Deadoption

Deadoption is the practice of permanently removing an option, feature, or setting from a product or service after it has been deprecated or fallen out of use. The term blends “dead” and “option” and is used informally in product management and software development. In many contexts, deadoption overlaps with sunsetting or deprecation, but it emphasizes the final removal rather than ongoing maintenance.

The deadoption process typically follows a deprecation period. Teams collect usage data to determine if the option is truly obsolete, communicate the impending removal to users, and outline migration plans. A sunset window is set, after which the option is removed in a future release. To minimize disruption, organizations may employ strategies such as feature flags, API versioning, documentation updates, and data migrations.

Rationale for deadoption includes reducing maintenance burden, lowering complexity, improving security, and aligning the product with its current roadmap. However, it carries risks such as user disruption, compatibility issues, and potential data migration challenges. Successful deadoption requires clear timelines, adequate user support, and a plan to preserve essential functionality through alternatives or replacements.

Examples of deadoption include removing a legacy authentication method, retiring an outdated API endpoint, or discarding a deprecated user interface control. The concept is widely discussed in the contexts of software development and platform governance, where careful planning helps preserve user trust while simplifying future development.

See also: deprecation, sunset policy, feature removal, API versioning, product lifecycle.