Toggle is a term to describe switching back and forth between settings or programs. In digital software it’s often used to refer to a toggle switch, which lets users control the state of some aspect of the product. Toggles are typically used to manage the state of things like content, views, or permissions. They’re a powerful tool to have in a shared development environment, but they can quickly lead to confusion and chaos if not carefully managed.

Generally speaking, Release Toggles are transitionary by nature and should not stick around for very long (weeks or even days). They are primarily used to facilitate testing, product demos, and other product-centric activities.

It’s not unusual for a Permissioning Toggle to be quite long-lived, but this is usually the case for features that are very well thought out and intentionally planned for. Generally, a Permissioning Toggle will only need to be in place for a year or so until the team can be confident that it has achieved its goals and is ready to be removed permanently.

When creating a Toggle it is important to think about the visual cues being used and evaluate any potential cultural or societal implications. For example, using the color red to signal a toggle’s state may have negative consequences for some users.

It is also important to keep the inventory of idle toggles to a minimum, and ideally only use them for features that meet all three conditions. Too many idle toggles can impact read performance. This can be mitigated by building a process into the management platform for pruning toggles as soon as they have run their course.