Releasing a new feature is often like roulette. The outcomes could yield great results and rewards, but the odds are quite risky. Hitting on your first attempt is rare, as Airbnb states that 92% of their A/B tests failed to enhance key metrics.
Software delivery is all about controlling risk and mitigating downside. What distinguishes innovative companies like Airbnb is their ability to fail fast, gather feedback, and adapt to customer needs. This requires releasing features to segments of users without affecting the entire base. Doing so provides a crystal ball into what users actually want. It's like placing your bet once the ball has settled on the table.
Feature management helps you get there. It equips everyone involved in a product launch—engineering teams, product managers, SREs, and anyone invested in its success—with the tools to ensure features are released gradually and with more control.
The result? Reduced risk, improved platform stability, and faster feedback to keep things moving efficiently.
This blog explores how CloudBees Feature Management offers a powerful solution by decoupling release from deployment. This allows teams to iterate quickly, experiment safely, and improve collaboration across teams.
In this insider’s guide, we’ll explore how feature management transforms workflows for key stakeholders, the tangible benefits it delivers, and why now is the perfect time to embrace it.
Why Does Feature Management Matter?
The race to roll out new features often tempts companies to cut corners, especially with testing. But look at recent vulnerability incidents—they’re a clear reminder of what can go wrong when speed takes priority over safety.
Your customers depend on your platform to stay online and secure. Rushing releases without thorough testing can lead to stability issues, frustrated users, and a dent in your reputation. Taking the time to test properly isn’t just good practice—it’s essential for maintaining trust and reliability.
That’s why feature management is like having a remote control for your software development process. It lets teams decide which features are visible, who gets to see them, and when they roll out—all without needing to touch the code or redeploy the application.
This is possible through feature flags (or feature toggles), which act as switches to turn features on or off during runtime.
Feature management gives teams unparalleled control over their releases with:
Controlled Experiments: Teams can test new features with specific user groups, perform A/B testing, or gradually introduce updates to ensure everything works smoothly before full deployment.
Decoupled Releases: By separating feature release from code deployment, teams can refine functionality and address potential issues without affecting live users.
Risk Mitigation: Gradual rollouts and the ability to toggle features on and off reduce the chance of disruptions, making updates safer and more reliable.
For companies under pressure to innovate quickly, feature management helps mitigate this risk by enabling controlled, gradual feature rollouts and rigorous testing, ensuring that speed doesn’t compromise stability.
Why Feature Management Is Better Than DIY Solutions
Homegrown feature flag systems may seem appealing, but they often become a source of technical debt, draining resources and limiting team agility.
A robust feature management solution streamlines processes, enhances tracking, and fosters collaboration—allowing teams to focus on experimentation rather than maintaining complex, custom-built systems.
There are many options for feature flag management, but how do they measure up to the pressure of complex enterprise software delivery environments?
CloudBees stands out in this regard, offering the unique ability to integrate feature flags directly into a CI/CD workflow engine. This integration enhances automation and simplifies the entire software delivery pipeline, something not all feature flag vendors can provide.
With CloudBees Feature Management (FM), engineering and product teams can quickly test, iterate, and improve their applications in real-world environments. Experimenting in production speeds up feedback loops and fosters collaboration between teams.
Whether you’re testing features with beta users, rolling out updates gradually, or running A/B tests to refine customer experiences, feature management is your go-to strategy for delivering software confidently.
Feature Management in Action at CloudBees
At CloudBees, we don’t just develop feature management solutions—we use them every day. From beta testing internal features to managing premium feature access, CloudBees Feature Management is integral to the broader platform strategy. This approach ensures that our solutions are battle-tested and tailored to real-world needs.
Integrated CI/CD Workflows
Unlike standalone feature flagging tools, CloudBees Feature Management is deeply integrated into the CloudBees Platform’s CI/CD workflows. This integration allows teams to manage feature flags alongside deployments, improving efficiency and alignment across the development lifecycle.
