nearfinal

Nearfinal is an attribute used in product development to describe a state in which a product, document, or project is close to completion but has not yet undergone final approvals or release. The term is informal and industry-agnostic, appearing in software engineering, hardware design, publishing, and media production to signal that most core work is completed while the remaining tasks are limited to final polish, verification, or sign-off.

In software and hardware contexts, nearfinal builds are typically shared for internal demonstrations, user testing, or quality assurance with the expectation that any outstanding issues will be resolved before the final release. In publishing or media, a nearfinal manuscript or cut may contain all content and formatting but awaits final proofreading, permissions, indexing, or licensing checks.

Nearfinal differs from final in that it has not completed the requisite approvals or checks for public or customer release. It is also distinct from other staged releases such as beta or release candidates, which have explicit criteria and public-facing expectations. The nearfinal stage usually implies imminent release and a narrowing of remaining discipline into minor refinements rather than substantial feature changes.

Common characteristics of nearfinal work include residual bugs or performance issues, finalizing documentation, compliance or security reviews, and the completion of sign-off from stakeholders. Proper labeling and versioning are important to avoid misinterpretation of status, especially in contract or compliance contexts.

See also: final, beta, release candidate, prototype, pre-production, versioning.