Updated: July 13, 2020 (February 20, 2006)
Charts & IllustrationsTraditional Phases of Software Development
Chart shows typical types of prereleases in large commercial software projects and what customers and partners can do with each.
| Release | What to Expect | Purpose |
| Internal Milestone | No distribution outside Microsoft; may have incomplete functionality and serious bugs | Checkpoint to measure progress compared with the schedule |
| Alpha | First distribution outside Microsoft
Incomplete features Will have bugs, including some that may cause crashes and data loss |
Begin to share details on product with closely trusted partners and customers |
| Beta | All features implemented
Basically stable, particularly around core scenarios, but will still crash |
Verify compatibility across broad range of hardware and software |
| Release Candidate | Complete product with all features working and documented
Shipping quality |
Final testing
Identify last-minute “showstopper” bugs |
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