Driving Platform-Wide Innovation
CloudBees Feature Management doesn’t just enhance individual features; it improves the entire platform. By enabling controlled rollouts and iterative experimentation, we continuously refine our offerings and deliver value to customers.
Who Benefits from Feature Management
CloudBees Product Managers, Engineering Managers/AppDev teams, and Site Reliability Engineers (SREs) have experienced firsthand how feature management makes their lives easier.
Let’s explore how each role benefits from this approach.
1. Product Managers: Shortening Feedback Loops
For product managers like Elliott Landon, rapid experimentation is essential. Their role hinges on understanding user needs, iterating on solutions, and aligning feature development with business goals.
Pain Points
Delays in gathering user feedback.
Difficulty aligning engineering efforts with market demands.
Challenges in validating features before full-scale releases.
How Feature Management Helps
Elliott leverages feature management to run controlled experiments and gather data on user interactions. By decoupling releases from deployments, product managers can test features with small user groups, refine based on feedback, and ensure production readiness before scaling.
This approach also streamlines collaboration with engineering teams, ensuring feature flags are properly configured and aligned with the product roadmap. With Feature Management, product managers can confidently build roadmaps informed by real-world user insights.
“Feature management lets me see what resonates with users in real-time. By rolling out features incrementally, I can fine-tune the experience and prioritize what truly matters. When considering build versus buy, scalability is crucial. Homegrown systems often drain invaluable developer time and resources, which is why many teams opt for CloudBees Feature Management to focus on innovation rather than maintenance.”
- Elliott Landon, Product Manager - Feature Management
2. Engineering Managers: Enabling Rapid Iterations
Engineering managers like Kristin Whetstone Cain are under constant pressure to deliver innovation at scale while ensuring stability and quality.
Pain Points
High risk associated with large-scale deployments.
Difficulty responding to changing market needs.
Balancing speed with technical debt management.
How Feature Management Helps
Feature flags empower Kristin and her team to deploy code to production without immediately exposing it to users. This “dark launching” capability enables engineers to test in live environments while retaining the option to roll back if issues arise.
Configuration as Code (CasC) ensures that feature flags are integrated directly into workflows, further enhancing productivity. Kristin also appreciates the “kill switch” feature, which allows her team to disable problematic features instantly, reducing downtime and mitigating risks.
“With feature management, we can focus on building rather than firefighting. The ability to roll out features gradually gives us confidence that we’re delivering value without compromising stability. CloudBees Feature Management doesn’t just improve efficiency; it gives my team confidence to innovate without fear of failure.”
- Kristin Whetstone Cain, CloudBees Engineering Manager
3. SRE Teams: Ensuring Stability and Performance
Maintaining application stability, performance, and security is paramount for SRE leads like Drew Buckman.
Pain Points
Balancing innovation with the risk of service disruptions.
Managing the lifecycle of feature flags
Ensuring seamless rollbacks when issues arise.
How Feature Management Helps
Feature flags give SRE teams granular control over which users see new features and when. This capability reduces the blast radius of potential issues and ensures smoother rollouts. Drew relies on lifecycle management tools within CloudBees Feature Management to track flag usage and automate cleanup, preventing technical debt from accumulating.
Best practices such as defining clear flag ownership and conducting regular audits are central to Drew’s strategy. By integrating Feature Management with existing analytics tools, SREs can monitor flag performance and optimize rollouts based on user data.
“At CloudBees, we use our own Feature Management solution across our platform team to release and refine features—proof that we trust and rely on the tools we build. Feature Management bridges the gap between innovation and reliability, empowering us to ensure new features enhance the user experience without compromising stability. Because it’s fully integrated into our broader platform, it doesn’t just improve Feature Management—it elevates the entire CloudBees platform, making it more robust and dependable for our users.”
- Drew Buckman, CloudBees Dir of SRE
Unlocking Business Value Through Feature Management
Feature management isn’t just about deploying features—it’s about delivering value. If you’re ready to scale your innovation while minimizing risk, CloudBees Feature Management is here to help.
Try for free to see how feature management can revolutionize your development process and elevate your platform experience.