Progressive Delivery Steps Calculator

Work out progressive delivery steps instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Progressive Delivery Steps Calculator

Progressive delivery multiplies the traffic share at each step so exposure grows geometrically while the number of steps grows only logarithmically. Starting at one percent and tripling reaches full traffic in five steps, so a 20-minute bake per step completes in under two hours — short enough to fit a working day, which is what makes the practice sustainable.

Formula

Geometric rollout

share(k) = start x multiplier^k until the final share; steps = ceil(log(final/start) / log(multiplier)) + 1; duration = steps x bake time

Worked example

With the default values below, Progressive Delivery Steps Calculator returns Rollout steps of 6. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Starting traffic shareaccepts 0.01–100 %: 1 %
Step multiplieraccepts 1.1–20 x: 3 x
Bake time per stepminimum 0.1 min: 20 min
Final traffic shareaccepts 1–100 %: 100 %

Results

Rollout steps: 6
Total rollout duration: 120 min
Traffic share at each step: 1% -> 3% -> 9% -> 27% -> 81% -> 100%
Duration in hours: 2.00 h

Step by step

1Values used
2Geometric rollout
3Rollout steps= 6
4Total rollout duration= 120 min
5Traffic share at each step= 1% -> 3% -> 9% -> 27% -> 81% -> 100%
6Duration in hours= 2.00 h

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should each bake be?

Long enough for your slowest meaningful signal. If a metric aggregates over five minutes and you want a few data points, 15 to 20 minutes is the floor.

Why multiply rather than add fixed increments?

Linear steps of 10 percent give ten equal steps but spend most of the time at high exposure. Geometric steps concentrate caution where the risk is unknown.