# Deployment plans: order, timing and Lifecycle Center

*Platform App Builder Study Guide · App Deployment · Last updated October 25, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-app-builder/app-deployment/deployment-plans-order-timing-and-lifecycle-center*

How to plan a production release: which deployment tool fits, what may change directly in production, the recommended component order, timing, manual pre- and post-deployment steps, and promoting metadata and configuration data through a Lifecycle Center (formerly DevOps Center) pipeline.

- Certification: Salesforce Platform App Builder
- Exam section: App Deployment
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-app-builder

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a scenario, determine the appropriate deployment plan.

## What the exam expects

- Choose a deployment option (change sets, Salesforce CLI with a manifest, Lifecycle Center, packages) from the team's requirements.
- Separate changes that are fine directly in production from those that need a sandbox and pipeline.
- Order a deployment's components and split ones that can't deploy together.
- Time a release around peak hours, recompilation, sharing recalculation and holidays.
- Plan manual steps, configuration data, governance and pending Apex jobs.

Key terms: **deployment run list** (manual tasks before and after a deployment); **manifest** (`package.xml`, the list of components to deploy or retrieve); **pipeline** (Lifecycle Center's ordered stages from development to production); **work item** (a tracked change in Lifecycle Center); **sharing recalculation** (record-access recomputation triggered by sharing changes).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended order | Objects, Apex classes, Visualforce, LWC/Aura, triggers and other metadata, profiles and permission sets, sharing rules | [Deployment Best Practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_best_practices.htm&type=5) |
| Fine in production | Email templates, users, permission sets and profiles | [Deployment Best Practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_best_practices.htm&type=5) |
| Governance | Customize Application for admins only; few admins with programmatic deploy rights | [Deployment Best Practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_best_practices.htm&type=5) |
| Timing | Off-peak, not before holidays, on a consistent schedule | [Deployment Best Practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_best_practices.htm&type=5) |
| Object + sharingModel + owner rule | Three separate deployments, in that order | [Special Behavior](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_special_behavior.htm&type=5) |
| Pending Apex jobs | Block Apex deploys; cancel jobs or enable deployments with Apex jobs | [Special Behavior](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_special_behavior.htm&type=5) |
| Deployment run list | Manual pre- and post-deployment tasks, such as permission set assignments | [Plan for Changes to Your Org](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/org-development-model/plan-for-changes-to-your-org2) |
| package.xml | Lists components; deploys the local source files | [Test and Deploy Changes](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/org-development-model/test-and-deploy-changes) |
| Quick deploy window | 10 days after a successful CLI validation | [Test and Deploy Changes](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/org-development-model/test-and-deploy-changes) |
| Configuration data | Lifecycle Center promotes custom settings or Data Kits with metadata | [Say Hello to Lifecycle Center](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/devops-center-quick-look/say-hello-to-devops-center) |

## Check yourself

- Why does a release pipeline with several test stages help before production?
- When does the 10-day quick deploy window after a CLI validation stop working?
- What happens when Lifecycle Center promotes a work item?
- What does a change list track in the org development model?

## Sources

- [Deployment Best Practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_best_practices.htm&type=5)
- [Special Behavior in Deployments](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_special_behavior.htm&type=5)
- [Deploy Your Changes](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_overview.htm&type=5)
- [Govern, Manage, and Release Changes with Lifecycle Center](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.devops_center_overview.htm&type=5)
- [Say Hello to Lifecycle Center (Trailhead)](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/devops-center-quick-look/say-hello-to-devops-center)
- [Plan for Changes to Your Org (Trailhead)](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/org-development-model/plan-for-changes-to-your-org2)
- [Test and Deploy Changes (Trailhead)](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/org-development-model/test-and-deploy-changes)
- [Deploy a Change Set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.changesets_inbound_deploy.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Developing and Distributing Unmanaged Packages](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/pkg1-dev/guide/packaging-developing-unmanaged.html)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 9 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Platform App Builder pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams