Often abbreviated as RERO, release early, release often is actually a philosophy on software development. The main focus is on emphasizing the significance of frequent and early releases. This is especially when it comes to creating an even tighter loop between testers and developers. This is also in contrast to the feature- oriented release strategy.
There were lots of advocates who insist that this enables the software development to progress a lot faster. This will allow a user to define the software and its outcome. This way, it will conform to the requirements of the users to the software. And thus, this will further result to even better and higher quality software. The philosophy that relates to development will attempt to eliminate the issues of creating software which no one would ever like to use.
Actually, the philosophy was introduced and popularized by none other than Eric Raymond. The strong focus is also more on listening to customers. This was also actually applied to the early development of the open-source software and Linux kernel. This was even more applied to commercial and closed source software development.
Practical Examples
The most practical example of release early, release often is that when it has been a part of the development model of Linux. Even this belief had been completely reinforced to a cathedral-building style of development. If the objective was that users will be able to see some bugs as possible, why would still release a version every 6 months and then work possibly as a dog when debugging between releases. This was also when Emacs C core was founded and established this way.
The significant thing of all these is that the archive of Ohio State Emacs expected the many features of the archives of big Linux. But, only a few of them was able to think hard about what they were actually doing or of the archive and its suggestion about the issues in the cathedral-building development model.
How to make it
If you are interested to incorporate the philosophy, you first need to the jobs that must be done. It is also through conventional and traditional marketing techniques that teach you to frame and segment customers by attributes such as race, age, demographics and more.
Thus, you need to seek for answers to some questions that include; What will be the job of the product? What are the problems that the product is solving? And then, ask clients about the new features. Their feedbacks will help you a lot along the way.
More importantly, you must start establishing a relationship via emails. Emails will be an essential way of building a relationship. This will provide you and all of your users the freedom of choosing those whom you would want to interact.
Monitor all the feedbacks of your customers. And, release early to be able to make your customers happy. It is the happy customers that will always be the most valuable things that you should strive for when you make it.
Now, you have already learned more about the philosophy called release early, release often!
— Slimane Zouggari