# Go or no-go for release 5.4 “Go or no-go for release 5.4” is a release captain (senior software engineer) job simulation on FinderK. You work at Orla Books, an original fictional company, and complete 3 assignments in about 80 minutes. It is for anyone who wants to practice release captain (senior software engineer) work. No previous work experience is required. - Role: Release captain (senior software engineer) - Industry: Software engineering - Career: Software engineering (https://finderk.com/careers/software-engineering) - Level: Mid-level - Time: About 80 minutes, 3 assignments - Access: Included in Plus - Created by: FinderK - Work tools: Mail, Office documents and spreadsheets, Calendar, Chat, Notes - Page: https://finderk.com/simulations/go-or-no-go-for-release-5-4 - Last updated: 2026-10-10 ## Summary Release 5.4 must get a new bank feed connector live before an aggregator switches off its old interface on 31 October, but Android crashes, a slow migration and a quarantined test stand in the way. Judge readiness, recommend a plan and roll it out without over-promising. ## Full brief You are the release captain for a bookkeeping company's four-weekly release. The dashboards look mostly green. Underneath, a migration runs seventeen minutes past its window, Android crashes on one screen on older phones, a test was quarantined three days before the branch cut and a known bug has no sign-off. Thousands of customers lose their bank feeds if the new connector is not live by 31 October, and marketing has an email booked for Thursday. You score readiness against the policy, write the decision note and the exceptions you need, then plan the rollout and tell support and marketing. Automated checks confirm your figures and saved work; your judgement is reviewed against the standard for the role. ## What is Orla Books? Orla Books is a fictional maker of bookkeeping software for about 41,000 small businesses, with a web app and iOS and Android apps. Releases go out every four weeks on a release train, with a senior engineer acting as release captain. This case runs from Tuesday 13 to Wednesday 14 October 2026. All times are UTC. The captain decides readiness and the rollout plan within the release policy; only the Head of engineering approves exceptions. ## Who do you play? You are the release captain, release 5.4 in the Engineering team. You are a senior software engineer acting as release captain for 5.4. You judge readiness against the release policy, recommend go or no-go, and set the rollout plan and its gates. Only Ines Moreau can approve an exception to the policy, and only those it allows. Marketing timing is agreed by Rafael with marketing under the communications runbook. ## What will you do? 1. 1. Score readiness against the go criteria (25 minutes) 2. 2. Write the decision note and ask for exceptions (30 minutes) 3. 3. Book the rollout and tell support and marketing (25 minutes) ## Which skills will you practice? - Judge release readiness against written criteria and evidence - Separate what a dashboard shows from what the policy counts - Recommend a release plan that protects a hard external deadline - Ask for only the exceptions the policy allows, with reasons - Plan a staged rollout and the communications that depend on it ## Frequently asked questions ### How long does “Go or no-go for release 5.4” take? About 80 minutes, across 3 assignments. When the time is up, you get 10 minutes to round up and submit. Pausing stops the clock. ### Is “Go or no-go for release 5.4” free? No. It is included in FinderK Plus. With a free account you can also do it without grading. ### Do I need release captain (senior software engineer) experience? No. No previous work experience is required. The listed level is mid-level. ### What do I get when I finish? You get feedback on each assignment you submit. Completing all required assignments earns a completion certificate. It records participation and is not professional accreditation. ### Is Orla Books a real company? No. Orla Books is an original fictional company made for practice. Its coworkers may make mistakes, so check their suggestions against the evidence.