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| 1 | +# Beta Usage Philosophy |
| 2 | +This philosophy guides our approach to beta releases by emphasizing small incremental releases over betas. |
| 3 | + |
| 4 | +#### Related Philosophies |
| 5 | +- [Small Incremental Releases Philosophy](/contributingGuides/philosophies/INCREMENTAL-RELEASES.md) |
| 6 | +- [Over-engineering Philosophy](/contributingGuides/philosophies/OVERENGINEERING.md) |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +#### Terminology |
| 9 | +- **Beta** - A mechanism that controls access to new functionality for limited users |
| 10 | +- **Beta Feature** - Functionality deployed to production but hidden behind a beta control |
| 11 | +- **Beta Control** - A mechanism to enable/disable features for specific users or groups without deploying new code |
| 12 | +- **Beta Rollout** - The process of gradually enabling a beta feature for larger audiences |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +## Rules |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +### - Betas SHOULD be avoided in favor of small incremental releases |
| 17 | +Our primary strategy is shipping small, complete features directly to production rather than releasing large, incomplete features in beta. This approach provides faster feedback, reduces complexity, and delivers value immediately. |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +Use betas only when: |
| 20 | +- The feature cannot be meaningfully decomposed into smaller units |
| 21 | +- There are significant business or technical risks that require validation before full release |
| 22 | +- Gradual rollout is needed to monitor performance or system impact |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +### - Beta roll-out MUST have clear removal criteria |
| 25 | +Every beta MUST have: |
| 26 | +- Specific criteria for removing the beta and fully releasing the feature |
| 27 | +- A GH that clearly defines when and how a beta will be removed |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +### - Betas MUST NOT be used for an excuse to roll out low-quality code |
| 30 | +Bad Example: A feature is built with a lot of bugs, but it's OK because it's behind a beta and therefore won't impact users or QA. |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +## When Beta Controls Are Appropriate |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +### - Beta MUST be used if a feature requires gradual rollout |
| 35 | +When you need to monitor system performance, user adoption, or business metrics as you enable features for larger audiences. |
| 36 | +When changes could significantly affect core user workflows and you need to validate the impact with real users before full release. |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +## Examples |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +### ❌ Inappropriate Beta Usage |
| 41 | +**Scenario**: New expense submission form |
| 42 | +**Beta approach**: Put form behind beta control for 6 weeks to "get feedback" |
| 43 | +**Problems**: |
| 44 | +- Form could be released incrementally (one field improvement at a time) |
| 45 | +- Low technical risk doesn't justify beta control |
| 46 | +- Extended timeline delays value delivery |
| 47 | +- Creates complexity for minimal benefit |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +### ✅ Appropriate Beta Usage |
| 50 | +**Scenario**: New AI-powered expense categorization system |
| 51 | +**Beta approach**: Beta control with gradual rollout over 3 weeks |
| 52 | +**Justification**: |
| 53 | +- Cannot be meaningfully decomposed (AI model needs holistic evaluation) |
| 54 | +- High technical risk (AI predictions could impact user trust) |
| 55 | +- Need to monitor system performance with AI processing load |
| 56 | +- Requires real usage data to validate accuracy |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +**Rollout plan**: |
| 59 | +- 5% of users, monitor accuracy and performance |
| 60 | +- 25% of users if metrics meet thresholds |
| 61 | +- 100% rollout if success criteria met |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +**Success criteria**: |
| 64 | +- 85% categorization accuracy |
| 65 | +- No performance degradation (response times under 200ms) |
| 66 | +- Error rate under 1% |
| 67 | +- Positive user feedback on suggestions |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +## Beta Removal Strategy |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +### - Define removal criteria upfront |
| 72 | +Before adding a new beta beta, establish quantifiable criteria for full rollout or feature termination. |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +Create GHs to track what needs to happen for a given beta. |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +### - Plan for three outcomes |
| 77 | +1. **Removal**: Remove beta control and enable for all users |
| 78 | +2. **Iteration**: Modify feature based on beta data, continue gradual rollout |
| 79 | +3. **Rollback**: Disable beta control and return to drawing board |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +### - Monitor graduation metrics continuously |
| 82 | +Track key performance indicators throughout the beta period: |
| 83 | +- System performance impact |
| 84 | +- Error rates and user feedback |
| 85 | +- Business metrics (conversions, retention, etc.) |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +### - Clean up removed betas |
| 88 | +Once features graduate to full release: |
| 89 | +- Remove beta control code and configuration |
| 90 | +- Update documentation to reflect new baseline functionality |
| 91 | +- Document lessons learned for future beta processes |
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