RCstatus

RCstatus refers to the current state of a software release candidate within a release management process. It communicates the readiness, stability, and risks associated with an upcoming release to developers, testers, product managers, and stakeholders.

Although RCstatus is not a formal standard, it is a widely used concept in software development. It provides a common framework for coordinating activities across teams, guiding decisions about when to proceed to final release or continue addressing defects.

Typical RCstatus categories include Planning, In Testing, Stabilizing or Bug Fixing, Regression Testing, Documentation Complete, Security Review, Ready for Release, and Released. Organizations may customize the names and number of stages to suit their processes.

Tracking RCstatus relies on build tags, issue-tracker flags, CI/CD dashboards, and release notes. Key metrics often considered include test pass rate, number of open critical defects, time in each stage, and the impact of unresolved issues on release readiness.

Advantages of RCstatus include enhanced visibility, improved risk management, and clearer release timelines. Potential limitations involve ambiguity when definitions differ between teams, the risk of status drift without governance, and overemphasis on process over product quality.

See also Release management, Release candidate, Software release life cycle, Continuous integration/continuous deployment.