Progressive Delivery: The Future of Software Deployment Is Already Here

When was the last time you enjoyed a software update? If you’re struggling to remember, you’re not alone. While engineers can now deploy code changes in seconds, making those changes useful and enjoyable is not easy.

Progressive Delivery, a term coined by James Governor in 2018, offers a fresh framework for addressing these challenges. With the upcoming release of Progressive Delivery: How To Build the Right Thing for the Right People at the Right Time by James Governor, Kimberly Harrison, Heidi Waterhouse, and Adam Zimman, let’s explore this transformative approach to software delivery.

The Evolution of Software Delivery

Software delivery has undergone several transformative phases:

• Traditional Waterfall: Specification-driven development with long release cycles.
• Agile: Test-driven development with iterative improvements.
• DevOps: Integration of development and operations.
• CI/CD: Automated, continuous integration and delivery.
• Progressive Delivery: The next evolutionary step; aligning the dev cycle with user needs and pace of adoption.

Each phase has expanded our understanding of software development to include more context and consider more constituents. While CI/CD revolutionized how we deploy software, 

Progressive Delivery takes this evolution further by deeply integrating user needs and experiences into the delivery process.

What is Progressive Delivery?

At its core, Progressive Delivery is about delivering the right software to the right users at the right time in a way that is sustainable for everyone.

In more nuanced ways, Progressive Delivery represents different things to different constituents:

• For users, it means experiencing software updates with minimal disruption
• For companies, it’s a sustainable approach to delivering digital experiences
• For developers, it’s a modern software development practice building upon CI/CD principles
• For business leaders, it’s a framework for balancing innovation with stability

The Four Pillars of Progressive Delivery

Progressive Delivery stands on four fundamental pillars, known as the “Four A’s”:

1. Abundance

Having access to sufficient computing resources, storage, and infrastructure enables teams to focus on innovation rather than resource constraints. Cloud computing and modern infrastructure have made this possible.

2. Autonomy

Developers need the freedom to work independently and make decisions about their code. This independence, supported by tools like feature flags and microservices architecture, allows for faster innovation and better problem-solving.

3. Alignment

Teams must work cohesively toward common goals while staying focused on user needs. This pillar ensures that technical capabilities align with business objectives and user expectations.

4. Automation

Reducing manual tasks and implementing consistent processes helps teams maintain quality while moving quickly. This includes automated testing, deployment pipelines, and monitoring systems.

Why Progressive Delivery Matters

In an age where software powers everything from mobile apps to critical infrastructure, the way we deliver updates has become increasingly important. Progressive Delivery addresses several key challenges:

• Managing different constituent needs and expectations
• Balancing rapid development with trustworthy user experiences
• Reducing risk in software deployment
• Supporting sustainable innovation
• Enabling better feedback loops with users

Implementing Progressive Delivery

The beauty of Progressive Delivery lies in its adaptability. Organizations can begin where they are and gradually enhance their delivery practices. Key implementation strategies include:

1. Separating deployment from release
2. Using feature flags for controlled rollouts
3. Implementing strong monitoring and observability
4. Creating feedback loops with users
5. Building sustainable deployment pipelines

Bluesky: Progressive Delivery Posterchild

Progressive Delivery brings together many tools and practices that have been in the industry for a while, but it’s really interesting to see them play out in a greenfield situation. Bluesky, the social media site built on the ATProto protocol, is a useful example. 

The team has used community-writeable tagging to control feeds, configured extensive observability to detect not just outages but changes in usage, and strengthened their deployment guardrails to make instance-hosting possible for the interested public. The protocol work allows for the abundance of different applications built on top of it. 

The social media site allows for real-time testing and use by 26 million users (and counting), and the feedback from that use informs the development road map. Self-hosting and self-moderating allow users to create and curate the experience they want autonomously, without depending on the consensus of the user base or application developers. 

Most developers don’t get to build a fully greenfield solution, but even small movements toward incorporating Progressive Delivery can improve the experience for everyone who works with the software, users, and creators alike.

The Future of Software Delivery

Progressive Delivery represents more than just a set of practices—it’s a fundamental shift in how we think about software development and deployment. As software continues to evolve and become more complex, Progressive Delivery provides a framework for managing that complexity while maintaining focus on what matters most: delivering value to users.

Looking Ahead

Progressive Delivery represents a natural evolution in how we think about software development and deployment. While previous methodologies focused primarily on the technical aspects of delivery, Progressive Delivery expands this view to encompass the entire ecosystem of software creation and consumption. As organizations continue to adapt to rapid technological change, Progressive Delivery offers a pathway to sustainable innovation. It’s not about following a strict set of rules, but rather adopting a mindset that balances technical capabilities with user needs and business goals.

The future of software delivery lies in this progressive approach—one that acknowledges the complexity of modern software development while providing practical ways to manage it. As we move forward, Progressive Delivery will continue to evolve, helping organizations deliver better software more effectively and helping users select the experience and rate of change that suits their needs.

Conclusion

As the latest method of software delivery practices, Progressive Delivery represents a significant evolution in software development and deployment practices. By focusing on the four A’s—Abundance, Autonomy, Alignment, and Automation—organizations can create sustainable, user-focused delivery processes that drive innovation while maintaining stability.

Whether you’re a developer, business leader, or product manager, understanding and implementing Progressive Delivery principles can help you better serve your users while maintaining a sustainable pace of innovation and change.

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- About The Authors

Leah Brown

Managing Editor at IT Revolution working on publishing books and guidance papers for the modern business leader. I also oversee the production of the IT Revolution blog, combining the best of responsible, human-centered content with the assistance of AI tools.

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