How this report was built.
The report draws on two studies. Mobile engineering managers (EMs) were surveyed in 2026, and individual mobile engineers in a separate study in 2025. The two groups were recruited independently and are not the same companies, so the EM and engineer figures on a segment page describe two populations of the same shape, not two views of the same teams. Where a page sets an EM figure next to an engineer figure, read it that way.
Segment design
Every page on the site groups respondents into one of six segments defined by mobile team size and release cadence. Both studies asked the same question about mobile team size, and both are cut on that answer.
- Small teams: mobile engineering teams of 10 to 49 engineers.
- Large teams: mobile engineering teams of 50 or more engineers, typically split across multiple feature teams.
- Cadence: weekly, biweekly, or monthly releases shipped to production. Self-reported by each respondent.
We use “small teams” and “large teams” throughout the report so the reading is about the shape of the org, not the headcount. The numeric thresholds are here so the segments can be reproduced exactly.
Sample sizes by segment
Where fewer than 30 people answered on one side of a segment, we flag that side as directional: the shape of the answers is informative, the exact percentage is not. Each segment page repeats the flag on its opening line. The “range across segments” band shown next to each gauge is computed from segments of 30 or more, so a small group cannot stretch the band on every other page.
| Segment | EMs | Engineers | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small teams · Weekly | 45 ✓ | 48 ✓ | Robust on both sides |
| Small teams · Biweekly | 115 ✓ | 74 ✓ | Robust on both sides |
| Small teams · Monthly | 59 ✓ | 101 ✓ | Robust on both sides |
| Large teams · Weekly | 30 ✓ | 10 ⚠ | Engineer figures directional |
| Large teams · Biweekly | 41 ✓ | 17 ⚠ | Engineer figures directional |
| Large teams · Monthly | 10 ⚠ | 56 ✓ | EM figures directional |
How figures are reported
- Percentages are shares of respondents in the segment. “33% of EMs say more than half their releases slip” means a third of EMs chose that answer, not that a third of releases slipped.
- Where a question offered ranges, averages such as “about 27 people” are estimated from range midpoints.
- The question on what a team would evaluate first was left blank by about 30% of EMs. Figures from it are shares of those who answered, and each page says so.
- Engineers' estimates of how many incidents a centralized process would have prevented are reported as beliefs, not outcomes.
Recruitment and field
Both studies were run online by an independent research firm. Respondents were recruited through a business-to-business research panel and invited by email. The engineer study was fielded in 2025 and the EM study in early 2026.
Respondents work at companies in the United States and United Kingdom with 500 to 10,000 employees, shipping consumer and enterprise apps. Everyone was screened for four things: a mobile engineering team of at least 10 people, mobile apps that drive a meaningful share of the business, releases shipped to production at least monthly, and hands-on involvement in mobile releases in the past 12 months. EMs had to be responsible for a mobile engineering team; engineers had to be individual contributors working on an app that ships.
Answer options for most non-numerical questions were shown in random order to limit order bias. Responses are reported unweighted. Runway commissioned both studies and wrote the analysis; the questionnaire is available in full below.
How to cite
https://runway.team/state-of-mobile-release-management
Looking for last year's numbers? The 2025 edition is still available.
Get the full report.
All six segments in one report, ready to pass along to your team.