a·gen·tic a·gil·i·ty

Rethinking Dev-Test-Staging-Production Pipelines for Safety

TL;DR; Traditional Dev-Test-Staging-Production pipelines give a false sense of security because staging environments do not truly reflect production, leading to missed issues and wasted resources. Modern teams should focus on releasing to small user groups in production and using real feedback to guide rollouts. Consider shifting from heavy pre-release testing to faster, data-driven feedback in production to improve safety and efficiency.

Published on
1 minute read
Image
https://nkdagility.com/resources/3oUXWDsN6Qa
Subscribe

For years, we convinced ourselves that Dev-Test-Staging-Production pipelines kept us safe. If we just had one more layer of validation and one more environment to test in, we’d catch the problems before they hit production.

Except… that was a lie.

Staging environments aren’t production. They’re expensive illusions of safety. The data is different. The scale is different. The behaviours are different. And when failures inevitably show up in production anyway, teams scramble, wondering why their extensive pre-release testing didn’t catch the issue.

Modern software delivery isn’t about pretending production doesn’t exist; it’s about embracing it. Audience-based deployment (sometimes called ring-based deployment) is the smarter approach: releasing features to small, targeted user groups first, monitoring real-world behaviour, and expanding based on what the data tells us.

You don’t need more pre-production gates. You need faster feedback in production.

Are you still clinging to staging environments? What’s stopping you from moving forward?

Also published on: LinkedIn
Smart Classifications

Each classification [Concepts, Categories, & Tags] was assigned using AI-powered semantic analysis and scored across relevance, depth, and alignment. Final decisions? Still human. Always traceable. Hover to see how it applies.

Subscribe

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.

Our Happy Clients​

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.​

Emerson Process Management Logo

Emerson Process Management

Graham & Brown Logo

Graham & Brown

YearUp.org Logo

YearUp.org

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd Logo

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd

Jack Links Logo

Jack Links

Microsoft Logo

Microsoft

Milliman Logo

Milliman

SuperControl Logo

SuperControl

Trayport Logo

Trayport

Boxit Document Solutions

Slaughter and May Logo

Slaughter and May

Freadom Logo

Freadom

Workday Logo

Workday

Boeing Logo

Boeing

Schlumberger Logo

Schlumberger

CR2

Brandes Investment Partners L.P. Logo

Brandes Investment Partners L.P.

Hubtel Ghana Logo

Hubtel Ghana

Washington Department of Transport Logo

Washington Department of Transport

New Hampshire Supreme Court Logo

New Hampshire Supreme Court

Department of Work and Pensions (UK) Logo

Department of Work and Pensions (UK)

Ghana Police Service Logo

Ghana Police Service

Royal Air Force Logo

Royal Air Force

Nottingham County Council Logo

Nottingham County Council

Boeing Logo

Boeing

DFDS Logo

DFDS

Higher Education Statistics Agency Logo

Higher Education Statistics Agency

Kongsberg Maritime Logo

Kongsberg Maritime

NIT A/S

Microsoft Logo

Microsoft