holdtilrelease

Hold til release (HTR), sometimes written as hold-till-release or described as "hold until release," is a release management policy in software development in which a build, feature, or package is withheld from deployment until predefined criteria are satisfied. The criteria are typically automated checks, manual QA approvals, regulatory or security requirements, or performance targets. HTR is often implemented in continuous delivery pipelines as a gating mechanism to reduce the risk of introducing defects or noncompliant code into production.

How it works: In a typical setup, each candidate release triggers a set of gates: automated test suites pass; security scans complete; compliance checks are cleared; rollback/monitoring plans exist. If any gate fails, the release remains on hold and is re-evaluated after fixes are made. Some teams use feature flags to separate rollout from release so that code can exist in production while not yet visible to users.

Usage and benefits: HTR is common in regulated industries, large organizations, or complex platforms where failures carry high cost. Benefits include earlier defect detection, predictable quality, improved security posture, and traceability of decisions. The approach also supports audit trails and accountability.

Limitations and considerations: Hold til release can increase lead time, require additional coordination, and create bottlenecks if gates are not automated or well-defined. To mitigate, teams should define objective gates, automate checks, establish service level agreements for holds, plan for rapid remediation, and ensure clear ownership and communication.

Related concepts: Continuous delivery, gated commit, release train, feature toggles, and stop/go gates.