New Data: 94% of Mobile Engineering Managers Say Roadmap Is Waiting on the Release Process
83% of mobile EMs say fixing release management would accelerate their roadmap, according to our 2026 survey of 300 engineering managers. Among EMs who run releases themselves, it climbs to 94%. The role closest to release work is the same role most convi
94% of mobile engineering managers who run releases themselves say fixing release management would accelerate their product roadmap. Source: Runway's 2026 State of Mobile Release Management survey of 300 mobile engineering managers.
94% of mobile engineering managers spend three or more hours per release cycle on status updates and stakeholder coordination. Source: Runway's 2026 State of Mobile Release Management survey of 300 mobile engineering managers.
83% of mobile engineering managers say fixing release management would accelerate their roadmap. Among those who run releases themselves, it's 94%.
The surrounding data shows where that conviction comes from. Status work alone consumes real hours: 94% of EMs spend three or more hours per release cycle on status updates and stakeholder coordination. For the engineers running the release, coordination eats an average of 48% of release time. That is time spent chasing status, writing updates and wrangling stakeholders instead of shipping. And the appetite to act is already there: 84% of teams say they are likely to invest in release processes or tooling in the next 12 months.
Release management should be part of roadmap talks. This means involving product teams and the whole organization, not just engineering. Coordination adds complexity, but the real problem is that post-build steps, like approvals and handoffs, are still slow. This happens regardless of coding speed. AI has highlighted this gap, as 44% of engineering managers now require senior reviews for AI-generated code, adding delays. This impacts the roadmap, as features often go unscoped due to resources spent on releases. Product teams may not notice these issues, but 94% of engineering managers who run releases feel they hinder progress.
Runway's 2026 Decision Guide organizes the full findings around five decisions every mobile team is facing this year: where release status lives, who runs the release, how leadership perceives mobile risk, how AI-touched code ships and whether to invest in process or platform work. Runway has also built a 15-item self-assessment so EMs can score their team against the 300 teams surveyed and identify the next move.
The 2026 Decision Guide: Modern Mobile Release Management for Engineering Managers is available for free here.
About Runway
Runway is a mobile release management platform purpose-built by former mobile engineers who have lived through the pain of chaotic releases. By automating tedious tasks, unifying fragmented tools and enhancing visibility, Runway helps mobile teams save hours per release, reduce risk, and improve collaboration and app quality. Trusted by leading mobile teams at DoorDash, Skyscanner, SoFi, Kickstarter and Gusto, Runway makes releases transparent, repeatable and hands-free, so engineers can focus on building features instead of fighting fires.
Riley Maguire
Runway
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