Upsides and Downsides of weekly software releases
Weekly, fortnightly, monthly or quarterly, choosing a release routine is important for maturing delivering capability.
If development and testing teams also are needed to work on other client projects, having a known and regular release rhythm can help with scheduling across all activities.
There are ups and downs to any approach - my advice is to choose the one that feels right for the team and business you have. Below are my views on going weekly.
Upsides
quicker feedback from users
testing and quality assurance become continuous processes. This helps in catching bugs early and maintaining a higher standard of software quality
smaller, incremental updates, with less content, can make it easier to plan and resource
keeps users engaged as they see continuous improvements and new features being added to the software
reduces the risk associated with deploying large updates. If an issue arises, it is easier to pinpoint and resolve
The Progress Principle! Developers often feel more accomplished and motivated when they see their work being deployed and used regularly
Downsides or Risks
less time for comprehensive testing (espeically if planning to introduce a new feature)
maintaining a high release cadence can strain resources in the governance overhead (things like weekly meetings to agree content, go-no-go etc.)
actual deployment may require significant resources
users may struggle to keep up with new features and changes
less time for innovation and strategic planning, as the team is constantly focused on the next release
quick fixes may be prioritized over long-term solutions, leading to technical debt
Requires
trust
addressing and resolving any single-points-of-failure (like where only one person can currently do x task, or only one person can access y environment)
short, sharp governance and update meetings
good automated regression testing to facilitate the speed of releases
quick decision-making which usually requires good data to hand for everyone involved - slow or reluctant decision-making can slow the release cadence too much