Release on Demand: When, Why, and How to Use It

Blog Author

Siddharth

Published

18 Jun, 2025

Release on Demand: When, Why, and How to Use It

Release on Demand has become a critical capability for organizations looking to respond quickly to market changes and deliver real value to users. Instead of tying value delivery to technical constraints or fixed schedules, Release on Demand enables organizations to align releases with actual business needs, user feedback, and readiness for deployment. Mastering this capability can unlock true business agility and ensure that new features reach customers exactly when they’re needed.

This blog post explores the concept of Release on Demand in detail, answering key questions about when, why, and how to use it. We’ll also look at how Release on Demand fits into the broader Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) and how professionals can build the skills to drive this capability in their organizations.

What Is Release on Demand?

Release on Demand is a core competency within the SAFe Continuous Delivery Pipeline. It refers to the ability to make new functionality available to users whenever the business decides, rather than being restricted by technical release cycles or traditional project milestones.

In a typical agile environment, teams build features incrementally. But Release on Demand takes this further by decoupling development cadence from deployment cadence. Teams can develop, test, and integrate continuously, while the actual release to customers happens only when there’s a clear business case, regulatory need, or strategic reason.

Key Elements of Release on Demand

Decoupling deployment from release: Software can be deployed into production environments without immediately being exposed to users.
Feature toggles and configuration: Techniques such as feature toggles allow teams to control which features are live at any moment.
Automated testing and continuous integration: High levels of automation ensure that the system is always in a deployable state.
Business-driven release decisions: Releases are planned and executed based on customer demand, business goals, and market readiness.

For a deeper look at how this fits within SAFe, see the Release on Demand section of the Scaled Agile Framework.

Why Release on Demand Matters

Release on Demand changes the relationship between development teams and the business. It empowers organizations to deliver value at the right moment, not just when the system is ready or a sprint ends.

Major Benefits

Customer-Centric Delivery: Releasing features when users are ready to adopt them ensures higher satisfaction and business impact.
Faster Feedback Loops: Quick releases allow organizations to gather feedback and iterate rapidly, leading to better products.
Risk Reduction: Decoupling deployment from release means new features can be tested safely in production environments without impacting all users.
Better Alignment with Business Goals: The business—not the tech team—chooses the optimal time for new features to go live.

Real-World Example

A global retail company adopted Release on Demand to align their seasonal promotions with their e-commerce platform. By holding back feature releases until marketing campaigns were ready, they maximized the impact of their new offerings and improved their conversion rates. Their teams leveraged feature toggles and continuous deployment to ensure readiness, but actual release happened on dates chosen by business leaders.

When to Use Release on Demand

Release on Demand works best when:

The organization operates in a competitive market where timing is critical.
Regulatory changes require rapid, coordinated updates.
There is a need to coordinate releases across multiple teams or systems.
Risk needs to be minimized by separating technical deployment from customer-facing changes.

Use Cases

1. Feature Rollouts: Use Release on Demand to gradually roll out features to subsets of users, monitor impact, and adjust as needed.

2. Coordinated Launches: When marketing campaigns, regulatory deadlines, or other events dictate specific release dates, Release on Demand ensures readiness without last-minute rushes.

3. A/B Testing and Experimentation: Teams can enable or disable features for targeted groups, supporting continuous experimentation.

4. Incident Response: Quickly release fixes or patches without waiting for a full sprint or release cycle.

How to Enable Release on Demand

Making Release on Demand a reality requires more than just technical changes. It’s a shift in mindset and process, involving:

1. Robust Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD)

Automate build, test, and deployment processes to keep the codebase deployable at all times. This sets the stage for deploying changes quickly, safely, and with minimal manual intervention.

2. Feature Toggles and Dark Launches

Implement feature toggles so new functionality can be merged into the main codebase, deployed, and even tested in production, but not visible to end users until activated.

Dark Launching: Release features to production but make them visible only to internal teams or specific user segments for testing.

3. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Use automation tools to manage infrastructure. This supports consistent, repeatable deployments and simplifies rollbacks.

4. Comprehensive Monitoring and Telemetry

Track usage, errors, and performance in real time. This ensures teams can detect and address issues immediately after a release.

5. Business and Technical Alignment

Involve business stakeholders in release planning and ensure technical teams are ready to support releases on demand.

6. Clear Governance

Document release policies, establish approval workflows, and ensure everyone understands who is responsible for each step.

Practical Steps to Adopt Release on Demand

Step 1: Build the Right Foundation
Start with strong CI/CD practices. If you’re new to these concepts, consider learning through a Leading SAFe Agilist certification training, which covers these practices and more.

Step 2: Introduce Feature Management
Invest in tools for feature toggles, such as LaunchDarkly or open-source alternatives. These tools give you the flexibility to enable or disable features without redeploying.

Step 3: Empower Cross-Functional Teams
Teams that own the whole lifecycle—from development to release—move faster. A SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager certification can help you develop the skills needed for this role.

Step 4: Monitor and Measure
Set up dashboards and alerts to keep an eye on system health after every release. Modern monitoring tools integrate directly with your pipelines for real-time feedback.

Step 5: Collaborate with Business Stakeholders
Make sure business, marketing, compliance, and operations teams are involved in release planning. This is where a SAFe Scrum Master certification adds value, helping teams align their work and remove bottlenecks.

Overcoming Common Challenges

Challenge 1: Resistance to Change

Many teams are used to fixed release schedules. Shifting to Release on Demand means embracing flexibility. Leadership support and training are critical. Investing in SAFe Advanced Scrum Master certification training can help teams and leaders drive this transformation.

Challenge 2: Tooling and Automation Gaps

Legacy systems and manual processes slow down releases. Start by automating what you can, incrementally improving over time. Leverage external resources, like this article on feature flags from Martin Fowler, to guide your implementation.

Challenge 3: Coordinating Large Teams

Release on Demand works best when teams work together. Consider a SAFe Release Train Engineer certification training to gain expertise in managing and synchronizing multiple teams in a scaled environment.

Metrics That Matter

Measuring the impact of Release on Demand ensures your organization is moving in the right direction. Key metrics include:

Lead Time: Time from code committed to feature released to users.
Deployment Frequency: How often you can deploy safely.
Change Failure Rate: Percentage of releases that cause issues requiring a rollback.
Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR): How quickly you recover from incidents.

Refer to the Accelerate State of DevOps Report for industry benchmarks and best practices in measuring these metrics.

Release on Demand in SAFe

SAFe incorporates Release on Demand as the final stage in its Continuous Delivery Pipeline. The pipeline covers:

Continuous Exploration: Identifying what to build.
Continuous Integration: Building and integrating.
Continuous Deployment: Deploying changes.
Release on Demand: Making features available to users as needed.

This model supports organizations in delivering continuous value and responding rapidly to change. Training programs like the Leading SAFe Agilist certification training are designed to help professionals master these concepts.

Conclusion

Release on Demand shifts the focus from technical readiness to business value, allowing organizations to release features when they’ll have the greatest impact. By embracing robust automation, business alignment, and continuous feedback, teams can deliver with confidence, reduce risk, and delight users.

For those looking to drive this capability in their organizations, consider deepening your skills through certifications like SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager, SAFe Scrum Master, or SAFe Release Train Engineer. These programs provide the frameworks, tools, and leadership skills needed to make Release on Demand a reality.

As Release on Demand becomes more widespread, organizations that master it will find themselves better equipped to meet customer expectations and outperform the competition. For more strategies and guidance on agile delivery and pipeline optimization, explore additional resources on the Scaled Agile Framework site.

Also read - Securing Your Pipeline: Early-Stage Considerations

Also see - How Solution Trains use coordinated PI cadences to streamline large‑scale Agile delivery at enterprise scale