HKSM
Continuous Delivery
A development approach that ships small, incremental features to customers as soon as they are ready, using small batch work and extensive automation to make releases fast and reliable.
Key Points
- Delivers small, production-ready changes frequently to shorten feedback loops.
- Relies on automated builds, tests, and deployment pipelines to reduce errors.
- Uses small batch sizes, frequent integration, and techniques like feature flags and quick rollback.
- Often contrasted with continuous deployment: delivery enables immediate release; deployment makes it fully automatic.
Example
A product team building a web service merges small changes daily. Each commit triggers automated builds, unit and integration tests, security scans, and a deployment to a production-like environment. When a change meets all quality checks, the pipeline can push it live the same day with a single approval, giving customers immediate access to the new feature.
PMP Example Question
A team structures its work in small batches and uses an automated pipeline so that each completed feature can be released to customers immediately after passing tests. Which practice does this describe?
- Iteration review
- Rolling wave planning
- Continuous Delivery
- Critical chain method
Correct Answer: C — Continuous Delivery
Explanation: Continuous delivery focuses on releasing small increments rapidly and reliably through automation, enabling immediate delivery once changes are ready.
