Release Management Framework

Releases follow a bi-weekly cadence. Release notes are distributed on Tuesday; deployment occurs the following Friday. Release notes are structured in three sections corresponding to the change tiers below.

Tier 1 — Minor and Additive Changes Deployed on the release Friday without a feature flag. These changes are either cosmetic or additive in nature and do not require instructor action. Release notes for this tier include suggested language the vendor can share directly with instructors. The client may object to the classification of a Tier 1 item by emailing the vendor before the release Friday. The vendor may adjust the code, agree to bundle the item as a Tier 2 or hold the release.

Tier 2 — Notable Changes Notable Changes are modifications that may affect the appearance or layout of existing platform screens but would not reasonably cause a student to be confused or unable to proceed. The changes are hidden from users after the release, and this visibility is controlled by a single feature flag tied to the release. The flag defaults to off. Clients activate when ready. The flag is lifted and the associated code removed as part of the following bi-weekly release. From the date release notes are issued to the date the flag is automatically activated is approximately 18 days — just over two and a half weeks. Clients who preview changes on the demo environment, updated the day after release notes are issued, have the full 18 days to review upcoming changes, update their training materials, and activate the flag on their own schedule before automatic activation on the second Friday. The client may object to the classification of a Tier 2 item by emailing the vendor before the feature flag is removed; a valid objection triggers reclassification to Tier 3 and the item is assigned its own feature flag with a Tier 3 retirement window.

Tier 3 — Significant Changes A Significant Change means any modification to the platform interface or functionality that would reasonably cause a student — relying solely on current instructor-provided training materials and with no prior notice of the change — to be confused or unable to proceed with an assigned task. Each Significant Change carries its own feature flag with a longer activation window. Flags for this tier are retired on a fixed schedule: [December / April / August] or as otherwise agreed. After the retirement date the change is active for all clients. The client may request an extension to the scheduled retirement date by emailing the vendor in advance of that date; the vendor may grant an extension of one to two months, such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld.

Security and Critical Defect Carve-Out Notwithstanding the above, the vendor may deploy any change without advance notice or feature flag where required to address a security vulnerability or critical defect. The vendor shall notify the client by email within 48 hours of such a deployment, including a brief description of the change and the reason for emergency deployment.

Demo environment

The demo instance is updated the day after release notes are issued — giving clients and instructors approximately three days to preview changes before the Friday deployment. The vendor reserves the right to apply defect fixes to the demo environment between the release notes date and the Friday deployment.