where your software is officially released to all users.