Adding more staging environments does not reduce deployment risk; true safety comes from automated testing, continuous integration, and quality engineering practices.
The argument that more staging environments is rooted in a common fallacy: that staging environments reduce risk. They don’t. They create a false sense of security.
Windows, Microsoft Teams, Starbucks POS; these platforms risk losing millions per hour during downtime. Yet they rely on continuous delivery and testing in production. Why? Because they understand that real safety comes from fast, automated feedback loops and quality built in from the start, not from artificial gates.
The only reason production deployments feel risky is because organisations underinvest in quality. Test-first development, continuous integration, automated testing, and audience-based deployments are proven strategies for reducing risk while delivering faster. Staging environments merely delay the discovery of issues—they don’t prevent them.
If your business can’t tolerate downtime, the solution isn’t more pre-production gates. It’s engineering excellence through modern delivery practices. The choice isn’t between staging or risk; it’s between outdated practices and professionalism.
If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.
Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd
Slaughter and May
Freadom
Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company)
Brandes Investment Partners L.P.
Trayport
Boeing
Jack Links
Illumina
Alignment Healthcare
Akaditi
Graham & Brown
Teleplan
YearUp.org
NIT A/S
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.
Higher Education Statistics Agency
Epic Games
Ghana Police Service
Washington Department of Enterprise Services
Department of Work and Pensions (UK)
Royal Air Force
Washington Department of Transport
Nottingham County Council
Jack Links
Teleplan
Philips
Boeing
Lockheed Martin
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