Too many teams overcomplicate their branching strategies. The best engineering teams focus on flow, not friction.
Branching models should enable fast delivery, not slow it down. The best approach? Keep it simple:
✅ GitHub Flow – Short-lived feature branches, immediate merges to main, and continuous deployment.
✅ Release Flow – If multiple versions must be supported, fixes go into main first, then cherry-picked into a release branch.
No long-lived branches. No unnecessary merges. No reverse integration nightmares.
Teams that eliminate unnecessary complexity move faster, reduce risk, and deliver value consistently. Stop promoting branches. Start shipping.
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.
DFDS
Trayport
Hubtel Ghana
Graham & Brown
CR2
Kongsberg Maritime
Higher Education Statistics Agency
Slicedbread
Emerson Process Management
Lockheed Martin
Brandes Investment Partners L.P.
Deliotte
Teleplan
Bistech
Boeing
Epic Games
Akaditi
Schlumberger
Washington Department of Transport
Royal Air Force
Ghana Police Service
New Hampshire Supreme Court
Washington Department of Enterprise Services
Nottingham County Council
Alignment Healthcare
Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company)
Ericson
Teleplan
SuperControl
Boxit Document Solutions