Which of the following is not a goal of Continuous Integration?

The goal of Continuous Integration (CI) is to enhance the development process by integrating code changes into a shared repository frequently, which allows teams to identify and address integration issues early in the development cycle. This is done by automatically testing the code as changes are made, ensuring that any integration problems can be identified quickly.

Frequent merging of code changes promotes collaboration among developers, as it minimizes the likelihood of conflicts arising from divergent code paths. Immediate feedback on code quality is crucial because it allows developers to detect and fix issues promptly, reducing the chances of introducing bugs into the production environment. Additionally, reducing integration problems is a central aim of CI, as it ensures a smoother workflow and improves overall development efficiency.

In contrast, ensuring production releases without testing directly contradicts the principles of Continuous Integration. Testing is a fundamental aspect of the CI process, serving to validate code changes before they reach production. The absence of testing can lead to undetected errors and degrade the quality of the final product, undermining the primary goals of CI, which focuses on delivering higher quality software through systematic testing and validation.